'The biggest misconception about me is that I'm a manufactured pop puppet': The world according to Pixie Lott

By Jon Wilde

Last updated at 10:30 PM on 3rd September 2011

The 20-year-old singer on why we should get rid of social networking, having a crush on Prince Harry and how she almost ended up as Basil Brush's sidekick

'The constant attention is normal to me now,' said Pixie Lott

All heads turn as Pixie Lott strolls into the foyer of one of London’s more exclusive boutique hotels.

After two outrageously successful years, the Bromley-born singer is one of this country’s most recognisable faces and she’s now accustomed to the swivelling heads.

A product of the Italia Conti stage school in London, she starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the West End.

In June 2009 her debut single, Mama Do, entered the UK charts at No 1, selling 200,000 copies. Her first album, Turn It Up, sold more than 600,000 in the UK.

Last year she starred in Fred: The Movie and is currently shooting modern Nativity film Sweet Baby Jesus alongside Bette Midler and Robbie Coltrane.

Aged 20, she is dating model Oliver Cheshire and lives in east London.

I like a party but I’d never get into a situation like the one Amy Winehouse found herself in.

If I even came close to that, my mum would take me and lock me up in her house. One of the dangers of a singer living quite dangerously is that their behaviour becomes part of the brand. The rock-star stereotype is someone who takes drugs and is off their face all the time. I don’t think you need to live that way to be a rock star. I’m not going to do anything that will damage my voice because my voice is my career and singing is my passion. I was singing in the cot and I’ll still be singing when they’re nailing down my coffin.

I’ve got a crush on Prince Harry.

I don’t really have a type and I’m not usually drawn to ginger-haired men but I’ve always liked the idea of being a princess. I’d have to get to know him before accepting a marriage proposal but I wouldn’t rule it out. He’d have to make the first move, though – if he walked into this room now, I’d be too embarrassed to say hello.

The constant attention is normal to me now.

Every time I step out of a car I need to be careful in case a photographer tries to take a photo up my skirt. And it’s not just the paparazzi – everyone’s got a camera now. If I spent every moment wondering whether someone was pointing a camera at me I’d go crazy.

'I'm my own creation and I march to my own beat. I've been writing my own songs since I was 13'

One by one, my childhood dreams are coming true.

As a kid I’d watch MTV and think how great it would be to have my own music videos on those shows. Now I turn on MTV and, along the bottom of the screen, it often reads, ‘Coming next… Pixie Lott.’ That’s so strange that I can’t even begin to make sense of it.

I want to be the first woman to do a gig on the Moon.

How amazing would that be? I’d love to travel to the Moon, I’d love to stand on that planet and sing. I’d love the fact that the whole world would be watching me. Someone’s going to do it one day, so why not me? Maybe Richard Branson could sort it out for me.

Maybe we should get rid of social networking.

We don’t have proper stars any more and things like Twitter are partly to blame. I long for the old days of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, stars who had real glamour and mystique. We only knew so much about their lives, the rest was a mystery. They’d often come out with these wonderful quotes – you wouldn’t be reading their Twitter updates every two minutes. They never looked ordinary – and they would never be photographed jogging in the park. That’s how stars should be. Having said that, my fans would be really upset if I stopped tweeting. So I guess a loss of mystique is a price I’ve had to pay.

I almost ended up working with Basil Brush.

At school I had an agent who would put me up for all kinds of work, from stage musicals to adverts to TV shows. At one stage I auditioned for the role of Molly, one of Basil’s sidekicks, and was down to the last two. They kept calling me back but I narrowly lost out in the end. As much as I respect Basil’s work, I wasn’t that disappointed not to get it. I don’t think I really want to be remembered as the girl from The Basil Brush Show.

The biggest misconception about me is that I’m a manufactured pop puppet.

I’m my own creation and I march to my own beat. I’ve been writing my own songs since I was 13 and I’ve accumulated hundreds of them. I’ve been working obsessively in the studio since my mid-teens.

Pixie with her boyfriend model Oliver Cheshire at the V Festival last month

What I want most is to see West Ham back in the Premiership.

My mum has always been a major West Ham supporter and she’d take us to all the home games. I even had my own season ticket. My brother was lucky enough to be a mascot for one match. As a kid I could name every player in the squad. It was the era of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Paulo Di Canio.

Vanity is a sin.

The biggest turn-off for me is people who think the world of themselves. Arrogance is not a sexy quality and it really gets on my nerves.

It’s amazing how many people come out of the woodwork when you become successful.

As soon as I started having hit records I’d get messages from people saying, ‘Hi! Remember me?’ It would usually be someone I vaguely knew at school. Well, I’m not suddenly going to start hanging out with them. My closest friends are those I grew up with and who have supported me through thick and thin. They’ll be my friends for life. On the other hand, I’ve got more than a million ‘friends’ on Facebook. I don’t know them all personally, of course, but it’s still a nice feeling. If you’ve got a million friends, you’re never likely to feel lonely.

I only get called by my real name, Victoria, when I’m in trouble.

My mum always calls me that when I’ve been out of order. To everyone else I’m always Pixie. Pixie Lott is just a good pop name, I think. My mother’s last name was Martin. Pixie Martin hasn’t got the same ring to it. I’d better be careful who I marry. If I have to change my name it has to be one that looks right on my record sleeves.

Pixie Lott’s new single, ‘All About Tonight’, is out today

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

The world according to Pixie Lott