London soul-pop singer Pixie Lott is still an unknown entity in the U.S. — she’s about to release her third studio album and has yet to chart in America. However, the 23-year-old songstress continues collecting hits in her native country, most recently with her single “Nasty,” which peaked at No. 9 on last week’s U.K. singles chart after being officially released overseas earlier this month.
Co-written by Cee Lo Green and Jack Splash, “Nasty” was originally earmarked for Christina Aguilera, to be used in her 2010 vehicle film “Burlesque.” Three years later, Lott scooped up the long-forgotten song to demonstrate a shift towards what she describes as “current soul” music on her new album, “Pixie Lott,” due out overseas on May 12.
“I first heard it and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this would be perfect to have as the bridge between my last album and this album,'” says Lott of “Nasty,” which she recorded in Miami. “It’s really fresh, but has got some old-school samples in it.”
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“Pixie Lott” follows a string of UK. hits for Lott, including “Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh),” “Boys and Girls” and “All About Tonight” (“Boys and Girls” is her biggest seller in the U.S. with 20,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan). Lott took a prolonged break from performing last year to work on the follow-up to 2011’s “Young, Foolish, Happy” primarily in London and New York, and named it “Pixie Lott” because, out of all of her albums, this one best captures her personality.
“This album represents me the most out of all of my albums,” Lott says. “My last album had some dance tracks and some soul tracks, but this one is more centered.”
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Lott adds that the new soul songs suit her vocal ability, and that she is looking forward to performing them when she heads back on the road. She’s already performed “Nasty” at a handful of U.K. television stops (she’s also staying busy as the new face of Batiste Shampoo) and can’t wait to show off the “fuller” live experience that the songs of “Pixie Lott” will showcase.
“I can have a full band and brass section, and some of the songs have a gospel choir, so I can’t wait to do that,” she says. “What I’ve missed in the couple last of years is playing shows, which is my all-time favorite thing. I can’t wait to do that with this album.”
And although no U.S. shows have been planned yet, Lott says that she wants some stateside dates to materialize, someday. “I’d love to come over there and play shows!”