Lily Valentine is an indie singer who has had success with her debut album and is working on her new album "Going Down", which has a more rock-inspired sound. She discusses how her parents' divorce inspired her songwriting and gave her the confidence to pursue music. Lily feels proud of her career achievements like headlining festivals and her upcoming arena tour, having come from difficult circumstances in the past. While her relationship is personal, her rock star boyfriend may join her on tour. Lily was upset by comments from her ex-friend and fellow singer Ellie Goulding accusing her of similar music but has moved past it.

1. Article Draft
We sat down with Lily Valentine, your favourite indie singer of 2010, to see what
she’s been up to and reveal secrets about her upcoming album ‘Going down’
So Lily, since coming out with your debut album you’ve won awards, had 3 number
ones and headlined at Reading Festival. How’s the rest of your year been?
L: It’s been amazing! All year I’ve been working on my new album. I really wanted to
mature my sound and introduce a more rock-like vibe so I’ve been working with the
top rock experts in the business.
B: What made you want to become a singer?
L: Well I have always loved singing; I just never had the confidence to sing in front of
people. I grew up in Hackney and my parents got divorced when I was 9 and that hit
my family hard. We didn’t like where we lived and me and my brother always felt
like we had to be with my dad and mum at the same time but we just couldn’t. I may
not be that close to my parents anymore because of their split, but in a way I’m
really happy they did divorce because it brought me and my brother closer together.
He calls me a lot and he’s even coming on the tour with me. In fact, he helped me
get into the music industry.And actually, the whole split gave me a lot of inspiration
for my writing; I used writing as a way to express myself. It was actually a few years
back when I started. I wasn’t really getting anywhere in life and I remembered how
much I loved singing so I just went for it. It does show that if you just go for it, it can
all pay off.
B: How did you feel about headlining Reading earlier this year?
L: Oh my gosh.. Yeah it was an amazing achievement, I’ve always dreamed of playing
there and the crowd were just so amazing, I never wanted to get off stage!
B: You’ve just announced you will be headlining your very first arena tour in 2012 and
you are releasing your new album very soon. How do you feel about all of this?
L: It’s really unbelievable, to think I was staying on my friends’ couch a few years ago,
jobless, getting drunk every other night. I really pulled myself together to get all of
this so I’m very proud. The tour will be amazing, I’m sure it will be exhausting and
lonely at times but seeing my fans sing along to my music makes it all worth it.
B: Will your rock star boyfriend, Freddie Whitmore be joining you on the tour?
L: I don’t really talk about my relationships to the press because I just find it very
personal and some things need to just be mine. But I will say that he will be coming
out to see me a lot when he’s not doing shows.
B: Do we hear the sound of wedding bells anytime soon?
L: No *laughs* I’m still very young, neither of us are ready for it and I’m not even
sure I want to get married. If I do get married, it will be when I’m much older,
probably late 30s at the earliest so he’s got a while to wait!
B: Lately, in the press, fellow indie singer (and ex-best friend) Ellie Goulding has made
comments about your music sounding similar to hers. How did you feel about this
when you read it in the paper?
L: To be honest, I was upset and angry when I first heard about it but then I got over
it. It’s such a shame because we used to be such good friends, but when I started
getting my music played and really breaking into the industry, she seemed
threatened and just stopped talking to me. It’s quite petty really and I don’t have
time for that kind of stuff anymore so...Whatever.
B: No chance of a duet with Ellie then?

2. L: No. But, never say never.
Do still see yourself singing and touring in the next 10 years?
I really hope so! You never know how things are going to change but I hope that I will
still be doing this because I’ve been loving every minute of it, honestly. Although, no
one likes to see an 80 year old wrinkled lady jumping around on stage at Reading
Festival!