A track with Sugababes, a debut headline tour, a festival season like few others... We caught up with A Little Sound to chat about it all. Check out what she had to say below!

Date published: 1st Oct 2024

Whether you've heard her spaced-out vocal hooks over some of the biggest DnB tracks in recent memory; seen her live behind the decks at a festival, tearing up tens of thousand-strong crowds; or you've watched her infectiously endearing TikToks, which encapsulate her joy and love of Drum and Bass; A Little Sound is a modern-day icon of the bass scene. 

So much of an icon, that she has just released a track with none other than the Sugababes! The new track, titled 'Situation' is a bass-fuelled rework of the pop-icons classic track 'Overload' and royally goes off, with the trio on the vocals. Add on top of that a festival season where she is yet again attracting monstrous crowds, and yet again more award wins at the DnB Awards; A Little Sound is on a path like few others.

With all this happening, and a debut headline tour - the A Little Sound System Tour - on the horizon, we decided to catch up with her to chat all about it. See what she had to say below!

 

 

First and foremost, we simply cannot start anywhere other than you being on a track with the Sugababes! It’s a new version of their classic track ‘Overload’ and the way it melds with the DnB is so sick, how did it all come about and what’s it like being on a track with those legends?

“It’s honestly still so surreal to hear those words! I’d have never imagined such a collaboration to be possible, but the fact that it’s out in the world is crazy. 

“I was in the studio with the talented Billen Ted and Katy Tiz, where we played around with some chord progressions before realising that one of them sounded extremely similar to the iconic “Overload”. 

“After all deciding we’d like to give flipping it a go, we were super happy with the result and my team pitched it to the Sugababes. 

“Before I knew it, the SB management hit us up saying how much they all loved the track! It wasn’t long before Keisha, Siobhan and Mutya were in the studio with us laying down their vocals and the rest is history.

“I’m still not over it and don’t think I ever will be!“

 

 

The promo video and pictures were mint too, what was it like spending time with them both during that shoot and on the track?

“Honestly, they are all so humble and down to earth. I felt right at home within seconds and they made me feel super welcome; it’s easy to forget that they are global superstars. We just had fun with it and managed to get all the content shot within a couple of hours - super happy with how it all turned out!”

 

 

You’re going to be heading out on your first ever UK headline tour later this year too, the A Little Sound System Tour (great name btw), how excited are you about that?

"Ahhh it’s so exciting! 

"It’s every artist's dream to have their name at the top of a flyer, so to finally have my own headline tour is a huge achievement. 

"Really glad you like the name too, I find that although it may seem like a pretty random one (I came up with it when I was 12), it has a lot of fun play on words. 

"The response to the tour has been incredible too, which is just amazing and makes it all feel so real. 

 

You’ll be kicking it off in your hometown of Bristol, so that might obviously take the cake, but is there anywhere on the tour you're especially looking forward to playing? 

"Bristol will always be a super special show for me, especially Thekla! 

"At Uni, I spent a lot of my Thursday nights as a student at Thekla Thursdays, before playing a live show with my uni band before I started DJing, so this is a proper full circle moment. 

"Bristol aside though, I’m actually incredibly excited for every single show, as I know I have little pockets of fans all over and they always bring the most energy. There’s something super intimate and special about a show where the crowd are there for you."

 

We also have to talk about the DnB awards from earlier this year, where you won two awards including Best Vocalist!  Some time has passed since then, but has that all had a chance to properly sink in now? And how much has such recognition meant to you?

"I don’t think I ever really come to terms with my achievements as this job is so go go go, but I’m definitely feeling the love and recognition from the scene right now! 

"Although a lot of people are just finding out about me now, I’ve been working towards this moment since 2019. From underground Bristol venues like Blue Mountain, The Black Swan and Lakota, I now get to play to thousands all across the world and I have my supporters to thank for that."

