Sister Doing It For Herself - Candie Payne

Candie Payne may have a moniker that sounds like a porn star, but it’s a name that’s getting a lot of press for entirely different reasons. The 24 year old liverbird is set to tour with hot-shot producer Mark Ronson later this autumn hot on the heels of their collaborative release ‘No More Chances’ this month. Payne, who has been dubbed the ‘arch queen of 21st century melancholia’ in some quarters, came to Columbia label mate Ronson’s attention when he heard her debut album ‘Wish I Could Have Loved You More’ and immediately sparked a bond.

From the minute Gigwise sits down with Candie, she’s strikingly down to earth. Growing up with two brothers who went on to be successful musicians, must help. Her brothers Sean (The Zutons) and Howie (The Stands) have in her own words “always looked out for her.”

She explains the Mark Ronson collaboration in her soft Scouse tones: “I wasn’t happy with album version of  ‘No More Chances’  as a single,  but Columbia  could see the potential in it and asked Mark if he wanted to get involved.” It’s obvious she’s passionate about her career but hides a lot of it behind humour. She doesn’t want to be Billie Holiday, she likes her life as it is and sees her songs as an extension of herself. Getting involved in musical arrangements “gives her a bird’s eye view and helps her stay objective.”

Working with Ronson was a case of jumping into the unknown as she usually works alongside musician Simon Dine. “It was weird handing over the reigns to someone else especially because my part took an hour or so and I wasn’t really that familiar with Mark’s work.” Candie continues: “I don’t want to sound arrogant or anything but I’m not intimidated by Mark’s reputation. I view him as a contemporary who’s very good at what he does.”

Payne seems to naturally gravitate towards a bygone era, both professionally and personally. Her retro look is put down to being a “happy coincidence” rather than anything else. Her vocals are more Dusty than dirty and she seems unperturbed to be joining a list of household names.

Candie will be sharing support duties on Ronson’s first major UK tour with Ali Love, who, of course, featured on The Chemical Brothers ‘Do It Again’. When Gigwise caught up with Ms Payne she was enjoying a few days of domesticity after a summer of festival appearances. She laughs: “You could say I’m getting in touch with my domestic goddess, but it’s just cool to normalise and see friends and family every now and then.”