…continued from Part 1
A subject for a song, perhaps? “I hope not, because it’s always really boring when people write about being famous.”
But he’s clearly thought about all this stuff. “I remember Alex (Kapranos) from Franz Ferdinand saying there’s a difference between being famous and being a celebrity. People are famed for their works, whereas celebrity is notoriety. I’d like to be famous according to that definition and I’d like my work to precede me, as it does in America, where people don’t know what I look like.”
Are they surprised when they see him? “When I’m introduced, people think I’m a black guy from Chicago! Over here N-Dubz wanted to work with me before they had met me, and I wanted to work with them. I think it’s important I stay over here as I don’t want to be an ex-pat, that ain’t me.”
In the wake of Speech Debelle‘s Mercury prize win, we move on to talk awards. “I’ve been nominated for the MOBOs this year, it’s amazing,” he says proudly. “It’s music of black origin, and while I’m obviously not black, my music is steeped in soul and reggae and hip hop, as well as Nick Drake, Paul Simon and David Bowie. For them to acknowledge that is wonderful, and to be alongside some great artists like Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz and Beyonc is amazing. It probably helps that Kanye’s in the video as well though!”
Collaborating is currently bringing out the best in Hudson, as he freely admits. “I’m enjoying writing with other people, and I’ve now got a fun new track with N-Dubz. I love their ambition, and their work ethic, they’re good kids and deserve everything they get.” Yet was it a conscious decision to lose the band name of the first album, and go it alone? “I’ve still got half of the Library in the band”, he says, “they’re close personal friends and there’s a massive level of trust and friendship there.”
As if to offer some telepathic proof, his phone rings. “That’s one of them now!” he exclaims, before politely pressing divert. “But this album isn’t about a band. When they play live, they smash it on tour, and we play every show like it’s our last. We all just want to do our best every night, and we try and see it from the audience’s point of view, we don’t just turn up, play the songs and fuck off. We try and coax everything out of each other.”
So why the change of name? “The first album, A Tale Of Two Cities, that was like three things – like The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars! I think for me it was this time around I’m gonna be Mr Hudson, I’d like people to take me seriously. Before, it was like Mr What and The Who? A Tale Of Two Cities, isn’t that a Charles Dickens thing?”
He’s happy with how it’s turned out. “It worked!” he affirms. “It isn’t about an eclectic bunch of people or an eccentric bunch of North West Londoners in my room making music, this is three years later, with me having travelled, seen a lot of places, drunk a lot of brandy, shaken a lot of hands, worked with a lot of people and making a record informed by all of those experiences. It’s also about having spent a lot of time trying to learn how to produce! And if I can pat myself on the back briefly I would say the production on this album is a step on from the first.”
He considers what he has just said. “For Kanye to say ‘Hudson is a dope producer’, and to be producing for Estelle and for her to love the track, that means a lot to me. It’s like my kids and wedding and birthday and funeral rolled into one, that’s what it means. That’s why musicians aren’t as thick skinned as they’d like to be when they read horrible reviews!”
But with Kanye West’s seal of approval he’s opened up a whole new audience. “(What) Kanye did with 808s And Heartbreak… he was brave enough to be vulnerable. My record is big and brash. It’s like the lyrics to Knew We Were In Trouble, it’s depressing! But the beats are big, and that’s the only way I could get away with it. And that was Kanye’s album to a lot of people. Internationally this is my first record, so I needed to come out with some elbows, if you know what I mean.”
So what’s next? “I have no idea!” he responds immediately. “Ask me again in a year or 18 months! But I’m going to enjoy working with other people, and enjoy touring the hell out of this album. That’s good for me!”
Mr Hudson MP3s or CDs
Mr Hudson on Spotify
