Five years after the break-up of Skunk Anansie their former lead singer, Skin, is still hard at work pursuing her solo career. She talks to GLAMOUR about her new album, Fake Chemical State.
Is there a difference between the Skin from Skunk Anansie and now?
A huge difference! When you're in a band you can coast. Now that I'm solo I'm the dictator and contrl freak, but I also hav to make sure everything happens the way it's supposed to
You recorded with Gordon Raphael [The Strokes]. What did he bring to your sound?
Freshness, life nd ease. It's the first time I had fun making an album. We recorded it quickly (in 37 days) and it was easy to do
So what's up with your album title?
We live in a very money-driven society and we're not allowed to lose any time through sickness. We're all taking something for something: we're all living in a fake chemical state
What's your favourite track on the album?
It changes, but at the moment it's a track called Purple – a quirky, beautiful piece of music. It's an almost '80strack... but in a good way
What music should we be downloading?
Interpol and Bloc Party. And look out for The Noisettes; I'm interested in them and a band called Antony and the Johnsons
And people who download illegally?
If they don't pay, we can't afford to make music in the first place. And if a musician can't make a living off her music, she's just gonna starve
Why did Skunk Anansie tour SA in 1997?
We knew a lot of performers were sketchy about going to SA because it had been off the radar for such a long time. We knew that if we went to SA a lot of bands would follow. And that's exactly what happened
Will you be back in SA as a solo artist?
Definitely, yes! It's just a matter of doing the promotion I need to do in Europe and then South Africa will be next on my list
If you could perform a gig for anyone in the world, wo would it be?
I would have to say a young bunch of kids from Soweto or something – people who wouldn't get to see me perform normally. I think South Africa is one of my favourite places in the world!
Hold on a second this was supposed to be a quiet show. The story goes that after Skunk Anansie quit being fucking political Skin’s solo career consisted of quietly anthemic, weakly industrial pop pap, built to show off her admittedly amazing voice but little else.
So it’s a shock when handpicked support band Make Good Your Escape are really loud. Not aggressive or confrontational with their volume but huge-sounding like Aereogramme or Muse.
Songs like ‘Real’ drip with atmosphere and feeling before growing out of control and vibrating eyeballs around the room, most of the people here should be running for the door, or the bar at least, but the masochists lap it up. Everybody is converted by the second song, cheering and applauding MGYE’s every move.
So when they leave, you can’t help feeling sorry for Skin, the girl who used to deal in nothing but confrontation before she lost her way. But then she arrives, looking like the punkest punk chick ever, jumping to touch the ceiling, hurling mic stands around and goading the front rows, daring people to pity her.
And then she sings ‘Hedonism’ and ‘Charlie Pig Potato’ and ‘Weak’ and then Skin; the name of the famous lady and her anonymous band, play some new material and unbelievably it’s just as good. And everybody is singing along except the people that are crying and the goosebumps get huge. And this was supposed to be a quiet show.
Playing the Skunk songs that everybody here obviously loves so much would be incredibly dangerous if the new stuff didn’t rock.
Depuis l'éclatement de Skunk Anansie, Skin, la chanteuse du groupe, a décidé de poursuivre en solo. Elle revient sur son parcours depuis la séparation de la formation et sur l'élaboration de son second album, "Fake chemical state", dans les bacs en mars 2006.
Salut Skin. Peux-tu nous faire un petit historique de ta carrière ?
C'est une très longue histoire. Vous pouvez trouver tout l'historique sur mon site Internet (Rires). En fait, j'ai fait beaucoup de choses ! J'ai fait partie du groupe Skunk Anansie. En 2003, j'ai sorti mon premier album solo. Et là, je m'apprête à sortir mon nouvel album "Fake chemical state" qui sera dans les bacs en mars prochain.
Après la dissolution de Skunk Anansie, est-ce que cela a été facile pour toi de te lancer dans une carrière solo ?
Non. Ca n'a pas été une transition facile à faire. J'ai fait partie de Skunk Anansie pendant de nombreuses années. Nous avions un son personnel et très précis. Nous étions présents. Les gens s'attendaient à ce que je fasse les choses d'une certaine façon, parce que c'est comme ça qu'ils me connaissaient. Mais maintenant, je suis heureuse. Ca me parait plus naturel d'être en solo.
Avant l'éclatement du groupe, tu avais déjà songé à tenter l'aventure toute seule ?
Non, pas vraiment. C'est pour ça que ça a été difficile. Ca n'était pas prémédité. Ca s'est passé comme ça. Je ne voulais pas recommencer avec un autre groupe. Il n'y en avait aucun qui me paraissait aussi bien que Skunk Anansie. Voilà pourquoi j'ai décidé de faire quelque chose par moi-même.
