Interview: Ladi6 - Kiwi artist's long-awaited return to London and Glastonbury   11 Jun 2014

Charlotte Everett

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It's been a long time since Kiwi Hip Hop Queen Ladi6 and her band have been in the UK, and fans here will be looking forward to finally having her back this month. Fresh from releasing her critically-acclaimed third album, 'Automatic', NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett managed to have a quick chat with Ladi ahead of her shows in London and at Glastonbury.

NZNewsUK: You're back in London on 26 June. How do you feel about coming back?

Ladi: We were last there quite awhile ago. Perhaps the last tour we did there was Gil Scott-Heron's last tour; we supported him throughout the UK and some of Europe. We can't wait to test the London waters - and looking forward to reconnecting with some old friends, as well as making some new ones. It's been a long time coming!!

NZNewsUK: How's the vibe in London and how do the crowds differ here from those back home?

Ladi: I want to say that they do, but the reality is that they don't really... we have so many expat Kiwis living in London as well, it is often not too hard to find a friend or someone you know through 2 degrees of separation! We look forward to the familiarity of London.

NZNewsUK: Your third album - "Automatic" - is out in Europe on 23 August. How much material from the new album will feature in the London show?

Ladi: Most of the show will be made up of songs from 'Automatic'; we're really enjoying playing this record out!

NZNewsUK: What can fans expect from this show in general?

Ladi: They can expect the goodness!

NZNewsUK: How did the new album come about?

Ladi: We approached a wish list of co-producers and at the top of our list was Waajeed. We were big fans of his work with Slum Village and Platinum Pied Pipers - we wanted to have that sound on this record. We connected with him, and he was up for it, so we flew out to the D (Detroit) twice to work through the record, and finished it off during a summer on a farm in New Zealand, in a small spot called Waiuku. It ended up becoming quite the perfect contrast and the album came together relatively quickly. 

NZNewsUK: Are you likely to have any down-time in London, and how do you plan to spend it?

Ladi: Not at all, unfortunately this London date is just before we play Glastonbury, and part of a three-part world tour we've put together... Europe - UK - USA - NZ (YIKES?!!!#%&^?!) 

You can catch Ladi6 at London's Bedroom Bar on June 26.

Advance tickets are £10 + b/f from Music Glue or Ticketweb

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