Lorraine
Aled
Victoria

OOC: Was supposed to post this on Friday so act like this is Friday :P

Welcome back to Daybreak. Later on we will be joined by pop star turned television presenter, Ugenia Frankson as she discusses the upcoming series of Celebrity Big Brother and what it may have in store for the next batch of contestants. But first; she started out by singing in local competitions for bars of chocolate and a plastic trophy at age 5. Since then, she went on to become one fifth of girl band Brown Sugar, released three hugely successful solo singles one of which topped the charts, is starring in a hit television show, has a successful album already under he belt as well as a gorgeous boyfriend on her arm. She's about to release her second album; "Beautiful Mess" on Monday. Victoria Black is here to tell us all about it.

Victoria, welcome to the show. You'e looking as fabulous as ever. It's been a while since you were last here, hasn't it?
"Thank you and thanks for the lovely introduction, that was sweet. It's nice to be back here, everything's sort of changed since last time though. I'm loving the new colours, very vibrant. Love it. It's been like three years since I was last here so yeah, it's been a while."

Well it's good to finally have you back and hopefully you're here to stay this time around. So tell us, where have you been?
"Oh my gosh, this could take a while! Well after my first record was released, things started to take a dive behind the scenes. The group I was part of, Brown Sugar, split and the record label we were signed to had went bust so everything sort of fell apart all at once. I signed to another label, was set to release an album but the deal fell through when they went into liquidation so that was two labels that had went down the drain. I signed to a third label but left because I wasn't happy there at all. I signed to Kiss My Pop in 2013 and then they were taken over by Five Pesky Kids Records so it's been three years with five different labels. I was due to release my second album with Pesky last summer but I'm a perfectionist and I wasn't feeling that record anymore so I scrapped it, began working on it again and now we're here. Everything is coming together and I'm so excited."

You mentioned that you cancelled the original album to work on it again. You must really take this job seriously and have a lot of pride in your work if you're voluntarily pushing back an album that's already had numerous delays so you can work on it once more.
"Oh absolutely. I don't understand how anyone can let labels or teams tell them what to do and basically hand everything to them on a plate. I guess if you're lazy and just want money then it's fine but to do that and have the nerve to call yourself an "artist"...no, just no (laughs). I will critique myself to death and if something doesn't sound right or it's not authentic then it's back to the drawing board. I said earlier that I left a label because I was unhappy there. The reason I was unhappy with them was that they already had my career planned out. They had a bunch of songs for me to record...it was too manufactured. I've said before that there's nothing worse than watching a singer perform who clearly doesn't connect with their own music and I didn't want to be one of those."

So your new album "Beautiful Mess" is out on Monday. How does it feel to actually have the release date so close now?
"I'm over the moon. Honestly, I have never felt happier in my life. Everything seems to be going well, it's all just coming together and I've been working so hard for these past few years just to get to this point. Now that it's here and the work has payed off, it's really rewarding and exciting. I'm actually more hyped for the release of this album than I was for my debut as it's been so long and there's been a change in sound too so I'm looking forward to see how that goes down."

Speaking of the new sound, how do you describe it again?
"(laughs) Um I like to call it dark, twisted with a little sugar sprinkled on top. It sounds weird, I know but I'm kinda weird so it's all good. A lot of the songs are very powerful in sound, they have big buildups and the majority of tracks were produced by Deneil who has that signature dark urban vibe. However, there are a lot of pop moments incorporated through it all to keep it current and fun so that's what I mean when I say sprinkled with sugar (laughs)."

You said there that you worked with Deneil, who is the younger brother of Billy Khan from Weekend. What was it like working with him and how did it come about?
"Well I'm signed to Five Pesky Kids which is Weekend's label so I'm good friends with Billy and I knew Deneil through him. I'm also signed to Pesky Management and Riley Hamilton is my manager. I told him that I wanted to do something a little more left field, something a bit grittier and he suggested that I go meet up with Deneil and see if we can whip up some magic...and we did! We got on so well, he's a genius and he even ended up being the executive producer for the album. What I like about Deneil is that he is just so human. He acts like a teenage boy, he's not flashy and doesn't have a big ego. He doesn't have a big studio in L.A, he just has a makeshift one in his little flat in London. A flat that is overrun with posters, old socks and video games. With Deneil, what you see is what you get."




He also produced your latest single; "Bulletproof". Why did you choose that one as the single over all of the others?
"I think that it is just the perfect song to bridge the gap between my two albums. The fist was a mixture of pop and R&B and "Beautiful Mess" although it still has that urban, R&B element, there's a rock/pop and indie vibe also infused throughout it. "Bulletproof" is like a crossover so the listeners get a taste of the song sound while still having the pop vibe from my older stuff. Plus it's one of my favourites and it's a really fun and catchy song so there was no reason why it couldn't be the next single."