Comment décrirais-tu ton univers musical ?
Si je devais décrire mon univers avec des couleurs, je dirais que mon précédent album "Fleshwounds" était bleu, et que mon nouvel album "Fake chemical state" est rouge, noir et jaune. Il est fort, live. Il t'arrive dans la tête comme ça. C'est un album qui parle de survie, et de comment faire pour aller de l'avant.
Ton dernier album, "Fleshwounds" est sorti en 2003. Pourquoi as-tu pris autant de temps pour nous offrir ton second opus ?
En fait, nous sommes partis en tournée pendant toute l'année qui a suivi la sortie de "Fleshwounds". Je voulais ensuite prendre un peu de recul, me relaxer et seulement après ça, me mettre à écrire sur mon prochain album. J'ai ensuite enregistré avec le producteur Gordon Raphael. Mais cette fois j'ai travaillé comme je ne l'avais jamais fait auparavant. J'ai fait quelques chansons, puis je me suis arrêtée. J'ai recommencé, puis je me suis à nouveau arrêtée etc... Nous avons enregistré à divers endroits à travers le monde. C'était bien car j'étais sûre de ce que j'étais en train d'enregistrer. Pour la première fois j'ai fait de vraies démos définitives des morceaux de l'album. Je n'avais jamais fait ça avant. Cette fois, je ne suis pas entrée en studio avant d'avoir toutes les idées et toutes les démos. C'est aussi un peu dangereux car parfois, tu peux focaliser sur les démos. C'est un peu ce qui c'est passé pour le morceau "Alone in my room", nous l'avons réenregistré, mais nous avons fini par mettre la démo sur l'album.
Comment écris-tu tes textes ? Tu as besoin de te plonger dans une atmosphère spéciale ?
Je peux écrire n'importe où. Dans un avion, chez moi, dans un jardin... J'écris dès qu'une idée me vient en tête. Au fond, il me suffit d'avoir une idée forte et alors, je peux écrire n'importe quand. Que ce soit le jour ou la nuit. Il m'arrive parfois de me lever la nuit et d'écrire. Ce n'est pas toujours évident car j'attends que l'inspiration me frappe. Ce n'est pas facile de rentrer en studio et d'essayer d'écrire des chansons si tu ne te sens pas d'humeur à cela. Il faut attendre d'être dans l'état d'esprit propice à l'écriture. A ce moment là, tu peux écrire beaucoup et rapidement. Je ne suis pas du genre à me dire "Je dois écrire une chanson aujourd'hui". Bien sûr, je pourrais le faire, mais la chanson ne serait vraiment pas top ! Je dois avoir un feeling et être inspirée.
Justement, quelles sont les choses qui t'apportent cette inspiration ?
Les gens, leur façon de se comporter, les situations dans lesquelles ils se retrouvent... Je puise aussi mon inspiration sur Internet. Je passe beaucoup de temps sur le net à surfer, à regarder différentes choses, à lire des informations, à jouer sur mon ordi... La musique aussi, bien sûr est une source d'inspiration pour moi. J'adore écouter d'autres personnes faire de la musique. Je vais voir des concerts etc...
Tu as déclaré que c'est la première fois que tu t'amuses autant à faire un album. Pourquoi as-tu dis cela ?
Les fois précédentes, quand j'ai fait des albums avec Skunk Anansie, ou bien pour mon dernier album "Fleshwounds", ça a été très dur à faire. Ca n'a rien à voir avec les producteurs ou des choses comme ça, mais je préfère réellement être sur scène que d'enregistrer des albums. Donner des concerts a toujours été un plaisir, mais enregistrer des albums a toujours été un travail difficile. Là, cette fois, avec Gordon, nous savions quoi faire. Ca a vraiment été très facile et très agréable. C'est vraiment la première fois que je m'amuse en enregistrant un disque. Je pense que ça se sent sur l'album.
Le titre "Alone in my room", premier extrait de ton album, sera disponible en téléchargement sur Internet. Pourquoi ce choix ?
Tout simplement parce que j'adore Internet. Je voulais aussi me réintroduire en tant qu'artiste rock. Certains pays, comme par exemple l'Italie, ont tendance à me mettre dans la catégorie "artiste pop", ce que je ne suis pas. Je voulais aussi que les gens aient un aperçu de ce que sera l'album. Je pense que c'est un plus pour les gens d'aller sur mon site. Je trouve que le net apporte plus de liberté, d'intégrité et de joies instantanées. Maintenant, nous contrôlons le site. Il est devenu plus vivant. C'est très facile à utiliser et clair. Vous pouvez trouver tout ce que j'ai fait jusque là sur mon site. Il y a les vidéos, les pochettes d'albums, des photos... Il sera de plus en plus interactif. Tu vois par exemple, j'ai fait un concert il y a deux jours et les photos sont déjà sur mon site. Et puis, tu sais, j'aime faire des albums, et pas forcément sortir des singles.
