It's hard to believe that in a few weeks, Pixie will have been introduced to the U.S. for one year now. Time really flies when you're a star! Ever since she, literally, flew into the states, she's been working towards her number one goal; survive in the world of music internationally and we can certainly vouch for her that she's already accomplished that goal in less than a year. During her rise to fame, Pixie would ultimately set herself apart from other Pop singers and establish her own brand. From the first single to the last off of her new album, Imagine, Pixie has received tons of praise, new found fans, and much respect from other artists. She's not just the Finnish singer, she's a global phenomenon that everyone can't get enough of. We got the chance to catch up with her as she explained her album and recording process. -Jordan Hanson



"The album had been thought of long before I even released my first single here. It was just a rough draft but it came together perfectly. Almost better than I expected." Pixie talks about her inspirations for the music and lyrics. "It was all about experimenting for me. I'd like to think of myself as an experimental artist and not be just confined to the Pop genre when I go to many different places with my music. I'm a true fan of music, everything about it is just life. From the terrible lyrics to the weird beats, I love the whole process. It's that one time I get to say what I really want to whomever I want."

Pixie Annalie Love was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland on March 10th, 1990. Her parents, Anya and Tom Love, were nothing more than just a school teacher and her father worked in construction. Pixie recalls her early memories from her childhood, which she credits for her creative streak. "My childhood, my entire childhood, we were poor. I felt happy though, I was always trying to be happy, even on the roughest days. When I would come home, I would essentially be alone so I spent a lot of time reading books from the library or writing my own stories. It's how I grew up really. I created things in my head and I lived them. It's how I am today. I create music and poetry that really has a sense of myself in it." When she wasn't reading or writing, Pixie enjoyed dancing and singing at a local studio when she was 13, after she moved to New Jersey with her mother. "It was the thing to do. If you had money or if you were this exquisite person, you took singing or dancing lessons. I did it purely for fun. I loved them both so much, more singing than anything." But she wasn't always the most talented. "Yes, I definitely had to work on my voice, A LOT." She laughs. "I had a weak voice that, it just did not go easy on the ears so I had to work on that. I took more and more lessons in order to find a balance and then my teacher told me I had a beautiful voice and I could probably have a career out of it." But dancing came naturally. "Ballroom dancing was always my favorite. It was just graceful and effortless. It was a beautiful dance and magical at the same time, purity, is what I got from it."

15 year old Pixie was winning dancing competitions left and right, or either placing 2nd or 3rd place in them. It was becoming clear to others that she had a gift. "I wouldn't say it was my first choice, singing, but it was what I was comfortable with. Dancing was my first choice but I felt there was more of an opportunity for me to tell stories through my music, more than my dancing. I respect all dancers and their abilities. I guess, I just wanted to know for myself that I could sing."By the age of 18, Pixie moved back to Finland and went on to compete in several different singing contests until she won her first one in 2008."I remember being so nervous because of all the great singers there. I thought, 'there's no way I'm going to get picked let alone win,' and low and behold, I did it. I was just as shocked as everyone. I honestly believe there were other singers more deserving but they saw something, I guess marketable in me." The prize was to be given a recording contract which she gladly accepted and started to work on her first single, 'Misery' which peaked #3 in Finland and #15 in the world. Her next single, 'Children of the Moon' also peaked #3 in Finland but #7 in the world. Her debut album, 'LoveIsReal' debuted at #4 in Finland and #9 in the world but soon climbed it's way to the #1 spot in her hometown of Finland. Feeling great after her success, she looked to go on a mini tour to promote the album. When she returned, she was suddenly dropped from her label without any known reason. Angry by the decision, Pixie set out to move back to America where she wanted to expand her career. She has now grown weary of labels, afraid she might experience the same result in a new label but wants to be signed again. "It was frustrating because I was back where I had started from, all over again.




Things were happening very fast and then just like that, it was gone again. I was mad at my label because they weren't really a good label to begin with but I wanted that chance to get my music out there somehow." She released her debut American single 'Walk Alone on October 19th. It debuted #1 on the Digital Charts and #4 on the Airplay charts, giving Pixie her first ever #1 hit! "It didn't hit me that I had a number one single until like I was on my second single. I was amazed. I had took a song that was personal to me and turned it into a song for everyone and people liked it, that made me the most happy." Her second single 'Bold' debuted at #1 on the charts, giving her another number one hit single. Pixie was signed to Titanic Records in October after being rejected by Liberation/Nomad Records. She was the second artist to be signed after the label owners and founders, Teen Titans. "There was never an issue where I felt like I wasn't good enough because of rejection. Truth be told, I'm quite happy they said no or I wouldn't have been signed to such an amazing label. They really support their artists in everything they do and believe in giving chances." Soon after, Pixie would throw out hit after hit, getting an astounding 5 top 10 hits consecutively and 4 of those were number ones. It wasn't a shock to anyone that Pixie's career was rocket launching to the top, except to Pixie. "I'm still amazed but hey, I love that people enjoy my hard work and music. It makes everything worth while."

