We caught up with Grace Solero the vocalist from the upcoming band of the same name, to talk about thier new single 'Troops', touring plans for the future, how much she likes being compared to Skin from Skunk Anansie and much more.

Hello and thank you for taking time out to do this interview.
Thank you.

First of all can you give us a brief history of the band for the people who have never heard of you?
The band was formed in London. I moved here determined to start a band and met Dan, guitarist from California. We gigged as a duo for a few months, then added bass and drums to complete our sound. Still now we perform both acoustic and electric shows.

What are your influences and whom would you say contributed to your current musical style?
We all have different influences, but nineties rock is a common background. Smashing Pumpkins, Jeff Buckley, Nirvana. Personally I’m a great fan of opera, I love Maria Callas. And all great singers make me shiver, Nina Simone, Nat King Cole to mention but a few.

What was it like writing and recording your debut Album 'New Moon'?
It was a fantastic experience. Writing songs for New Moon has been like taking a long trip, pouring our heart and thoughts onto lyrics and music. Getting into the recording process was very exciting. It makes you feel great to finally spend time in the studio playing and performing your own ideas. We worked with a sound engineer who was very supportive, Pat Collier. Also we had the chance to travel to Italy to record most drums.

Are you happy with the response the Album has been getting so far?
Definitely. We had many great reviews but what’s most important we are constantly getting nice messages from fans who bought the album and who are coming to our shows.

What is your favourite track from your debut Album?
Given just one choice I would say “Troops”. But they are all favourite tracks really, depending on the mood. Music is such a powerful thing and leads to different/mysterious places, so you choose your pick according to your state of mind in that particular moment.

You are releasing 'Troops' as a single in September, what made you choose to release this song over all the other songs on the album, and why is the release so far away?
It’s always hard to go through your own material and decide which track you should release as a single but I think in this case, the decision was pretty much made for us by the response of the fans as well as the album reviews. It does seem to strike a chord with most people and it is very humbling to have written a song that can have such a touching effect on people.

You are currently working on shooting a music video for 'Troops', have you come up with many ideas of how you want the video to be?
Yes, we are lucky to be working with a very talented and gifted video director called David Kenny with whom we have had a lot of creative discussions on the style and content of the new video. With our combined artistic ideas as well as David’s technical knowledge of video production and effects including outlining the storyboard, it will be very rewarding to finally be able to put these ideas into something I know we will be extremely proud of.

Your myspace shows that you only have one show confirmed from now until December, the show is at the Cavendish Arms in London on the 6th December, is the show for a special occasion considering it’s been confirmed so far in advance?
We do actually have more shows that have been planned before December and are in the final confirmation stages with the various agents before we advertise. The December show was confirmed as we organized the show with a great friend and artist from New York called Nicola to coincide with her visit to the UK. Also, we just needed to take some time off in July to concentrate on writing new material and generally taking a much needed break and so apologies for any delay in posting the new dates!

Can we expect a full length Grace Solero tour once 'Troops' has been released?
Well, we certainly plan to support the release of the new single with some specially selected UK shows but as far as a full tour goes, we really would like to concentrate on being creative with writing some new songs at this point. Of course we would love to do a full tour soon and I think this would be made even better by having some great new material to add to the existing set.

Your vocals and musical style gets compared to both Skunk Anansie and Alanis Morrisette quite a lot, are you a fan of both artists and are you happy with the comparisons?
I’m honoured to be compared to such soulful singers and I understand people need to find similarities.

What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows?
Raw energy, beauty in sound and melodies, sweet one moment, hard hitting the next.

Do you prefer being on the road touring or in the studio recording?
That’s a hard one to answer. To be honest, they’re both an injection of energy and adrenaline. It’s great to be able to turn your musical ideas into something that everybody can appreciate but then its also amazing to then be able to perform these songs in front of a live audience

If you could play with any band past or present, who would it be and why?
Jeff Buckley: he was pushing emotions over the limit with no fear of letting go. Rolling Stones: they are living history of soulful music.

What is the most memorable gig you have played so far and why?
Kebab Shop in Chalk Farm, at 3 in the morning on a Saturday night in a backroom with an audience like something out of Star Wars.

What do you think of the current music scene?
Which one? There are so many. The underground scene is far more exciting and creative than the commercial scene.

Where do you hope to see Grace Solero in 5 years time?
Touring and still able to write and record great songs. Hoping to get more people to know and love our music.

Okay, one final random question; if you had a choice, what animal would you be out of a Zebra and a Giraffe?
Zebra.

Thanks for your time, is there a message you would like to give to your fans reading this?
Yes, keep on getting in touch! It is so important to share our music with you, so email us at gracesolero@yahoo.co.uk or send us messages through our myspace. Many thanks!

Interview By Trigger