At a time where staying connected is more important than ever, House of Solo has launched ‘Party of One’, a series providing intimate insight into how your favourite artists are dealing with isolation and what we can expect from them during lockdown.
Cher’s long awaited new single ‘Lost’ will be released today, and with its powerful lyrics and hypnotically glamorous video, it’s well worth the wait! We had a lovely chat with Cher on the phone, discussing her new single, being a celebrity during a pandemic and what it’s like trying to be creative with a one year old in the house!
How are you? How are you spending your days at the moment?
Yeah I’m ok, I think like everyone, l have good days and bad days. I feel like I’m trying to put myself in the best frame of mind, it’s a really scary time for everybody, but I recognise that I have it very easy, I get to stay at home and I’m really grateful for that. I just think, like everyone, that I just can’t wait for this to be over with.
Talk me through your lockdown set up.
I’m at my house, with just me, my little girl and my husband. It’s really good to be able to spend some quality time with my family, just us. Normally I’m here, there and everywhere, he’s [her husband Craig Monk] always busy so right now we’re just enjoying getting to spend every moment possible with our little girl. We’ve seen her grow up really quickly in the last couple of weeks, she’s nearly two, and I feel like this is the best time, when they’re so young and coming out with such funny little things!
What have you been doing for your daily allowed exercise?
I think running around after a toddler counts as exercise, to be honest! But I have been trying to do a lap everyday, and I’ve been getting Delilah [her daughter] on her push bike, so we’ve been doing that as a family just to see some scenery that isn’t the back garden!
What have you found most difficult about lockdown and how have you tried to overcome it?
I think the biggest thing is not being able to see family. I miss my mum and dad alot. Before the lockdown I spent a lot of time with them. My dad hasn’t been well for a long time and the idea of not being able to be close is a really scary thought. He’s actually been in hospital twice during the lockdown with his pre-existing conditions and every single time I get the phone call, I ask myself: ‘is this going to be because of his pre-existing condition or is this going to be the call that I’m dreading?’. So that’s been the hardest thing, and I haven’t actually told anyone about that. I think that like a lot of us Brits, I tend to keep stuff bottled up. Especially me, because I’m always thinking: ‘oh I don’t want people to think I’m not strong!’. So, that’s been super scary and also for my mum, when she calls, I can hear a change in her voice. So, if we can keep him out of hospital until this is all done with that would be amazing! Fingers crossed!
Are they video chat people?
Absolutely! We’re Facetiming every single day, I don’t think a day goes by without Delilah asking to speak to her gran and grandad!
You’re an artist who knows first-hand about how awful the press can be. Lots of people are claiming that due to COVID-19 taking up the large majority of the headlines, and celebrity blunders exposing wealth inequality, that this pandemic might be the ‘death of the celebrity’. What do you think about that?
Well that’s a bit of a crazy statement right! I think right now all of our focus should be on tackling this pandemic. Our health is the most important thing, being a celebrity doesn’t come into this right now. This isn’t something I’ve thought about or something I’m particularly concerned with. I make music, I’ve always made music with the aim of people hearing music, I didn’t get into this to appear on the front cover of some newspaper. Right now, what we’re trying to battle is the most important, right?
I saw your lovely cover of ‘True Colours’ on your instagram. How have you felt creating content while in isolation?
I find it difficult to be honest, because a big part of me just feels like I don’t know what I’m meant to be doing right now, but I don’t really think we’re meant to know what we’re meant to be doing. So, I don’t really feel like posting selfies, I’m just not there. I have a single coming out and I almost pulled it, I wasn’t sure if it felt right. But then I looked online and I saw all of my fans that write to me everyday, and I thought, ‘well does it make sense for me to not give them something that was already going to come out?’. And also maybe they need to hear from me as well?
