Labrinth interview: “There are no crappy songs on my album!”

Last Sunday (August 17), Labrinth surprised fans with a pop gig in London, where he officially unveiled the lead single from this long-awaited second album.

We caught up with the singer and producer to find out what he's been up to during his time out of the spotlight and the challenges following up his hugely successful debut Electronic Earth. 

Hello Labrinth! You’ve been absent from the charts for what feels like a long time. What have you been doing with yourself?

“It feels like a lifetime! It’s been worth the time away though. I think every artist should take a little break from the madness. You run around so much that it’s easy to forget what you want. I felt like I needed to stop and regain my excitement for music and be full of energy for my amazing new album. Listen to me, I sound like Kanye West!”

Your new single Let It Be sounds like nothing we’ve heard before. How would you describe it?

“I’ll admit I’m nervous about releasing this song. It’s easy to be confident about it in the studio, but releasing a brand new single is like wearing a new pair of shoes for the first time. They look sick in the shop but you feel self-conscious wearing them outside. When I was making this song I was influenced by Electric Light Orchestra, Nina Simone, James Brown and John Barry. Basically, I wanted to go gospel and soul and mix it with rock and electronic production. I know it’s a lot to ask, and I hope people get it.”

It’s brave to come back with something so different; are you nervous about how people will react to it?

“Definitely! I wanted to be bold and dramatic because that’s how it felt for me to record this album. I felt so much pressure and anxiety about it. I ended up thinking, ‘just let the song go’. You have no control whether it’s a hit or if it flops. The lyrics to the song are literally me telling myself to let go of it.”

Were you ever tempted to come back with Earthquake part II?

“Do you know what, so many people said to me, ‘People love Earthquake and miss it, why don’t you recreate the sound?’. I thought I could do it again, but then I’d be a McDonalds producer, and I don’t want to become that. I want to be excited to promote my music and take risks.”

Is the album completely finished? When can we expect it?

“The album will probably come early next year. The singles are all done and ready to go and I love them. I wanted to really sing on this record, because I didn’t do that enough on my last album. I hope people enjoy my voice as well as the music.”

Is Let It Be a good indication of the sound of the record?

“I would say it is, actually. I’ve been a lot more cohesive with my sound this time around. I thought that was important because the last album was all over the place. I loved that at the time, but this album has a theme. But after listening to lots of ‘70s, soul and sci-fi music, this album has a clearer sound.”

You collaborated with Tinie Tempah and Emeli Sande on Electronic Earth; have you teamed up with anyone for this record?

“I worked with a lot of writers and producers but I didn’t think the music we were making was good enough. Often you only get a day or two with these producers, and the results weren’t that great. I know collaborations sell albums, but I didn’t want any boring, crappy songs on there! I should put that on a sticker on the front of the album as a disclaimer!”

Labrinth releases Let It Be on September 28. Click here to preorder the single.