Formerly the striking frontwoman of Skunk Anansie, Skin has notched up a solo album and is scratching away at her second. The softly spoken singer invited uk-fusion backstage to talk about her new record deal, her ambitions and she took a swipe at Dubya too
How have you been?
Very good but I lost my voice last week. It's all back now, feeling fit as a fiddle.
Tell us about your new album Fake Chemical State.
It's my second solo album – not my first as many people think (because my first was so badly promoted). It's a very dirty, rough garage sounding album and kinda the opposite of Fleshwounds, which had very dark and ,nasty lyrics. This is much louder and more aggressive, much more of an up album and lyrically a lot lighter. It's kinda reflecting of how I'm feeling at the moment.
Fleshwounds seemed intimate and quite raw.
Yeah, it's was very personal and very raw, whereas this one is nowhere near as intimate. It's not that I want to repeat myself, it's just that I'm in a different space. I recovered from the break-up of the band (Skunk Anansie) and the relationship that fell to pieces. I'm on a brand new label that actually likes me, which is always a bonus so I'm feeling very positive and very up and sociable.
Do you have a more creative freedom with V2 than you did with EMI?
Completely. With EMI everything came down to the opinion of a couple of people and their opinion was more important than mine. On V2 I made the album and licensed it to them. They heard it and that's what they signed me on. Creatively I have total freedom. It was like that on Virgin with the band, it's just when I moved over to EMI everything changed. A lot of that is my fault, because I tolerated it. I learned a harsh lesson.
I'm quite surprised by that. I thought you would have known what you wanted.
I was quite surprised myself. I had to go on a long mission of discovery. My sound was in Skunk Anansie but that's a sound I had with three other people, so I had to discover what was my own personal sound, what would music be like if it did it on my own. I knew what kind of songs I wanted to do and what kind of vibe. On the last album, I had so many opinions it was difficult see the wood for the trees. I was discovering, I was learning. I also had a very strong producer in David Kosten, who had a very definite style, which is good 'cos I love the album; I think it sounds amazing. It's just this time I took the bull by the horns, 'cos I knew exactly what I wanted to do and nobody was gonna get in my way. And that's because of the last album. If I hadn't gone through those things, making mistakes, I wouldn't have had the confidence to go through with this album.
Since going solo, does it feel like a rebirth or do you feel like you're picking up where you left off?
It feels like a completely different vibe. It's about embracing your past and being very confident and secure about it. Then realising where you are in the present and using all that information to design your future. I feel like I have a very solid grounding in Skunk Anansie, I learned so much and it gave me a solid base. It ended, so I had to move on. Did I want to move on? No, I wanted to stay in my band, but the band finished. If you don't learn lessons, you don't move on. It's the same thing about war, if you don't study what's gone on before, you end up making the same mistakes like Alexander the Great did or something (laughs). Otherwise you end up repeating history. (George W) Bush doesn't seem to have worked that one out at all.
He's trying to be like his dad.
Unfortunately I think he's quite bright, which is the worst thing. I don't think he's stupid at all, but I think he's quite ignorant and it's a decision. You can't be an American president and stupid, I think that's a common misconception. He's actually very bright because he was able to rig the election. He got the right people in to do that. That's an intelligent man sitting there ruining the world.
You don't think he was put in that position by someone else?
That's what everybody would like to think. It's very easy for him to make silly cock-ups but he's bright where it counts, on a very dark level, which is why he's running the world. Nice people don't get to run the world.
Have you always collaborated with Len Arran?
I've collaborated with Len musically. We write songs and bring them together to make them better. It's real team work, but he's actually only written two songs on this new album. The rest was Paul Draper and myself.
Is there anyone you'd really like to work with?
There's an Italian band called Marlene Kuntz who are like an Italian version of Sonic Youth. I wrote a song called 'Take Me On' for which they did all the music. That was good 'cos that was something I really wanted to do and they're great musicians. It actually fits perfectly with my album – you'd never realise it was a different band. Collaborations wise, I've got a few weird ones in the pipeline, but I can't tell you who they are.
A hint?
