Alexandra Burke is drawing on her debut album, ‘Overcome’, as she works on new music.
The ‘Bad Boys’ 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, but she has gone back to her “poppy and upbeat” roots for her next offering.
Speaking to 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.
She said: “I started it during lockdown at my home studio and it’s so joyful.
“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 ‘Hallelujah’ singer added: “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.
She explained: “When I got given ‘Hallelujah’, I didn’t think it was for me.
“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 No.1 spot and she went on to work with a plethora of stars on her debut LP.
She said: “Here’s the thing: You’re hardly ever in the studio at the same time.
“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.
Alexandra recalled: “She was so lovely and supportive, and she gave me advice about certain tracks and about being an artist. Her biggest thing was, ‘Enjoy the process.'”
The December 2022 issue of Retro Pop magazine is out now, head to retropopmagazine.com.