She was one of the most unique contestants to ever grace the X Factor, now she’s striking out on her own and garnering some big love for her debut single ‘Home Run’. Ahead of her gig at G-A-Y this weekend, we sent Lee Dalloway to find out more about Miss Misha B…
We love the new single, is it a self-penned tune?
Well, the concept came from a ballad I wrote about an ex, and then I was put in the studio with [producer] MNEK. He had a beat made but I wanted to start a song from fresh. We started working on the beat and production, and the words to my ballad were, “Baby I don’t know what you’ve done,” and he said, “That’s the chorus!” Then we just threw ideas around in terms of lyrics and ‘Home Run’ was born.
For you personally, what were the best and worst things about The X Factor experience?
The best was performing on stage every week, getting the chance to showcase different sides of my musical talent. The worst was the week when the Louis and Tulisa comments kicked off. [Misha was famously accused of bullying by X Factor judges Louis and Tulisa live on air]. I had to pinch myself and go, ‘oh my Gosh, what just happened?’ I was questioning everything. I started questioning my faith, and whether this path was meant for me. Does this mean it’s the end? But now I give thanks, it made me realise you have to trust your struggles – without struggle there’s no success and without struggle there’s nowhere to go. I give thanks for that experience. Tulisa and Louis are just like me; we’re all human, we all have to live and learn.
“I started questioning my faith, and whether this path was meant for me”
That’s certainly taking the positive from what could have been quite a crushing experience…
Yeah, it’s very strange because the first time I went on the X Factor the song I sang was ‘Respect’ and the last time I performed, the song was ‘Who You Are’… Respect who you are! The only way to stay true to who you are is if you respect who you are!
Nice one, so you’re working on the debut album at the moment…
Yeah, we have loads of tracks, the album is not completely finished but we’re getting there. Working with different producers really opens up different sides of your musical personality.
What can we expect from the album?
Fun. I feel that’s the best word to describe it. Expect the unexpected! I’m heavily influenced by where my family come from, Jamaica, so there’s a dancehall vibe, but I’m from Britain so there’s pop, too. I started out as a rapper before I became a singer, so there’s hip-hop in there and also Motown/soul vibe.
The general feeling on singers who leave the X Factor is that they don’t appear to have a lot of control over the direction of their music, but you seem to be running ting!
Oh yeah, I’ve had so much freedom. It’s all been so natural and no pressure. We just chilled out, went in the studio and sometimes things worked, sometimes they didn’t.
What would you say to those who kind of dismiss the X Factor as a glorified karaoke competition or just commercial fluff?
To me, and I’m not condoning people slagging off the X Factor, I can someway understand, but it’s very ignorant in the sense that life is all about taking chances and grabbing any opportunity that comes your way. I can, hands down, say that without it, I wouldn’t be where I am. I wouldn’t have had the exposure internationally and the experience is priceless! People should swallow their pride and forget what people think about them. Life is all about compromising. Obviously not compromising yourself completely, but trying out new things. In this business you’re gonna have to do things you don’t want to do, but the outcome will always be positive. I really believe the hard way is the good way!
I love your attitude to life! So what are you most looking forward to about starting your career, your journey, if you will?
Touring. [pauses] In fact, learning! Meeting new people, learning about new things and myself. But touring is so exciting for me. Having that relationship with the crowd, capturing that positive energy, it’s just beautiful. I love when I see people responding to my music, it gives me inspiration.
• Don’t miss Misha B performing live at G-A-Y (Heaven, under the Arches, Villiers Street, Charing Cross, WC2N 6NG) on Saturday 14th July. Her debut single ‘Home Run’ is released Sunday 15th July.