Nope. They're quite curvy bally. It's like "Skins working with who??" I'm not someone who's running to do collaborations. I mean, I like a lot of new bands and people are like, why don't you do something with Bloc Party? No. Let them establish themselves, do your stuff and let people admire you. The collaborations I've done are people I've know and have hung out with.
What do you like most about your job?
The inner peace it gives you when you do something you love and you get to do it every day. It gives you a certain amount of comfort, you can look at yourself in the mirror and be uncomfortable with other things, but you know you're doing something you love. You wake up in the morning and feel good about yourself, instead of thinking, "I've gotta drag myself out of bed and sit next to THAT woman." I know how that feels.
Where does the nickname Skin come from?
It's short for 'skinny'. When I was a kid, I was really, really skinny and it just stuck. I just shortened it to Skin for musical purposes. People think it's short for Skinhead, but it's not.
What happened to the hair?
I didn't like it. I was in Thailand and I had an epiphany so I just cut it off. I feel different with no hair. Having hair irritates me; it's just a pain in the arse. I love fashion and I love clothes, but I don't like hair and make-up. Clothes make me happy.
What would you be doing if you weren't a singer?
I'd be a photo journalist 'cos I love photography and world events. And I love travelling. All that really interests me.
What are your future plans? Secret collaborations aside...
Couple of interesting movie things, bit of acting?
American movies, British movies?
English and Irish movies. Soundtrack stuff, DJ'ing, but mainly promotions for this album and lots of touring and festivals but first I'm gonna go to Thailand to relax.
What have you done that's only kinky the first time?
What haven't I done that was kinky the first time? Hmm, take acid. First time was really funny but the second time was awful – never again. I've never touched the stuff since. I was very young though.
Cest en mars 2006 que Skin sortira son prochain album solo intitulé Fake Chemical State, précédé par le single Alone In My Room, dont vous pouvez regarder le clip sur mtv.fr.
Alone in my room
haut débit
bas débit
Skin était à Lisbonne à l'occasion des MTV Europe Music Awards 2005, pour y donner un concert présentant son nouvel album. Souvenez-vous, mtv.fr organisait, avec son label V2, un concours pour rejoindre Skin à Lisbonne, passer 2 jours en sa compagnie, assister à son concert en VIP et dormir une nuit dans un hôtel grand luxe...
C'est Cyrille et Anne-Sandra qui ont eu le privilège de rencontrer la star et d'après le mail euphorique qu'ils ont envoyé à la rédaction de mtv.fr, on ne peut que se réjouir de leur petit séjour en amoureux, dans la capitale portugaise : découvrez nos deux gagnants heureux, en compagnie de Skin, devant la Tour de Belem, dans notre diaporama en bas de page. Les photos sont de Cyrille...
http://www.chartsinfrance.net
Le second album de l'ex-chanteuse de Skunk Anansie sortira l'hiver 2006. Skin a évoqué ce retour lors d'une interview.
Le second opus solo de la chanteuse de Skunk Anansie sera dans les bacs en mars 2006. Un premier single intitulé "Alone in my room" est déjà disponible en téléchargement sur Internet. Lors d'une interview accordée à la rédaction en novembre, Skin est revenue sur le plaisir qu'elle a éprouvé à enregistrer ce disque. Cette accro de la scène admet avoir toujours considéré les enregistrements en studio comme un travail difficile, tant au sein de Skunk Anansie que pour son premier album solo, "Fleshwounds", sorti en 2003. "C'est vraiment la première fois que je m'amuse en enregistrant un disque. Je pense que ça se sent sur l'album" confie-t-elle.
Pour ce nouvel album, Skin a fait appel au producteur Gordon Raphael et, si elle dit avoir eu du plaisir à faire ce disque, elle admet cependant avoir travaillé comme elle ne l'avait jamais fait auparavant. L'artiste livrera un album sombre mais optimiste, qui traite de la survie et de "comment faire pour aller de l'avant".
Le nouvel album solo de la chanteuse de Skunk Anansie sera disponible au mois de mars 2006. Le single sortira en novembre.La chanteuse noire à l'âme punk, Skin, ancienne hégérie du groupe Skunk Anansie, prépare son grand retour. Son second album solo sera disponible à compter du mois de mars 2006. Il s'intitule "Fake Chemical State" et s'annonce violent, sombre et tourmenté. Le premier single issu de l'album, "Alone in my room", donne un aperçu assez clair de la rage qui anime la chanteuse. Il sera disponible en téléchargement à compter du 6 novembre.