I’m trying my best with it, I’ve never been that fantastic with sharing ‘me’ at home, and that stems from me having a bit of a crappy time with it [media] at the beginning. Because of that I’ve always had this big guard up, so it will take a bit of time for me to feel comfortable clicking on instagram live and going: ‘hey guys, wassap!’.
There’s also the other thing of people showing off what they’ve got right now, and I’m not really one for doing that. I think there’s something quite cringey about it. I’ve seen a few things of people saying: ‘stay indoors we’ll get through this’, but in the background there’s a massive pool, and you just think, ‘oh be quiet!’. In the nicest possible way! I just think some people need a bit more awareness!
So, your new track ‘Lost’ is coming out in a few days! This song was written by yourself in collaboration with Raphella, Casey Smith, Patrick Patrikios, Hanni Ibrahim and James Norton. Have you had a chance to continue collaborating with writers while in isolation?
Do you know what, I feel like the weeks have gone quite quickly and I think that has a lot to do with having a small child. My day is non-stop, and she is a very energetic child! So, I don’t get a lot of time to myself, I try to be creative in any way possible, but that’s difficult when you’ve got a kid saying: ‘mummy I’ve done a poo!’. Normally I would step away and go to a studio and be creative there with no distractions, but there’s a lot of distractions at home. This new song has been great though in terms of having something to direct my efforts towards, because otherwise I feel like I would have dipped, you can feel it sometimes, can’t you? Feeling yourself start to worry about the people that you love, so it’s been great to have something I’m working on.
The video for ‘Lost’ is incredible, and from what I understand, shot in a single take! What was it like to film and did you keep that amazing outfit [a beaded corset and a fluffy yet sheer dressing gown] to lounge around the house in during lockdown?
Definitely not! It’s been Easter and I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate! That corset was massively uncomfortable and definitely not lounge-wear appropriate! I swear the beads kept pinging off, every couple of seconds you’d hear the trickle of beads! And the dressing gown was amazing, but right now I’ve been wearing the big, thick, ugly dressing gown. Not attractive at all, [laughs].
So, you grew up in Worcheshire, spent a lot of the time in the U.S and now live in London. Has this change in locality made you reflect on the idea of home and if so, has lockdown affected this in any way?
I feel like I’ve travelled everywhere, but when we’re talking about home, I see it as people rather than houses. I know that sounds really cheesy, but I feel like as long as I have my husband and my daughter, then I’m home. You could be anywhere, but ultimately, it’s about who you’re with.
During X-Factor a big story seemed to be that your own music taste differed quite drastically from the stuff you were asked to perform. What have you been listening to while in isolation?
I tend to flitter between lots of different genres. I never stick to the same one because I feel like I can get better ideas if I listen to a broader range of music. It can vary, I mean we’ll put Queen on and dance around, but we’ll also put on the latest Mabel track. We just switch it up, I think it’s really important for my little girl to listen to as many different genres as well so she can make her mind up instead of just absorbing what we like. We don’t play much ‘kid-friendly’ music in the house, although she does listen to a lot of nursery rhymes and Mr. Tumble is everything to her, I love that guy. It’s funny the song she picks up on, she loves ‘Roxanne’ and is a massive fan of Dua Lipa, she’s got great taste!
So, you have to make an isolation playlist but only out of artists you listened to while you were a teenager, who’s on it?
I listened to a lot of Drum and Bass when I was a teenager, I listened to a lot of 90’s Garage, that was a bit from my dad, that’s what he listened to. But I also listened to a lot of Dolly Parton, there wasn’t much in between. Daniel Beddingfeild would be on there, I still love him. I would absolutely love it if I could get another album from him, like what would it sound like?
What are you most looking forward to doing at the end of lockdown?
For me, I used to want to spend my days off lazing around indoors, and I don’t think I’m going to be doing that anymore! I’ve had enough! I’m going to make an effort to make sure I’m out as much as possible, it’s good for your mind and definitely good for my daughter as well. Apart from that, just making sure I see my family a lot more, that’s really it for me.