She had been touring, almost since the beginning of her career, making sure to get her name out there. Pixie had joined the likes of Teen Titans and Vanity on their world tours but she had pretty much already gained a sturdy fan base of 'fairies'. "I call them my fairies because they are magical. I don't like the term 'fans' too much because it's derived from an ugly meaning. My fairies are my family and they understand me like no one else. They're honest and courageous and brave. Meeting them from various parts of the country has been life changing. I can't believe their dedication to someone like me, it's insane! I've had people stay out for days at Meet and Greets, I thought that was insane." With her new found fame, she set out to make sure she didn't abuse it. "Fame is powerful. You can do good things or bad things. I chose to do good. I want to use my influence for good reasons and for my own personal ones. I love encouraging and being that ear that listens when people think no one is. I hear a lot and it's heartbreaking some of the things people say to one another or think. I know when I was just starting, I had some influences that molded me, not just musically, but personally."

So now we get to the 'meat and cheese' of this interview, her long awaited album. Being pushed back three times, Pixie made sure that once it was released, it would be a very joyous occasion and looking at Twitter and social media, it was. Tons of tweets poured in to support her and the album as well as questions about it. "The main question I get about my album is.......'How did you think of all this?' and for me, I always think it's a weird question. I mean, I thought of all of this because it's my story. It's my life. Some are my poems and writings while others are actual events. The album is so personal but I don't think most people know or understand that because they'll be like, 'How can Mermaids be a personal song? You aren't a Mermaid.' It's just all about interpretation. But my fairies understand because most of them have been with me since I began and they know my story." She revealed some of her musical influences for the album. "As far as musically, there was a little bit of Phil Collins, Gewn Stefani, P!nk, Janis Joplin, a lot of different sounds. And it was meant to be that way, there wasn't one sound I was going for. The album itself was about imagination and your imagination doesn't stop at one thing, it expands. I took a dabble from lots of genres. Lyrically, there's a lot of dark lyrics, cheery lyrics, insane lyrics, sexual lyrics. I did not limit myself on anything. I felt if I did, that would be like me saying, 'Here's an album from my imagination, but I'm gonna take some things out' which wouldn't be fair."



The recording process took Pixie a year after funding for her own studio time to getting signed and finally having that precious studio time she desired. "I didn't just throw the album together, it was all planned out. Originally, I had about 20 songs for the album but I chopped it down and then did a deluxe version. I was just so excited to get my songs out there. I got to work with some top producers and writers which taught me a lot about recording. I got to try my hand at producing, which you will hear on the song 'Monkey's Paw' it was phenomenal. I mean to actually sit there and put sounds together to get a song is incredible. Steven, who basically helped me turn these scraps of paper into an album, he's been so consistent with his patience and teaching. He looked out for me in an industry where all people want is to live off of you or get rich off of you. When some producers wanted to work with me and compromise my album, he said 'No, she's not going to take the easy way out and make a generic Pop album. She's doing this in her vision' and I'm forever, eternally grateful for that. The HUGE difference between this album and my last, there's more input from me and it wasn't manufactured."




Now Pixie finally has that album released and it's been received with open arms. "It always feels good to have your work appreciated, even if not everyone understands it. Each song was either written or co written by me so I had a lot of hands on this album. It wasn't given to me, it wasn't made for me, I did this. Like, I really did this. It's happening, it's here. My team and I, we did it." When asked about plans after having the album released, she simply said, "More touring, more fan interaction, more rest, less worry. I just finished up with Vanity and her Sound of Living Tour so for now I'm going to just focus on my album and promoting it and see where it takes me. Oh, I also owe my fairies a video which has been tough to record while on tour but we're finally almost finished and heading to the editing process now." We had to know, was she already planning for her next album and would there be more collaborations? "I have to say, I have some songs stored for a rainy day. I don't want too many collaborations because that would water down the album and blur the lines of my album vs. the industry's album. I don't mind working with others though, I love it." Now came the hard hitting question......what type of success did she expect from the album? "Honestly, any kind would be fine. If it tops the charts, if it doesn't, I don't care. It would be amazing but at the end of the day, it'll still be a pretty damn amazing album no matter where it ends up. My fairies told me so."


So there you have it, the bubbly and almost character like singer, Pixie Love, is a forever empowering rags-to-riches story on a poor girl from another country that survived off her determination to make it. Little did she know that her story would be heard by thousands, even millions and would bring her the unfathomed worldwide success she so richly deserves.