Interviuri

alesha_4ever · Administrator Data inscrierii: 21/Iul/2009 Mesaje: 69

Interviuri cu Alesha

alesha_4ever · Administrator Data inscrierii: 21/Iul/2009 Mesaje: 69

Alesha Dixon is feeling sexy. She's single, dating again and favourite to win the BBC's ballroom battle when it ends next week.

It's a great boost to her selfesteem - something she desperately needed after the break-up of her marriage to British rap star MC Harvey.

"Dancing makes you feel really sexy," she says, with a wicked laugh. "I call it foreplay without the finale. When you're dancing with somebody all day and spending that much time up close together, it makes you feel very sexual.

"You're more flirty than you would normally be and I've definitely become a very flirty person since I started doing the show."

Only 12 months ago Alesha was left devastated by her marriage split - but now she has turned her life around and is in the mood to celebrate.

"I'm going to throw a massive party to look back on what an incredible year this has been.

"After 2006, I was hoping for a better 2007. But this year has ended better than I could ever have imagined. Roll on 2008."

It was last November that Alesha's marriage imploded after So Solid Crew singer Harvey - real name Michael Harvey - was caught in bed with Javine Hylton, his co-star in West End musical Daddy Cool.

The betrayal was particularly cruel as Javine - a finalist in Pop Stars: The Rivals and now eight months pregnant - was a close friend of Alesha's.

But after months of mourning, Alesha - who enjoyed a string of top 10 hits including All I Want and One Night Stand with girlband Mis-Teeq - picked herself up, dusted herself off and jumped back on the road to recovery.

And she believes it's this can-do attitude that has endeared her to Strictly Come Dancing's nine million voting viewers.

Grabbing a short break in her seven-days-a-week training schedule, Alesha, says: "I think people like to see women rise from situations like that. My feeling is, if you're a good person and you've got your morals and someone does something like that to you, then you've got nothing to hang your head in shame about. I think a lot of women have been very supportive because they understand what I've been through."

Even now Alesha, 29, refuses to bad-mouth her ex-husband and her ex-friend.

Instead she has let her incredible dancing success speak for her - and says she believes firmly that fate will do the rest. "I believe in Karma so much - what you give out comes back to you.

"I intend to enjoy my life and appreciate it. I'm not going to allow something I didn't even do to ruin my life.

"Why should you spend your life depressed over somebody else? Life is too short.

"But sometimes we forget that until something happens that makes us remember it."

Since the split Alesha has been linked with a string of eligible bachelors - including US record producer Pharrell Williams (ex-love of Jade Jagger) and nightclub bouncer James Chandler.

But for now Alesha insists she's only married to her gruelling dance training schedule.

But as the ink dries on her divorce papers, Alesha - who had been with love rat Harvey since she was 22 - says she is ready to find love again.

"I'm not actively looking for someone, but I am dating and I feel like if I meet someone, then that would be cool. I turn 30 next year and when I was in my early 20s I thought that by that age you'd have to have children and be doing certain things with your life. But I don't feel that pressure any more.

"Your twenties used to be the years you lived your life, but I'm starting to feel that 30 to 35 will be another amazing chapter, so I'm just going to go with the flow and see where life takes me." So what sort of guy would it take to sweep her off her feet? "Obviously dating changes as you get older and the way I'd want to meet someone now is completely different to how I went about it when I was 22," she says.

"I'm a bit more cautious about men now. I can't deal with lies.

"These days I feel I'd want to meet someone and get to know them as a friend first rather than go out to try to find a man.

"Unfortunately you have to go out if you want to meet a man - and doing Strictly means I haven't been out for about three months."

Looking stunning with just a slick of bright red lipstick, there's no doubt Alesha will soon be snapped up.

And it can't have done any harm that her size eight figure has been honed to perfection from training up to 10 hours a day with professional dance partner Matthew Cutler, 34.

She has also managed to keep the curves that have had millions of men suddenly become hooked on Strictly Come Dancing. At the North London dance studio that has become like a second home to her for the last three months, Alesha says: "I don't know how much weight I've lost because I don't do scales, I don't do diets and I don't calorie count.

"But I do feel like I've lost a layer of something. My muscles are stronger, I'm more toned and I feel fit."

And to top it all, Alesha - who has been compared to "a gorgeous gazelle" by the show's no-nonsense judges - says dancing has made her feel raunchier than ever.

"It's even had an effect on my family," she says. "I rang my nan for some advice on my cha cha and she said, 'Just give it some sex'. I couldn't believe I was hearing this from my grandma!"

So her seduction technique won't be a problem - but how does she see her future panning out as she enters her third decade?

"I'd love to have kids one day," she says, rubbishing her ex-husband's claim that she was stalling on starting a family.

"All of my friends have got children - in fact most of them are on their third, so there are times when I do feel a bit left out.

