It may be in the early days of her career but Lizzie Hillesdon aka Pixey can already be described with an array of different attributes and titles, having been able to create her very own branch in the indie pop world with her dreamy Colours EP last year. She has become one of the most exciting new acts coming out of Merseyside so we caught up with her digital self to talk about how she uses her time during lockdown, who she sees as her musical influences and what her cats actually have to do with Glastonbury festival.
Although her love for music is clear, her name orignated from a non-musical source:
‘It actually came about because I’m incredibly tiny. People would always say that I was small like a pixie so I always identified with that nickname.’
With many people struggling during these last few months of lockdown, especially smaller artists, it obviously can be very difficult to get back into usual routines and be productive. Despite these obstacles, Pixey makes the best of the current situation, showing her wide-ranging talents, not only as a singer and guitar-player:
‘The lockdown situation for me was actually a pretty productive time as I write, record and produce myself in my bedroom. I viewed it as more time to focus on my next records and musicianship. Without that focus I would have struggled.’
Still, we would all love to go to concerts again, right? For Pixey who has already played gigs like Liverpool Sound City, BBC Merseyside and Live At Leeds, the question of what her dream festival to play would be, is an easy one:
‘Glastonbury - there is no question and it’s a classic. My dream is to take on the Pyramid stage to a huge crowd singing back my lyrics. Until then I’ll keep playing for the cats in my bedroom.’
And, although an audience made out of cats seems pretty awesome already, the chances of Pixey headlining the big stages are probably only a matter of time. With her upbeat guitar riffs, catchy lyrics and her all-in-all unique, refreshing sound, the self-proclaimed ‘indie Britney Spears’ makes music that seems like the perfect soundtrack for the festival season and gets you excited for life after the pandemic. You can convince yourself of her skills as a live artist in the video below Supersonic Love - Live in The Zooniverse.
Her music is both familiar and yet unique all together. She explores the beauty in the intricacies of music; her subtle melodies and distinctive quick paced guitar work put a fresh spin on an Indie sound. This is no surprise considering the variation of her musical inspiration.Â
‘George Harrison would have been great or Dorothy Ashby. Or Bjork or Grimes (who I’ve seen many times!)’
This choice of musicians perfectly reflects Pixey’s ability to connect elements from different ends of the musical spectrum without sticking to one specific genre. Her electric guitar, however, seems like a trademark of hers already, appearing through all of her songs with powerful riffs.
She herself described her music as 'Dream Pop, but there’s so many influences in my music that labelling it as one genre is almost impossible! Some of my main influences are George Harrison, The Verve, De La Soul, Bjork & Britney Spears.'
While you can hear glimpses of these influences in her lyrics and compositions, Pixey really manages to pull you into her own world during every single song, like you are stepping into a colourfully painted scenery somewhere between Neverland and the scary, but equally addictive metropolis.
Songs like the intimate track Colours, or the expressive, fast-driven Hometown seem to show a very personal side of Pixey, which is why we asked her about her song-writing process:
‘Absolutely, they come from personal experiences. A lot of my more upbeat songs are just written for fun but some songs are written to cope with or understand certain situations that I’m in.’
And while we are talking about Hometown, here are the singers favourite places to visit in Liverpool:
‘My favourite places to visit are definitely in South Liverpool on Lark Lane/Sefton Park, but I also used to live on Roscoe Street so that’s definitely a favourite haunt.’
LISTEN TO PIXEY ON OUR 'BEST OF LIVERPOOL PLAYLIST'
Pixey certainly has an exciting 12 months ahead and has just signed with Chess Club, a label that established artists like Wolf Alice, MØ, Local Natives, Mumford & Sons and more:
‘Excited isn’t even the word!  I couldn’t be happier to be signed to Chess Club, I really admire the label & the artists so it feels great to be a part of the roster.’
‘I’ve just finished writing my upcoming EP with Chess Club Records, I wrote the majority of it during lockdown. So keep an eye out for the release date! But I’m so excited for this one.’
So be sure to keep an eye out and get down to see her live when live music becomes safe again!
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