 

That best vocalist award is something I’d love to expand on too, because your vocal hooks always hit so hard and match the energy of your tracks so well. How do you usually approach your tracks where you do the vocals? Do you think of a vocal hook first? do the beats come first? or is it more of a mixture?

"Honestly, I wish there was a method to the madness, but the process and journey of a song varies each time. I used to receive an instrumental digitally from a producer and would send back a topline instantly from the comfort of my homemade studio. Although this sometimes works (like with tracks such as Back in Time and Lakota), it isn’t always the way. 

"Over the past year, I’ve been incredibly lucky to find myself in some big session rooms with a combination of amazingly talented writers and producers. This has put a whole new perspective on the songwriting/collaboration process, as I’m now able to take a bit of the pressure off writing a “hit” on my own and can bounce ideas around to find the best of all worlds. 

"Don’t get me wrong though, I still write a lot on my own and find it super rewarding knowing that it’s 100% my work, but collaborating is also super sick!"

 

With the last few festivals on their way, how has the festival season been for you this year? Your debut set at Reading and Leeds was absolutely packed, you played the iconic Arcadia stage at Glastonbury, and you did a set at Tomorrowland… is there anything you didn't do haha?

"Last year was incredibly hard to top, but this summer definitely didn’t disappoint. I ticked off so many new festivals this year and every single one brought something so different. 

"There are still a few to mark off the bucket list, but it feels so incredible to say I’ve played a lot of the festivals I never imagined I’d be able to play - festivals I used to attend as a kid!

"The fact that I’m also starting to play some of these bucket list festivals for a second time is even more surreal. Each year gets better and better, so I’m so excited to see what the future holds."

 

Is there a moment or set that sticks out for you this festival season? Maybe not even the biggest set, but just one that was so full of energy or one that surprised you?

"One set that definitely took me by surprise was Beats For Love in Ostrava, Czech Republic. 

"I hadn’t played the festival before, but was aware of how big it was due to how many genres of dance music is covered. When I arrived, the stage looked incredible and considering there were a crazy amount of stages and HUGE headliners, these guys really cared about their production. 

"I received such a warm welcome from everyone who worked there and when I stepped up onto the stage, the first thing I saw was a sign saying “A Little Sound, we <3 Bristol” - I knew it was going to be a good one! The energy from start to finish was unmatched, the crowd went super far back and I came off feeling so happy with how it went - one to remember!"

 

I also saw that, despite not playing this year, you went to Boomtown as a punter, what was it like being amongst the crowd for that festival where you got over 30k heads raving last year?

"Boomtown will never keep me away! 

"I’d attended the 3 years prior, and was lucky enough to play for the past 2, but to experience it as a punter again was next level. 

"As I wasn’t playing, it was a lot easier to go incognito and I was so grateful to be able to enjoy myself in the crowd for the first time in a while. To experience what the ravers did when I played last year was amazing, but then again, I knew exactly how it felt as I’d been there many times before! 

"The people I did bump into in the crowd were super lovely and even had a boogie with me, so that was super wholesome. There is nowhere quite like Boomtown. 

 

Just to finish off, we do a feature at Skiddle called Three Tracks, which we always ask DJs we interview. So, imagine your next set is reduced to just three tracks, what are you playing and why?

"Oh nooo, I can never narrow tracks down to 3 but I will try my best! 

"I would open with my single “Twilight” with Gray because nothing gets a better reaction than that one at the moment, it’s the best way to connect with my fans.

"The second would be, “Foundation Style” by Selecta J Man & Spyda, as it brings me that Bristol flavour. 

"Then the final track would have to be, “Afterglow” by Wilkinson & Becky Hill as it’s a real singalong moment and a great way to end the set."

 

 

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Find tickets to each date of the A Little Sound System Tour below:

A Little Sound System Tour | Bristol

A Little Sound System Tour | London

A Little Sound System Tour | Newcastle

A Little Sound System Tour | Leeds

A Little Sound System Tour | Liverpool

 

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.