Venu de la banlieue londonienne, le groupe Skunk Anansie se forme en 1994. Ses membres connaissent le succès dès leur premier album, "Paranoïd and Sunburnt", grâce notamment au charisme et à la voix particulière de Skin. Le second opus ne fera que confirmer le succès du groupe, qui partira pour une grande tournée mondiale en 1995. Skunk Anansie décide finalement de se séparer en 2001, et Skin, désormais seule, sort son premier album, "Fleshwounds", en 2003.
Le nouvel album tant attendu de Skin, baptisé Fake Chemical State sortira en mars 2006.
Skin fera une apparition aux MTV Europe Music Awards de Lisbonne le 3 novembre prochain. Elle sera également présente au Cirque des Artistes de Rome le 10 novembre, l'occasion de chanter de nouveau les tubes You'll Follow Me Down, Hedonism et Alone In My Room.
Le nouvel album solo de la chanteuse de Skunk Anansie sera disponible au mois de mars 2006. Le single sortira en novembre.
La chanteuse noire à l'âme punk, Skin, ancienne hégérie du groupe Skunk Anansie, prépare son grand retour. Son second album solo sera disponible à compter du mois de mars 2006. Il s'intitule "Fake Chemical State" et s'annonce violent, sombre et tourmenté. Le premier single issu de l'album, "Alone in my room", donne un aperçu assez clair de la rage qui anime la chanteuse. Il sera disponible en téléchargement à compter du 6 novembre.
Venu de la banlieue londonienne, le groupe Skunk Anansie se forme en 1994. Ses membres connaissent le succès dès leur premier album, "Paranoïd and Sunburnt", grâce notamment au charisme et à la voix particulière de Skin. Le second opus ne fera que confirmer le succès du groupe, qui partira pour une grande tournée mondiale en 1995. Skunk Anansie décide finalement de se séparer en 2001, et Skin, désormais seule, sort son premier album, "Fleshwounds", en 2003.
Perfectly-named for a singer with such a raw and naked style, Skin is the striking black punk popster chick who used to front '90s British band, Skunk Anansie. Fake Chemical State is her brilliant second solo album follow-on to 2003's Fleshwounds.
Fake Chemical State is one of those records that rewards repeated listening, so over a week or so nearly every song takes a turn in the 'best on the album' slot. Moving in mood from anger and pain to exuberance and hedonism to joy, loss and tenderness, Skin brings us on a journey whose musical expressions range from mad screaming guitar driven punk to expansive rock opera, with stopovers at heartbreaking ballad and psychedelic pop on route. At the end of the trip you're left with a wonderful sense of having been transported somewhere magical without really knowing how you got there.
My current favourite is 'Just Let The Sun', because the hope and courage in its soaring chorus, "Just let the sun shine on yor face / Only the darkness blinds your way" and makes me cry. Former favourites have been the demented "'Don't Need a Reason' and 'Nothing But', a slow, sad and melodic tune about wishing an ex good luck with their new love, with enlightened sentiments like "I feel nothing but joy and pride and happiness / Oceans of love and forgiveness / I'm still you're friend."
A real delight from start to finish, Fake Chemical State proves that Skin has something extraordinarily unique and powerful to offer. Highly recommended for hard rock / punk pop fans and admirers of consciously empowered female vocalists.
9 / 10
Après s'être imposée sur la scène punk rock internationale avec son groupe Skunk Anansie, la chanteuse britannique Skin fait son grand retour ! 3 ans après Fleshwounds, son 1er album solo, l'icône du glam rock sortira un nuvel opus en mars 2006. Baptisé Fake Chemical State, celui-ci a été produit par Gordon Raphael (The Strokes) et mixé par Alan Moudler (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, U2, My Bloody Valentine).
Le nouveau single de Skin, Alone In My Room, est disponible dès maintenant sur toutes les plate-formes de téléchargement. La chanteuse présentera ses nouvelles compositions au public parisien le 11 janvier prochain, avant d'entamer une tournée française dès le mois d'avril.
Ex-Skunk Anansie, la féline chanteuse Skin sort son premier album solo. Et elle est assagie... la panthère semble avoir consenti à limer ses griffes
La furie qu'elle convoquait immanquablement sur les albums de son précédent groupe est moins présente, et l'on goûte mieux la voix de cette diva soul-rock
Enregistré avec David Kosten (l'homme de Faultline) et un collaborateur de Coldplay, Ken Nelson, au mixage, "Fleshwounds" ("égratignures"), traîte de "cette maladie mentale" qu'est l'amour selon les mots mêmes de Skin
Et Skin le chante comme il faut cet amour, avec ce qu'il faut de rage (n'allez pas croire qu'elle n'est plus capable de rugir et elle en donne la preuve, comme sur "Trashed"), et quelque chose de plus langoureux (sur "Don't let me down", ou sur "The trouble with me", qui lorge vers le R'n'B)
Et ça s'est nouveau. Plus loin "You've made your bed" et "As long as that's true", sont deux ballades au piano qu'on aurait mal imaginées chez Skunk Anansie. Idem, sur l'avant dernière chanson "Burnt like you", où une guitare mélancolique vient servir d'écrin à une voix qui semble presque apaisée...