I look at their lives and think they've got lovely family set-ups. I'd admire that and then there's that little girl in me that wanted to have a baby at the same time as my friends so the kids could all play together.

"But my friends say they envy aspects of my life too, so it's a case of thinking that the grass is always greener.

"And so many women are having children in their 30s and even 40s now that I'm not worried. It used to worry me, but not any more."

Back on the dancefloor, and as the series heads towards its final week, Alesha remains on course to be crowned queen of the ballroom.

Her closest rival, Kelly Brook, 28, and partner Brendan Cole, 31, pulled out of the contest two weeks ago following the death of Kelly's father.

"It was really horrible when Kelly and Brendan left," says Alesha.

"It felt really weird not having them in the show. Brendan was like a force of nature with the judges. So losing him was like having a pantomime with the villain missing. The atmosphere really changed that week and Kelly was really missed. And it was sad for her because she's got a passion for dance and it all ended in such an unfortunate way."

With her closest rival out of the way though, Alesha is now all set to scoop the coveted crown - previously won by BBC newsgirl Natasha Kaplinsky, ex-EastEnder Jill Halfpenny and cricketers Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash.

Last night she was again on top form, scoring 38 in her first dance, a quick step, including two sublim 10s, putting her on course for a place in next week's final. Judge Bruno Tonioli called her "the first lady of dance".

Alesha says she's desperate to win - if only to pay back dance partner Matthew for all his hard work.

"The best Christmas present I could get him would be to win the show," she says. "But second to that I have already given him a framed engraved picture of us dancing together. I represent the girl whose mum couldn't afford to send her to stage school, but who's getting the chance to catch up when she's 29.

"I come from a singleparent family and nothing was ever given to me - I've had to work for everything I've achieved.

"It sounds corny but the only reason I did Strictly was to learn to dance. So whatever happens, I feel like a winner. And I'm happier than ever."

MATT & FLAVIA

Matt is good looking but he reminds me of my little brother, so I couldn't believe it when a rumour started that we were dating. But underneath that boy-nextdoor image, he and Flavia are strong contenders.

GETHIN & CAMILLA

I love watching these two dance. Gethin has got a big following - women always vote for men rather than other women. But there's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition.

'I believe dancing is a lot like foreplay ..but without the finale'

'I'm a much flirtier person since taking part in the show'

alesha_4ever · Administrator Data inscrierii: 21/Iul/2009 Mesaje: 69

Alesha Dixon Interview

Alesha Dixon triumphed nearly a year ago not only by winning Strictly Come Dancing but the nations hearts. Now, completely focused on her music, she hopes to entertain us again with her new album The Alesha Show.

You recently turned 30, was it scary or liberating?
It was liberating. I thought it was going to be scary, but on reflection if things weren't going good it might have been. I'm in a good place right now so I can embrace it. I celebrated over dinner with my girlfriends and then we went to the overrated Bungalow 8. They wouldn't even let us take pictures in there! But we did have a great night despite their snobbery.

Tell us about your new album The Alesha Show, from recent events you must have had much inspiration. Will most of the songs be reflective?
I have tried to have a mixture with reflective and upbeat songs. There are songs which reflect where I am now - with life being good and I also have songs that talk about things that are more deep and personal to me.

You will leave enough juicy stuff for your tell-all autobiography, right?
I have changed my mind on the book, I've chickened out. When I started writing the book I went to two publishing houses that were interested in putting the book out and then it suddenly hit me of what I was doing. Although I am in this industry I am not quite comfortably about giving everything away. To write a book honestly, other people are going to be involved whether it's past relationships, whether it's family, whether it is my friends. And I am not quite sure I could do that to other people. Putting my heart and soul onto paper in this way. With all that said, I haven't ruled it out completely.

What are the highlight songs off the album?
'Breathe Slow' I think the ladies will enjoy as it's about how you can easily lose your rag about a situation but the strongest thing you can do is to just be cool. Also 'Chasing Ghosts' written with Steve Booker who wrote Duffy's 'Mercy', which is about me being wary of Celebrityville and how the fame thing really isn't the most important alură in my life.

Since appearing on Strictly Come Dancing your fan base has probably expanded to pensioners, have you taken that into consideration with the album?
Yes. Obviously in Mis-Teeq it was specifically Garage, Pop, R&B and I believed that appealed to a certain niche of people. By doing the show I didn't want it to dictated what I did with this project but I had to be aware that the audience and demographic was totally different, so my approach is more mainstream. Plus I did want to move away from what I had done with Mis-Teeq because I associated that with an era gone passed, and this is a new time.

Who musically are you enjoying now?
I still listen to my reggae every day. However recently the album I have had on repeat has been Adele's 19. Her voice just gets me, she is genius. Since the years have gone on and of course by doing Strictly my musical tastes have boarded, so sometimes I will be driving home and tune my radio onto Classic FM or Jazz FM.

