KT Tunstall has spoken to NME about Azealia Banks calling for her to collaborate with Beyoncé, as well as sharing her admiration for new and rising songwriters.
Back in March, Tunstall made headlines when she was namechecked by the controversial rapper when discussing Beyoncé’s acclaimed country album, ‘Cowboy Carter’. In her comments, Banks complained about the absence of Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves, before claiming that she “personally would have jumped out of my seat for a KT Tunstall appearance” on the record.
Responding to the comment by sharing NME‘s article, Tunstall has since replied on social media, jokingly writing: “To be fair, I’d have 100% got off the couch.”
The pair’s friendship was soon sealed in a series of follow-up social media posts complimenting one another.
Now, when speaking to NME on the red carpet of the 2024 Ivor Novellos in London yesterday (Thursday May 23), the Scottish singer-songwriter discussed her excitement.
“I was just really thrilled, because Azealia doesn’t say nice stuff about people that often,” she said. “I was completely surprised by it. I love that she was aware of me. I’m not as mainstream as a lot of other stuff, but ‘Suddenly I See’ was obviously a huge hit and everything. It was a huge compliment.
“I do the odd DJ set and ‘212’ is an absolute must, every time. She’s a hugely talented girl. She takes on the world on a daily basis.”
And has Beyoncé been in touch about a collab yet?
“I can’t stop the phone ringing,” Tunstall joked. “I’ve had to put it on silent. So, no.”
Tunstall was appearing at the Ivors to accept the award for Outstanding Song Collection. Discussing the honours, she said: “I’m lucky enough to be not nominated, but just getting an award! So I don’t have to rehearse ‘happy loser face’
“I would say it’s the most meaningful award I’ve ever received. The Ivors are so special because it’s about the songcraft, it’s about the writing. It sometimes takes a bit of a backseat, the writing craft. You’ve got a phat beat and everyone gets excited about it, but at the end of the day, you’ve gotta have a song that communicates with other human beings and helps people find themselves.”
She continued: “I love what John Lennon said: ‘It’s not our job to tell people how to feel, it’s our job to tell people how we feel’. That’s the crux of it. You’ve just got to try and be as honest and authentic as you can with your songwriting, rather than writing to please anyone else. I’m just thrilled and totally broadsided to get this award after 20 years of just getting on with it!”
Asked about what contemporary songwriters she’s been enjoying lately, Tunstall replied: “I’m a big fan of Maggie Rogers from the States – she’s just a total nerd. She studies the best, she’s got an amazing brain in her head as well as an amazing heart in her chest. I love Shura, and I know that she’s working on something new.”
KT Tunstall performs live. Credit: C Brandon/Redferns
Tunstall added: “I’m looking forward to the awards today, because I’m going to be definitely hearing from some artists I won’t have heard of. I’m very excited because they’re all following a sometimes very difficult path. I admire anyone who does it, so I can’t wait to be educated on what they’ve been doing.”
Check out the full list of winners from the Ivor Novellos 2024 here. Other highlights of the night included Bruce Springsteen winning the Ivor Fellowship Award (with a roasting from Sir Paul McCartney) and Lana Del Rey picking up the Special International Award.
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