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If there is one thing everyone should know about Sky Ferreira, it's that she is a brilliant pop star and her debut album, Night Time, My Time, is one of the finest albums of the past year. Instead, headlines have focused on her former career as a model and an unfortunate drugs arrest in 2013.
"People are jaded," says the singer, during a recent London visit, shrugging off any negative press. "I just grew older and worked out what I wanted to do - at least for this moment. There has been a lot of support, which is really cool."
The support is justified. Her debut album was released in America late last year, with a number of US publications naming it among the best releases of 2013. Night Time, My Time is out now in the UK and, five years in the making, presents an artist who has her sound, identity and career in general, absolutely nailed. A collection of rough-edged pop/rock hybrids, Night Time, My Time includes the singles 'You're Not The One' and '24 Hours', and presents Ferreira as a modern teen icon. Tough and ferocious - but with a mainstream appeal that has even seen her join Miley Cyrus on her controversial Bangerz tour.
Sky Ferreira wants to ride on Miley Cyrus's giant sausage on the Bangerz tour
"The Miley Cyrus tour has been cool because you have great set-up, the lights and everything you want. Also, it really helps with stage fright - because you can hear everyone, but you can't see them," she says, before revealing hopes of testing out some of Miley's impressive stage props before the end of their time on the road together.
"I want to try out the giant sausage," she laughs. "I want to try all of it. She said I could. She's really high on that sausage! She doesn't have a seatbelt on either - I mean, maybe she has some wires on but it doesn't look like it."
Ferreira first came to international attention in 2011 with the release of underground electropop hit, 'One' but returned to the spotlight in 2012 with her spectacular, Dev Hynes-produced single 'Everything Is Embarrassing', signalling a sharp swerve into a more soulful sound. Unfortunately for Ferreira, the track came to attention just a few short weeks after Solange premiered her Hynes collaboration, 'Losing You' - and took all the attention.
"I was happy about it, because I like Dev," say Ferreira of Solange's success. "I would rather people listen to a bunch of good songs, rather than a bunch of mediocre songs. Solange is good company to have."
'Everything Is Embarrassing' appears on Night Time, My Time, but stands alone among the rock-influenced sound of the record, its snappy urban beats and subtle production setting it apart from the heavier sounds of 'Nobody Asked Me' or 'Omanko'.
"It's very much a Dev Hynes song," she explains. "I wanted to make my debut album sound like me, and not someone else."
A headstrong artist, Ferreira has not shyed away from speaking her mind, whether hitting out at homophobia slurs in smart Facebook messages ("I'm literally the opposite of homophobic", she says, baffled) and even took her record label to hand when they refused to release Night Time, My Time on vinyl.
Night Time, My Time is out now on vinyl - but it wasn't an easy ride
"I know it's a bit scary and it depends on the situation, and you don't want to get shelved by your label or have your own people telling you you're fucked, but I spoke out because I was already kinda screwed," she says. "The only thing I really had for me was to stick up for myself. I think it is important to stand behind what you believe in and do what you want to do. In your gut, if you feel something is wrong, you should just do it.
"If someone feels like that, they should stand up for themselves."
"I can imagine people trying to make that happen, but at the end of the day, you have to be willing to fight for it, but sometimes you have, like, a gun held to your head. You never know the situation I guess."
"I'd been shelved for years," she continued. "I was shut down and told it was never going to work, 10,000 times, but now it has started to work."
And how. Sky Ferreira's debut album, Night Time, My Time, is out now, and she returns to the UK to perform at this year's Field Day Festival in London.
