Since hanging up her polka dot Pipette frock for the last time, Rose Elinor Dougal has been busy working on solo material and putting together a new band.
Another Version Of Pop Song is swirly and emotional – is that typical of other stuff you’ve got coming up?
Probably in some ways, it might be one of the more poppier and direct songs I have, even though it’s not hugely poppy.
When you were in The Pipettes were you already writing songs like that, that didn’t really fit in with the band?
Sort of – I wrote a lot of songs and wasn’t really sure whether they’d be for the band or for me. But at the time, it was more of thinking process rather than doing. I had all these ideas formulating and once I left it was such a different process– The Pipettes had a structured writing formula and I wanted to break away from that.
The Pipettes are different now to when it they started; it’s more pure pop than that quirky, rough round the edges quality it had at the beginning. Was that one of the things that led you to leave?
That pure pop thing was on the cards as things went on; the idea was always to get a top 10 hit or whatever. There was a part of me that didn’t see how I was going to fit into that equation – not because I didn’t think the ideas were interesting, I just couldn’t see how I was going to fit in and I didn’t want to get in the way of the group’s momentum. So yes, it was part of it in a way.
Do you miss being in a band when you’re being creative or do enjoy the freedom to go any way you want?
I have actually set up a little band of my own in the last couple of months. It’s been amazing but it’s terrifying to be the one in charge of the whole thing. I was never really into the idea of being a solo artist in the traditional sense – especially live. The songs need fleshing out in a way that I couldn’t do with just me and a keyboard. Also some of the ideas from the live stuff are soaking into the recordings, so it’s a kind of cyclical relationship in that way.
What are you like on stage without the Pipettes’ act?
You had stuff to do on stage in the Pipettes so you were never at a loss as to how to or behave or move. I feel a bit more natural now – I’m behind a keyboard so it’s a lot less tiring. I actually went to see the Pipettes the other day and they were jumping around for an hour long set – I couldn’t believe I used to do that every night. It’s like a bloody workout!
You had several songs on your MySpace, which then disappeared. What happened to them?
When I set the MySpace up I wanted people to realise I was still writing. I’ve got loads of those little demos at home, but when the single was finished I wanted to draw a line under all that and give an honest representation of what was going on, so those demos were kind of confusing the issue.
Are you working towards an album?
Yes, I’m in the middle of recording one, I’d love it to be out at the beginning of the summer but you know how these things go. I’m halfway through, so it’s quite exciting.
And will you ever wear polka dots again?
Er, probably not (laughs). I think they may have run their course for me personally. But you never know, I wouldn’t rule it out completely. But not for a few years…
