This is another first for Details of my life so far, an interview. Well it shouldn’t be the first but it is, and i’ll grudgingly tell you why.

I had an interview lined up with Chiddy Bang a few months ago when they came over to England for a set of headlining gigs. Since the interview was face to face I thought that the easiest thing to do would be to record the audio on my computer so I could transcribe it later.

Little did I know that I had set up Quicktime to record from the wrong audio input. The end result? Fifteen minutes worth of interviewing gold lost and gone forever. FML.

However, we were lucky enough to get the chance to conduct another interview after that disaster, this time with up and coming soul sensation Lauren Pritchard. So officially this is our first interview on the blog (don’t worry I’ve learnt from my mistakes, it was conducted via email – foolproof).

You mentioned that working with Eg White was the springboard for your solo career, but how did the introduction first come about?

We have the same music publisher (Sony/ATV) and through that I got a chance to get some writing time with him which turned into making a record.

How long was the writing process for your new album?

Well, it was about 2 and a half months of work spread out over a year and a half, we’d do a couple days and then I’d have to go back to the states cause of immigration stuff. That kept it interesting!

Do you have a one particular favourite track from the album?

One of my favorites if Try A Little Harder, which is on the Painkillers EP.

You moved from America to England in order to work with Eg. Do you have any favourite parts of the UK so far?

YES! I love it down in Falmouth, Cornwall. The Gylly Beach Cafe there is the very best, and Glasgow is my favorite city. It’s awesome up there!

Have you seen many live acts whilst you’ve been over here?

Yep, just saw Phoenix at the Roundhouse as part of the iTunes Festival, they kicked ass. Their drummer is amazing and the light show on stage was wicked.

Staying on the theme of live music, have you had any personal gig highlights from this year?

Our gig at Latitude Festival this year has been my favorite so far.

Who are your favourite artists at the moment?

Bombay Bicycle Club, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, I love Erykah Badu’s new album and I’ve been playing it a lot, Rox, Professor Green’s song Kids Who Love To Dance is my wake up and dance around song.

Straying away from music, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Reading, attempting to learn French and jogging.

Have you done something quintessentially English yet? Have you been to a football match, eaten a portion of fish & chips, or gone binge drinking?

Nay on the binge drinking, but I did have the best fish and chips in the world about 2 weeks ago at Toff’s in Muswell Hill. AMAZING!

For your new single Painkillers you have enlisted Questlove from The Roots on drums, and have Talib Kweli rapping on the official remix. How did these two features come about?

People at Island knew that I love them both as artists/performers and asked if they’d be interested in working on the project and they said YES! I was so happy about it, it’s amazing to have them as part of the album, I admire them both and have been a fan of both for so long, it was really exciting for me 🙂

Speaking of collaborations, I hear you have teamed up with Professor Green on a new track, can you tell us any more about it?

You’ll have to wait and hear it, sorry 🙂

The last question is the one that everybody is dying to know the answer to: Which is better, crunchy or smooth peanut butter?

Genuinely between a rock and a hard place on this one. At this very second my head is saying smooth. So, smooth!

Big thanks go to Lauren for allowing us the opportunity to ask her some questions, and to get some fantastic answers in return.

Lauren’s new album Wasted In Jackson is available to buy on October 18th. Pre-order it here now.