If you turned on a radio around 15 years ago, you’d probably have heard Pixie Lott’s infectious pop hits blasting out as the Bromley-born singer dominated the charts.
From Boys and Girls to All About Tonight, she had reached dizzying stardom all before turning 20. Then in 2014, she took a break from music.
Now she’s back and embracing this new era, telling Metro she’s found ‘freedom’ in the way the industry has shifted in her absence.
We spoke to Pixie ahead of her headline slot at Ben and Jerry’s Sundaes In The Park festival on Saturday, June 13, kicking off what she teases will be an exciting summer.
‘This will be my first time playing the festival, but I’m really, really excited because it will pretty much be for me the first festival of the season,’ she said.
‘We’re doing an hour set, and I’ve just been talking with my musical director of the band about what we’re going to do, what surprises we can conjure up, and I’m just so excited to be out there playing festivals again with my band.’
When asked what those surprises could be, Pixie confirmed there was a new unreleased song hiding in the setlist, which she’d only finished recording last month.
‘It’s very fun for the summer for the festival crowd,’ the Christmas Karma star teased, revealing she had actually asked fans what they wanted for her next release.
She dropped single Good Wife, a track exploring everything it means to be a woman in 2026, in April – her first since 2024 comeback album Encino, which marked the end of her decade-long break.
‘It was such a long time since I’d released music before [Encino], and it felt amazing to be back with new music,’ she said. ‘And music that meant so much.’
Pixie had stepped away from the spotlight after concerns about her mental health following her Breakfast at Tiffany’s stage debut, which she previously told Metro had left her ‘broken’.
Her time away seemed to only improve her music as Encino was praised by critics who called it the best of her four records, highlighting the candid and confessional lyrics.
It never quite cracked into mainstream commercial success, with Pixie sharing the album had been made in a ‘very different way’ to the pop hits that had come before it.
‘I just wanted to make something that felt really real and raw,’ the singer said. ‘[Something] that would feel great to perform live with a band, and just really writing about what I was going through, and some really deep stuff.
She started meditating during her time off, saying she ‘learned a lot of lessons during that time’.
The tracks explore nostalgia and family as well as self-worth, with Pixie calling it ‘a really real honest body of work’.
Her new single Good Wife keeps that vibe, with Pixie singing: ‘Keeping up appearances, online/ The years are so short though the days might seem long/ Got to take enough pictures before they’re gone.’
Despite her lyrics suggesting she’s not a fan of social media, the Cry Me Out icon actually is using it to help shape her new era.
‘That’s definitely changed a lot [since her debut],’ she said. ‘I think it’s great for connecting to people, and getting ideas. That connection makes it quite easy for lots of people to see new music instantly.
‘I think there’s some good. There’s pros and cons to it. There’s always still something nice about mystery and not detailing every single thing, but there is also something very nice about connection and authenticity and being real.’
She’s using social media to let her dedicated fanbase determine her new music rollout, posting stories and asking what vibe they’d prefer for each release.
After Good Wife, the fans requested a ‘party party’ mood, more reflective of her early work than her introspective era – perfect for a festival.
Pixie will debut the next track live for the first time as she headlines Sundaes In The Park at Chiswick House, where entry costs just £18 per person.
The price is a far cry from some day festivals which have crept up in cost, with some now over £100 for one day of music.
In the continued cost of living crisis, the mum of two emphasised how important it was to her to make live music ‘accessible’, calling festivals essential for connecting fans to music.
‘I love performing as well, because online social media can be very curated, made together and edited, whereas live? You’re there in that moment,’ Pixie continued.
‘You are only there for that show once; it might be the same tour, but every single night is going to have slight differences, and you were there to witness that one thing.’
This can backfire, though, as she shared embarrassing moments that have been caught on film, such as her red lipstick smeared across her face during one huge performance.
Another time her dress came loose mid-show – not something you’d particularly want to go viral for – admitting she usually cracks a few jokes to keep the crowd on side while things get fixed.
Mostly, the fans are incredibly supportive, with Pixie now feeling able to choose what she does rather than running to stay relevant in the ever-changing music landscape.
‘I don’t feel the pressure to keep up [with emerging talent],’ she mused. ‘Now, people are dropping songs every six weeks, it’s exciting.
‘I’ve been doing it since, like, 13, so I’ve had so many songs. In my old computer at my mother’s house, my laptops, my email account – they are full of songs that no one will ever hear, and it makes me quite sad.’
Artists put so much energy into creating songs that, back in the day, didn’t make the album cut but now Pixie can drop songs on streamers if and when she pleases.
‘Now you have that freedom to put songs out frequently, and that’s really freeing for me,’ she shared, beaming. ‘I’d always have to wait or build up to a project, whereas now it feels like I can finish a song this week, and then be like, “Right, I’ll sing it for my festival next week”.
‘Then in six weeks I can put out another one. That feels exciting.’
Pixie Lott is headlining Ben and Jerry’s Sundaes In The Park on Saturday, June 13, with tickets on sale now.
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