Our latest admiration here at TinMan London takes the form of London-born singer/songwriter, FLEUR. Having sung since she could talk, the 22-year-old talent grew up surrounded by a wide range of musical influences, ranging from Van Morrision, to her Ghanaian mother’s collection of African music. But it wasn’t until Fleur left school that she began to take a career in the industry seriously.
In the early part of her music career Fleur dabbled in a series of girl group projects, one of which saw her perform live on national television as part of the X-Factor. She also went on to sing backing vocals for artists including Leona Lewis, before deciding to focus on a solo career. But it wasn’t until she left school that Fleur began to take a career in the industry seriously, deciding to focus on a solo career.
Having accompanied chart topper, DJ Fresh as a vocalist on his BBC Live Lounge cover back in 2011, she began to perform with him more frequently, subsequently joining him on his live tour project: Fresh Live, where she played at numerous venues across Europe and Australia.
Now signed to legendary House label, Strictly Rhythm, the future looks bright for Fleur. With a host of number one records under their belt, she is undoubtedly in good hands. Fleur’s debut drum and bass track ‘Turn The Lights On’ is available on iTunes now, with more releases on the way this was an unmissable time to sit down and let TinMan & Fluer Talk…
Hey Fleur… So what are you listening to right now?
I have a playlist of lots of different songs-old school to new school which I have on repeat most days. Apart from that, I’m loving Disclosure at the moment and I’ve been listening to a lot of Labrinth lately. His album “Electronic Earth” is brilliant!
We figured with your schedule you probably don’t have time to look for new music all the time, but what sites do you mainly use?
I mainly listen out for new music on the radio, usually Radio One or Choice FM when I have time. Sometimes I’ll see a new song posted on MTV’s twitter and find out that way too. A lot of the time though, when you’re on the road you hear about new music just by word of mouth.
You’re embarking on a studio session, what are some of your studio necessities?
Definitely some honey and ginger for my throat! A large bottle of water, fruits and my songwriting book!
They say home is where the heart is, what do you love and hate about London?
I love that London is so multicultural and diverse! There are people from all walks of life and parts of the world thrown together in the city and I really enjoy seeing that! One of my least favourite things about London would have to be the tube and the fact that we still don’t have air conditioning on the underground. When it’s hot, or packed it can be one of the worst places to be!
What was the main turning point in your career?
I think being signed to Strictly Rhythm and getting my publishing deal would have to be one of the turning points in my career. It really launched me as an artist in terms of being able to get my material out there and on the radio. It also gave me the chance to work with some very talented producers.
Signing with Strictly Rhythm was definitely a milestone for you, how have things changed since then?
Well like I said, it’s given me such a major platform and I’ve been able to get my music heard on the radio and have been able to collaborate with artists like Culture Shock, Cutline, Drumsound and BasslineSmith with many more exciting things to come!
Would you describe yourself as an urban artist or more electronically focused? Did this change when you decided to go solo?
I don’t really like to define myself so specifically. I love all types of music and I do have many urban influences. Working with producers such as the Prototypes and being a part of DJ Fresh’s live band introduced me to the electronic sound which I love. I like to experiment a lot and am quite diverse as an artist so there will be many more styles I think I will explore.
Did you ever think you’d achieve this much at such a young age?
It feels good to have accomplished what I have at such an early stage of my life and career and I always wanted to get to this point. Im very grateful for what I have achieved so far but there is still SO much more that I want to do. I don’t think I ever thought about how much I would have achieved by this point, but I’ve always known what my dream is and where I want to get to. I think it’s very important not to be complacent no matter which stage you are at in your career.
How does performing solo vary to performing as part of a girl band? Do you prefer it?
At first it was very daunting not having other bandmates on stage with me. But now I’ve had so much more experience on my own and I do prefer being able to get out there and do whatever comes to me! I feel a lot more free on my own and I’m very comfortable now.
Any plans for a debut album?
I will be releasing another solo single before the end of this year and then the album should be sometime next year. I’m in no rush though, there is a lot of material waiting to be heard but it needs to be right. *Update, Fleur’s album is now available to stream above*
What other home grown artists inspire you right now?
Emeli Sande is a great inspiration, she has achieved so much and worked very hard for so long! She has success as a writer and as a singer and that is very admirable.
Your records have been supported internationally, How does support vary in UK, Europe and other parts of the globe?
In general it’s been very positive. I’ve had a lot more support in the UK though as I’ve performed here majority of the time and I’m based here. But there has been a lot of interest in Europe and abroad so it will be interesting to see what happens once I get more material out there!
5 years time…where will Fleur be? What do you hope to achieve?
In five years time I hope to have at least 2 albums out and have toured internationally! I’ve always had big dreams and that won’t ever change. In 5 years I want to be able to say “WOW! Look at how far I’ve come!” To inspire others and make my family proud.
The future looks bright for Fleur and we’ll be keeping a close eye on her next move. Follow @FleurEast on Twitter.