Interview | Natasha Khan
Natasha Khan Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan, better known as Bat for Lashes, won the 2009 Ivor for Best Contemporary Song with Daniel. Following her 2006 debut album Fur and Gold, she released her second album, Two Suns, in 2009 – reaching number five on the UK Album Chart. She is currently writing/recording her third album. What do you remember most from The Ivors? I remember arriving a few hours before the ceremony and realising I’d left my special dress in a Brighton cab! I managed to cobble something together, but I was gutted! I also remember Johnny Marr being a very nice man. How do The Ivors feel different to other awards? I think the fact that they’re not filmed makes the ceremony feel less of a circus, and more about music’s real contributors. I liked how there was such an eclectic mix of people in the room when I attended. Do you remember what you said in your acceptance speech? I remember talking about writing Daniel in my pyjamas with a cup of tea in bed! I was so nervous, I’m surprised I managed to say anything! How special was it that you won the award for Daniel? I was so, so thrilled, because I received the award for Best Contemporary Song, which I’m told is voted for by songwriters. I saw my name up on the screen as sole songwriter – I thought, little me did that! It’s not often you feel it’s acceptable to be that chuffed with yourself! How easy did you find it to write that song? They say all the best ones happen in five minutes, which was the case with Daniel (with the help of a good pair of pyjamas!) I wrote it on a little sequencer, starting with the bass line, some horns, then added a choral part for the choruses. When I started to form the melody I remember experiencing that great sense of elation you get when you feel like you’ve captured true contentment for a split second. Brooke Nipar
“I never censor myself in the writing process – the inner critic isn’t welcome in those magic moments.”
Which songwriters most inspired you when you started writing? I loved Joni Mitchell’s Blue album and Lou Reed’s Berlin. Kurt Cobain’s simple melodies sounded like kids’ playground songs. I loved Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave – I remember being 12 and putting it on in the dark to scare myself. I remember hearing Jóga by Björk for the first time and having to bend my ears around being able to understand what was happening with the melody and timing. All of these artists, and many more, were like the best group of teachers that taught me at a music school in my mind. Is your songwriting mostly instinctive? I think it is, but I am learning new things all the time. I find it scary to be challenged, but try to push myself out of my comfort zone. I don’t often use conventional chord structures, and I used to feel bad that I didn’t know about the right chord progressions. But I’ve realised that sometimes your biggest weakness turns out to be your biggest strength. I’ve realised I’m developing my style. I always try to follow what honestly wants to come out. I never censor myself in the writing process – the inner critic isn’t welcome in those magic moments, because I know it will be knocking down the door once I’m finished! Production and writing go hand in hand for me. Often I use strange sounds as the base of a song, and the atmosphere denotes how it turns out. Otherwise I write on the piano. I have recently been reading lots of old romantic English poems - I’m interested in bringing back themes that aren’t perhaps fashionable in lyric writing nowadays, like the wonder of nature.
The 2012 Ivor Novello Awards | 41