Tendance qui se confime pour finir avec "'Til morning comes", qui achève de recentrer Skin sur un créneau de moins en moins rock, plus proche d'une Sade, autre diva noire adepte des ballades fondantes
Si comme nous vous aimiez le groupe Skunk Anansie dans les moments (trop rares) où il savait calmer la machine, les aventures solo de Skin devraient à plus forte raison vous charmer
7 / 10
Die lesbische Sängerin Skin über ihre Rolle in der Musikindustrie, Mode und ihr aktuelles Album „Fleshwounds“
Wie unterscheidet sich denn deine erste Soloplatte „Fleshwounds“ (Fleischwunden) von einem Album deiner alten Band Skunk Anansie?
Der Sound von Skunk-Alben war immer der Kompromiss aus vier Meinungen. „Fleshwounds“ bin nur ich, obwohl an dem Album natürlich viele Leute mitgearbeitet haben. Skunk Anansie war hauptsächlich eine ewig tourende Rockband, ein kleines Rudel lauter Säugetiere, unterwegs rund um die Welt. Das ,was ich jetzt tue, ist eher so eine Art Kunstprojekt, es geht um Sounds, Kreativität und das, was im Studio passiert. Ich toure zwar nach wie vor gern, aber das ist ein Nebenprodukt des Albums. Ich mache keine CD mehr, um einen Grund zu haben, Konzerte zu geben
Von wie vielen Frauen musstest du dich trennen, um diese Platte machen zu können?
Von dreien (lacht)
Also sind die Songs auf dem Album über drei verschiedene Frauen?
Ja. Aber natürlich nicht nur. Wenn ich Songs schreibe, schleicht sich da dann und wann etwas ein, und plötzlich bekommt der Text eine völlig andere Färbung und ist vielleicht über einen Mann, mit dem ich früher zusammen war
Frauen im Rockgeschäft: k.d. lang, Melissa Etheridge, Tatu, Linda Perry. Du sitzt da bei wem mit im Boot?
Das ist mir eine zu enge Sicht der Dinge. Die sind alle homo oder homofreundlich. Wobei Tatu wohl eher freundlich zu geilen alten Heteromännern sind (lacht). Die würde ich nicht in derselben Kategorie haben wollen. Es gibt schwule Musiker und lesbische Musikerinnen, die geoutet sind, und solche, die das nicht sind – und ich gehöre zu denen, die lieber offen sind. Trotzdem: Als Person fühle mich dieser Welt zwar zugehörig, innerhalb der Musikindustrie bin ich aber allein. Es gibt da mich – wenn man Frauen sucht, die Musik auf die Art machen, wie ich sie mache – und eigentlich im Moment niemanden sonst. Ich bin auf mich gestellt
Wie sehr auf dich gestellt warst du denn bei der Produktion des Albums? Haben die Jungs von der Plattenfirma dir viel reingeredet?
Gott, ja. Das machen sie doch immer (seufzt). Trotzdem hatte ich mehr zu sagen als früher. Ich musste schließlich nicht mehr auf drei andere Bandmitglieder Rücksicht nehmen, deren Meinung genauso viel galt. Es war viel leichter, Leuten einfach mal zu sagen, sie sollen die Schnauze halten
Wie vielen Leuten musstest du denn sagen, dass sie die Schnauze halten sollen?
Gar nicht sooo vielen (kichert). Es arbeiten auch sehr schlaue Menschen für meine Plattenfirma, deren Meinungen mir viel wert ist, es kommt nur darauf an, die von den Schwachköpfen unterscheiden zu können. Ich will ja beeinflusst werden, meine Musik entsteht schließlich nicht im luftleeren Raum, sondern ich interessiere mich für so gut wie alles und jeden auf der Welt und fühle mich mit allem verbunden. Du brauchst die Meinung der anderen, sonst kannst du nicht künstlerisch tätig sein, oder du nimmst Prince-artige Platten auf, die so persönlich sind, dass sie niemand mehr versteht, der außerhalb seines Kopfes lebt. Du musst gut zuhören können und Menschenkenntnis haben, wenn du Solokünstler bist, und dir trotzdem deiner Stärken bewusst sein. Und das bin ich
Bist du ein echtes Mädchen, wenn es um Mode und Klamotten geht? Oder erst, seit du dir die Haare hast wachsen lassen?
