Alexandra Burke is drawing on her debut album, ‘Overcome’, as she works on new music.
The Elephant hitmaker, who shot to fame in 2008 after winning the fifth series of ‘The X Factor’, released her most recent collection, ‘The Truth Is’, back in 2018.
Speaking exclusively in the December 2022 issue of Retro Pop magazine, out now, Alexandra reveals she’s hard at work in the studio on new material, which “harks back” to her first album.
“I started it during lockdown at my home studio and it’s so joyful,” she smiles. “If it can turn someone’s down day into a day that is positive and it makes them want to get up and dance, it means I’ve done my job.”
The All Night Long singer adds: “It’s so upbeat and poppy and in your face. I want to give people positive energy and positive vibes.”
Alexandra is currently celebrating shifting one million copies of ‘Overcome’ with a deluxe vinyl reissue, due November 18 on Cooking Vinyl. The album features the No. 1 hits Bad Boys and Start Without You, alongside her chart-topping cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah – a track she originally had reservations about recording.
“When I got given Hallelujah, I didn’t think it was for me,” she reveals. “I called my mum to tell her and she said, ‘Call me back when my daughter’s on the phone,’ and hung up.
“After listening to it again I rang her back and said, ‘I’m going to Whitney-fy this, turn it around, gospel, I’m gonna go for it,’ and she went, ‘That’s my child’.”
Following its release, Hallelujah landed Alexandra the Christmas number one spot and she went on to work with a plethora of stars on her debut LP.
“Here’s the thing: You’re hardly ever in the studio at the same time,” she admits on reflection. “I never got the chance to meet Pitbull, for example, but I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d get to work with people like him, as well as all these massive producers.
“I did get to know Ne-Yo well. When I saw him last year at the Pride of Britain Awards, the first thing I said to him was, ‘Babe, we have to reconnect and collaborate again or do something’. He was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it’. Then I fell pregnant and it never happened, but it will happen, by the grace of God, if he’s got time and I’ve got time. I would definitely make time to work with Ne-Yo again because he’s wonderful’.”
Another star she spent time with following their powerhouse duet on ‘The X Factor’ is Beyoncé, who offered her some words of wisdom as she recorded tracks at JAY-Z’s studio.
“She was so lovely and supportive,” shares Alexandra, “and she gave me advice about certain tracks and about being an artist. Her biggest thing was, ‘Enjoy the process’.”
Read the full feature in the December 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store, use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist, or get Digital Copies delivered direct to your devices.
