Yesterday, I was in Covent Garden for an introduction to Remi Nicole's new album, and an afternoon of pampering and beauty talk. Whilst having makeup applied at Jelly Pong Pong, the nouveau rockabilly pop songstress from London was the epitome of laid-back cool, donning a casual ensemble of peg leg jeans, a pale cotton vest and converse boots.

You may remember her debut record My Conscience and I back in 2006. It presented a breezy mixture of indie rock and acoustic pop. However her second album; Cupid Shoot Me, hitting the stores on the 7th of September is far more soulful. I wanted to find out about the inspirations behind her new sound. As we ate cupcakes and tested beauty products, she explained:

"This is my real debut. I didn't know myself when I was 23. It was a challenging time. Now I feel like I know who I am and I know what I want, and that's making the whole process of being a musician, a lot easier."



On the prominent topic of love that remains a consistent basis throughout the 11 track playlist, she is quick to point out that the music (written and produced by herself) is not about being in love, it's about feeling a lack of love. Using the album as a personal outlet for her emotions and a narration of a difficult period in her life, Remi wrote the songs as an autobiographical account of her experiences over the last two years.

I heard a taster of her sophomore release, I think she does well to create musical magic out of what she describes as difficult circumstances. The song Come Find Me is incredibly soulful in the sweetest way possible and Standing Tears Apart (my personal favourite) mixes playful reggae with an infectious pop melody.

Whilst the music is oftentimes catchy and upbeat, Remi wants to make clear it's really quite a dark album and though the album may have dark undertones, I'm confident that Remi Nicole is sure to have a far brighter future. Already quite the scenester and known for her friendships with Amy Winehouse and Alexa Chung, her persona was anything but diva. She was very down to earth and I found at ease as she signed autographs and made conversation with some of her younger fans (including my niece). It was lovely to have met her and I wish her every success.

Visit: www.reminicole.com