(Lacht) Erst mal, Schätzchen: Ich bin eine echte Frau, mein kleines sexy Ich (kichert). Ich find meine Haare cool und mag meine Miniröcke. Die hab ich auch schon bei Skunk Anansie getragen, ganz entgegen dem aggressiven Bild, das viele damals von mir hatten. Und wenn mir morgen danach ist, mal in einem spektakulären Outfit einen Laufsteg runterzulaufen, dann werde ich das auch machen. Das bin alles ich. Du kannst dich sehr wohl und sexy fühlen in Designerklamotten, wenn du nicht Dinge oder Label trägst, die nicht mal Kinder anziehen würden, weil ihnen das zu albern wäre. Auch das ist eine Frage der Auswahl
Apropos Auswahl: Wenn du eine andere Frau wärst, warum wärest du mit Skin zusammen? Warum wäre ich mit mir zusammen? Wäre ich nicht, ganz sicher (lacht)
Warum würdest du dich verlassen?
Weil ich eine echte Nervensäge bin, kompliziert, anspruchsvoll und nie zu Hause
Und zum Schluss: Wann hast du dir eigentlich deine letzte Fleischwunde zugezogen?
Ich hab mir vor zwei Tagen eine Tür auf den Knöchel geknallt und mir dabei ein Stück Haut abgezogen. Das war nicht schön
Skunk Anansie made an impression in the latter '90s with their unflinching brand of rock music and virulently energetic live stage performances. But what really set this act apart from the crowd was black female lead singer Skin – and what a presence she was
The Skunks went their separate ways two years ago, and now Skin is back on her own terms. She's certainly taken her time to put together this debut album, but it appears to have been a break well spent
While Skin's former four-piece Skunk Anansie was loud, grinding and peddled the raw end of politics, the solo singer has shifted from such extremes
Fleshwounds is an intensely personal, human album, which has prompted quite an incredible musical shift. Lead single Trashed is a song all about the end of a relationship, which comes straight from the singer's own experience. As a piece of music, it is accomplished and every inch a tune with mass appeal. Skin's vocal prowess has strengthened and matured since the heady days of Skunk Anansie, and remains unmistakable and distinct
This musician has come up with some original and distinctive tunes on her solo debut. Strong opener Faithfulness is a rich, slightly dark rock-pop concoction with a fine chorus and delicious production values
Skin's vocals remain subtle and beautifully controlled — a far cry from the spat out political rants of old. You've Made Your Bed is a spine chiller of a tune with sparse instrumentation, with Skin's voice gently passionate and haunting. Skunk fans will be glad to know that Skin hasn't left her rock sensibilities behind – Listen To Yourself is a simple pop tune which grinds along with ease
The softer Skin has hit a rich vein of accomplished music very swiftly. She has slipped effortlessly into the mainstream, but has the panache and individuality to stand out. Some may say Skin has gone too far too quickly, but the transformation has created an album which makes its mark
The former frontwoman of Skunk Anansie didn't seem the slightest bit scared about making her live solo debut. In a packed venue full of the defunct band's diehard fans, it must have been unnerving to unveil a whole ream of new material they had never heard before.
But it was the lithe, energetic singer – complete with natty new hair – who the fans had come to see. With their unanimous backing from the off, Skin came through with flying colours.
This feisty performer silkily ploughed through fresh songs from her new album Fleshwounds, and threw in some Skunk Anansie favourites for good measure. The crowd didn't take long to warm to Skin's new material – which proved to be a selection of varied, intelligent and strong songs which sounded great. She has retained her rock credentials, but treated us to softer ballads which made fine use of her superb voice which both gently lilts and turns on the power with the loudest electric guitar.
A muscly cover of Electronic's Getting Away With It was a real cracker and a million miles away from Neil Tennant and Bernard Sumner's gentle little pop hit of old.
A skillfully reworked version of the Skunks' Weak gave a hint that this powerful performer has subtly shifted direction since the band split. But she remains prone to a good hard wig-out, and let her energy rip through the venue on a ripping version of Charlie Big Potato.
An acoustic version of Skunk Anansie's biggest hit Hedonism, and Twisted on a dance tip, breathed fresh fire into some well-loved tunes from the past. Skin's solo debut was a great triumph – the future looks very bright for this star as she charts new territory in her own right.
