Bat For Lashes adolescence was "soundtracked by Madonna".
The ‘Laura’ singer – whose real name is Natasha Khan – was obsessed with the Queen of Pop as a teenager and admits that her music and her image switches have influenced her entire career.
Speaking to GQ, Khan said: "Her style, sass, songs, sexuality, everything was so girlie for me … She was inspirational and provocative and strong and pulled ideas from underground dance and gay culture. I learnt a lot from her. I watched her. I aspired to be as cool as she was in the 80s and 90s."
The three-time Mercury Prize nominee admitted that she first realised she wanted to be a musician after watching Bjork’s MTV Unplugged.
She added: "I saw her in bare feet jumping around the stage, expressing herself like a feral animal and I thought, ‘I want me some of that!’ "
London-born Khan released her fifth album ‘Lost Girls’ in September inspired by her new home in Los Angeles and now as a veteran of the music business she can remember when she first realised her music could move people.
The ‘Kids In The Dark’ singer said: "I knew I had affected them [fans], their emotions, that they resonated and were touched by things I was touched by. It gave me a sense of connection and compassion and I thought, ‘Maybe I’m not so bad at this!’
"I remember meeting a fan who had been living with acute pain and told me that she had only survived by listening to my music … It is amazing to meet fans, but when they have a story in which my music has helped in some way, it’s really beautiful."
Bat For Lashes learnt so much from Madonna
