INTERVIEW WITH ANDREA CORR

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The Corrs' diminutive singer may have found fame with her siblings, but now they've taken time off to have children, Andrea's gone solo.

You're just about to release Ten Feet High, your debut album as a solo artist. What prompted a solo project?

In 2005 we'd done our Irish record, and everybody was either pregnant or had new babies, so they all needed time out, except for me. So our manager suggested that if I'd like to go solo, then now's the time. I'd already written some songs, and I thought 'I'm supposed to be brave, and put myself out of my comfort zone,' so I did it.

It's quite a change in style from your work with The Corrs. Was that a conscious decision?

No, because I'm very proud of the albums I've made with The Corrs, but I think it's inevitable it would be different. It took four people to make that music, and now it's me on my own. Each track is very story based, which gives it quite an eclectic sound. Nelle Hooper produced it, so whatever story I've written, he's directed.

How did you come to work with Nelle?

I’d always admired his work; Bjork's debut album is one of my favourite records. That's the type of album I love, and the kind of album Nelle makes. I'd play my new songs on the piano to my friends Bono and Gavin Friday at my home in Dublin when we were hanging out, and we were thinking that the person to produce should be Nelle Hooper. So Bono just rang him up, which is always a good thing! I'm very lucky with my friends. Knowing Nelle now, he would never have agreed to hear my stuff if Bono hadn’t asked him. So I went to play him everything I'd written, and it was the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done. I probably wouldn't have won Pop Idol!

Apart from Bjork, who do you listen to?

Prince! Purple Rain, Sign of the Times – all of them. He just writes amazing songs. Currently I'm listening to the Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan and Amy Winehouse – she's got something really special about her.

What inspired this record?

People watching. The record is almost like the diary of a girl, looking at those around her. So some of them are skits on certain things I find funny. Champagne Through a Straw is a parody on celebrity culture, and how behind the scenes this glamorous person is actually really tragic.

So does celebrity culture intrigue you?

I do laugh at the things you see, like the little dogs in the bags, but it's also really quite a sad story. I don't ever mean to be judgemental, and I hope I'm not.

What do make of Big Brother?

None of us are immune to it. People who say they hate it just haven't tuned in. If you start to watch it, you're glued. It's like a zoo. When we were making the record, we'd make our dinner for around 9pm, just so we could watch! Nelle was really into it.

And do you have anything with The Corrs planned?

No, apart from the family Christmas!

To read a review of Andrea's new album click here