When Skunk Anansie called it a day after three highly successful albums in 2001, many would have thought it had a lot to do with the growing different personalities within the band. However, if you dig a little deeper, the reason was soon revealed that the band had simply come to a natural conclusion, and that everything that had to be said from the four individuals had been said over the course of those three albums
Guitarist Ace was the first off the ranks with his rather eclectic solo album Still Hungry earlier in the year (Along with bassist Cass in tow), while Mark Richardson joined the vacant drummer position within Feeder. Skin on the other hand, took the time to develop her song writing skills of a different nature to what most were used to, and both quietly and slowly piece together her debut solo album Fleshwounds
Fleshwounds is anything but a Skunk Anansie carbon copy, and instead brings the vocal abilities within Skin to the point of it being the albums predominate feature first and foremost
There’s plenty of pain and beauty in equal parts on the heartfelt ‘Faithfulness’, with Skin not only towering over anything vocal wise she’s attempted in the past, but also revealing a feminine side that was masked with political and social awareness in Skunk Anansie
The first single lifted from the album is ‘Trashed’, and is perhaps the albums most melodic and straight forward track, while ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ and ‘The Trouble With Me’ could well have been recording in some late night club with the lights down low, and the attention focussed solely on Skin without the chatter to destroy the moment. ‘Listen To Yourself’ and ‘I’ll Try’ are as rock sounding as the album gets (Which isn’t rock really), while the simple piano accompaniment to ‘You’ve Made Your Bed’ and ‘As Long As That’s True’ are both emotionally raw and touching
Fleshwounds boasts a host of highly regarded musicians in the business, but the real star here is Skin and her songs. Fans of Skunk Anansie may only appreciate this from a vocal point of view, rather than a musical one, but there’s little doubt that this is the work of an artist that has been dealt blows both from the gentle and harsh sides of love, and found a way to channel both without losing herself in selfish sentimentality
The bottom line is that is not what I had expected, but it’s everything I could have possibly asked for from Skin and her songs
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Skin, one of the few black women ever to front a successful rock band, is back - but the shaven head and politics are gone.
The former Skunk Anansie front woman uses her solo record, Fleshwounds, to record a "rebirth" in her life, heralding a time when she doesn't feel the constant need to trailblaze.
Now a thirtysomething and solo, how has her world view changed since Skunk's heady Britpop days? musicOMH.com caught up with her at her flat for a cup or two of peppermint tea...
Skin is the picture of relaxation as she enjoys the sunshine seated on cushions in the neat garden of her London home – a far cry from her days fronting rock band Skunk Anansie. There, her iconic image was relentlessly tough and shaven headed, the music thrashing, the live shows boisterously energetic
Since the band’s demise in 2001, the slender, striking Skin has decided to go it alone. Writing her own album, Fleshwounds, has created a bold shift since her Skunk days
"In 2001 everything changed in my life. I feel like I’ve had a bit of a rebirth and feel ecstatic with inspiration,” explains the musician, now sporting a smart, softer flick of hair after 15 years of shaving it smooth
Skunk Anansie songs like Little Baby Swastikkka and Intellectualise My Blackness saw Skin write about racism and prejudice – a topic which has melted away on her solo debut
“There’s a running theme of intimacy. The songs were written close to the split-up of the band and the end of a relationship. It was different for people to see me in this way— open, exposed and intimate,” she continues
Pop culture is throwaway, but indie and rock bands deliver the goods time and again."
- Skin
“If I’d written a really good political song, it would have made it onto the album. In Skunk Anansie I was slagged off for being political, now it’ll be for not being political enough!” adds Skin, sipping gently on a mug of peppermint tea
The singer is the first to admit that a black woman fronting a rock band was unusual, while as an “indie” solo artist she still stands out from the crowd
“I can’t think of any black women in rock music, so I’m in the space where I was before. I think that’s just because they don’t get signed. I see myself on television and think, god, that’s different,” she explains. The 32-year-old singer is undaunted by taking the plunge as a solo performer, and feels that two years away from the limelight has allowed her to produce her best work yet
“The new material does have a pop sensibility but is quite leftfield. I’d like people to say ‘aren’t those lyrics fantastic?’ and for the music to touch them. I feel this is a quality piece of work.” She enjoyed a string of chart hits with Skunk Anansie, bemoans the route that pop music has taken since the advent of talent show music stars
“Pop culture is throwaway, but indie and rock bands deliver the goods time and again. The music in pop is shit and what you get out of it is more shallow. They do one album and are then presenting a TV show,” says Skin
Under a rare London blue sky, this newly solo artist adds that it is a “privilege” to make music full-time – and declares that she intends to stay there. As an artist who has changed tack since the heady days of Skunk Anansie, Skin now skilfully occupies an empty musical space crying out to be filled, with the promise of renewed success.