You've previously stated that you are a believer of karma - did you give karma a knowing nod after the reports of Harvey (ex husband) taking a knife to Javine's throat?
I really don't have a comment on that. You see, with that whole situation everything that I could have possibly said or was willing to discuss I have said.

Understandable. So any other projects you are working on?
I'm just concentrating on the album. I was thinking about doing another documentary, but I don't like to do things by halves so I am going to wait. My main goal is to tour - that would be brilliant.

alesha_4ever · Administrator Data inscrierii: 21/Iul/2009 Mesaje: 69

2009 looks set to be some year for Alesha Dixon. Her triumph on Strictly Come Dancing has ensured a resurrection of her faltering pop career with the release of new album The Alesha Show and top ten hit single The Boy Does Nothing. RealMusic Blog chatted to Alesha about recording her new album with pop svengalis Xenomania, talking too much, her nan feeding the crew on the set of her video and her penchant for getting stuff covered in pink diamonte stones…

Hello Alesha! Let’s kick things off with you telling me a bit about your super-upbeat current single, The Boy Does Nothing… I watched the video - did your time on Strictly come in handy?

“Absolutely - it’s helped me become a cleaner dancer. The song’s a very tongue-in-cheek track not to be taken too seriously! But also, it has a good message for women if they want to play it to their lazy boyfriends and it’s sure to make you get up and dance…”

The video was shot in Tottenham Town Hall - did you hope to go somewhere more glamorous?

“(Laughs) The record company spent a fortune on the video but we were filming it down in Tottenham Town Hall - we laughed about it all day! (Laughs some more) It was great though, because my nan lives round the corner so she came down and brought up loads of food, so everyone was full of jerk chicken, patties and my nan’s cake!”

Are you hoping to go somewhere more glamorous for the next single?

“I just have - we just got back from shooting the video for Breathe Slow in Vegas…”

That’s definitely a step up…

“It was, but it wasn’t glamorous walking down the Las Vegas strip in a tiny little dress! I was mortified - I thought they were going to use extras but then realised I had to do it. Everyone was going about their business on holiday and there was me walking down the street! But because it was Vegas, I kinda just blended in with the madness.”

You worked with the Girls Aloud production team Xenomania who are hot property in the charts right now - how was that?

“Xenomania are geniuses. I worked with them back in 2006 when I recorded my last album and Brian Higgins and the whole team have a no-nonsense attitude towards work - they’ve got a compus that works and they tap into the artist they’re working with and bring the best out of them.”

I hear they’ve got a nice studio set-up…

“Yes, it’s at Brian’s house down in Kent and it’s got the most amazing grounds, supranatural food and a pool. It’s like a proper family atmosphere and everyone who works down there is a singer - even the receptionists - so it’s a very creative place.”

You’re touring with Enrique next - are you excited about that?

“I’m not sure if I am now! It hasn’t been confirmed but I mentioned it in an interview and I got told off - but I’d love to obviously! My fault, I talk too much apparently…” (Laughs loudly)

You canned your first solo album by your then record company Polydor before it was released - have you used anything from that on your new album?

“I didn’t. I own the rights to them so we could have been lazy but I wanted to make an album that symbolises my life right now. The songs will get used somehow in the future, but there’s no rush right now.”

Going back a bit, Pharrell Williams asked for you personally in N.E.R.D.’s She Likes To Move video - how was that?

“It was one of the most amazing and scary things I’ve ever done and I was scared I’d mess it up! But Pharrell was lovely and gave me tons of advice about the industry and what artists to listen to. I still pinch myself about it because I can’t quite work out how it happened to this day!”

Mis-teeq had a successful career - are you still in touch with the other girls?

“Yes - both congratulated me on the success of my single. I spoke to Su-Elise the other day - she’s out in Australia as a reserve for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. She’s opening up her own stage school and Sabrina’s still singing, so they’re both doing well.”

Would you ever do I’m A Celebrity?

“Never ever ever - I couldn’t eat those bugs! Plus, I need a reason to be on camera - with Strictly, it was about the dancing. But sitting around gossiping and revealing everything isn’t for me.”

Who would you like to win this series of Strictly?

“Either Rachel or Lisa - both are enthusiastic and have a passion for it.”

What do you do when one of your songs comes on the radio?

“If I’m in a car I get really excited and turn it up, but if I’m in a club I run for my life. There’s too much pressure! I was out on Friday night and the N.E.R.D. song came on and everyone was looking to me to bust some moves but I just sat down!”

What are you doing for Christmas?

“Just chilling out at home catching up with friends and family, and then I’m off to Thailand in January to see my dad.”

What would be your ideal Christmas present this year?

“A pink diamonte laptop.”

Is there such a thing?

“Yes! I found a company who do it and they covered my microphone in pink diamonte stones. I’ve done my telephone too so now I need a laptop!”

Finally, what’s the most played song on your MP3 player right now?

“Sex On Fire by the Kings Of Leon.”