The response to the single has been wonderful. People like Queen Alexis, Nadia Berry, Honor Wynter and mISTER_b have all praised the song and Lorraine and I were tapping our feet along to it when we heard it earlier. I must be great to have such positive feedback.
"It is. It really is. You know, when I changed things up a little, I didn't do it to shock people or become a trendsetter. I don't make music just to please other people, I do it because I love it and it always has been my passion but it's still great to know that I have a lot of support and that the new sound is going down well. Being away for a while and coming back with something really different...you don't know how people are going to react. If it doesn't go down well then fair enough, at least I'll still be proud of it but all the support I have received is amazing and knowing that a lot of my fans really like the new stuff is wonderful. I want to just thank all of my fans who have been waiting patiently for this record. They mean the world to me."

While a lot of people are supportive of the final product, not everyone was as friendly behind the scenes I believe. Is it true that you had few run-ins with Andrea Khan during the making of this record?
"Well first of all, I don't want this to turn into a rant. I've said everything that I had to say to her and I said it all in person and I'm not going to go into detail and talk about who said what because we both know what happened. In short, she wasn't happy that I was spending a lot of time with the Khans during the making of the album. A few accusations were made which I didn't appreciate and I wasn't going to have my name dragged though the mud and into drama so I nipped it all in the bud and aired everything out there and then. I have a new single and album to promote, I'm in a wonderful relationship, I'm travelling and meeting lots of new, interesting people. I don't have time for any of that silly stuff."

You mentioned your relationship with Kato there. How is that going? You two still all over each other?
"Pretty much! (laughs) Um, yeah everything is going great and we are having a fantastic time together. I'm a very happy and a very lucky girl. We're both in the same profession so we have a lot in common, share similar ambitions.....we're on the same level as one another. He's so hot too so that is a major bonus!"

Aw, that's lovely to hear. It must be had though, being in such a high profile relationship. You know, there have been rumours circulating saying that Austin Nimmo and Kato have been, well, naughty boys to put it politely. Not to mention, the sheer amount of girls across the world who must be cursing you for being his girlfriend. It must get tough at times. "I can see why it would be tough for a lot of people. Getting a lot of hate from people that don't even know you, people you've never laid eyes on before, that can be a little unsettling. It's like, why do you hate me? Why are you sending me death threats? You're doing this to me because I'm in a happy relationship? It's odd but I tend to block most of it out. Like I said earlier, I don't care for all of that silly stuff. I'll just focus on my career and personal life. As for the whole Austin thing, I know that what's printed isn't true. I don't mind them going out and having a good time, boys will be boys. I don't want to be one of those girls that keeps their boyfriend under 24 hour surveillance (laughs). We trust each other and you need that in a relationship. If you don't have trust then what do you have?"

You've also worked with Kato's ex, Isabel, on the television show ALISTAIR. How did you find that?"
"Izzy is a lovely girl. I think a lot of people actually want us to hate each other. The ex and the new girl, classic catfight scenario there (laughs). We're of a similar age, we're both girls living our dreams, in the same profession, we need to support one another. Nowadays, it's all "shade" and "disses" and I'm like, what happened to girl power? What happened to being nice to one another!? (laughs). Yeah, Izzy is lovely, great girl."

Do you think acting is something you'd venture into again in the future?
"I'd never say never. If the timing was right and I loved the script and character then why not? I mean, I love performing and entertaining whether it is singing, dancing, acting and so on. Right now though my main focus is my music. I've got to promote this long awaited record, release more singles from it and then I'll be going on tour later on this year. It's only just been confirmed so I have no idea about dates or anything else for that matte but yeah, that will take up a lot of my year but I might appear on the small...or big screen again at some point."

What about reality television? Could we potentially see you on a future series of Big Brother?
"Oh gosh, no! No, no, no, I wouldn't last five minutes in there. I actually love the show and reality television. I know a lot of people hate it and say that it just ruins your career but I just see it as people having a bit of fun. I can't wait for the new series to begin and I'll be watching whenever I can but I could never be in the house. I'd feel trapped and it'd only be a matter of time before I snap (laughs)."

That's understandable, I don't think I'd be able to cope in there either. So, new album. It's in stores on Monday on CD and Vinyl and it will be available to download via iTunes. How are you going to celebrate?
"Massive pool party! (laughs) Just kidding, I have absolutely no idea and I don't know if I'll even have time to have a proper celebration. I'll still be doing lots of travelling and loads more promo so I'll barely have five minutes to myself. When I find some time though I might celebrate by having a little cupcake then phone my mum, my dad, Kato and everyone else and just cry down the phone, telling them how happy I am (laughs)."

Well it's been lovely chatting to you. It's great to have you back and make sure you pop around again soon
"I will do, thank you for having me."

Victoria's brand new album; "Beautiful Mess" hits the stores on Monday and her latest single "Bulletproof" is available to purchase now.