LA ROUX at El Mocambo (464 Spadina), Friday (July 31). $12. ticketmaster.ca.
Despite being in the enviable position of lounging poolside at a Los Angeles hotel, Elly Jackson sounds weary, like she’d rather be anywhere else.
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Hours of answering inane questions from journalists can ruin the nicest of southern California afternoons. But Jackson – aka La Roux, a Brixton electropop duo that also includes low-profile producer Ben Langmaid (though Jackson says, “La Roux refers to me”) – knows it’s a necessary evil when introducing her music to the world.
“It’s so different here, it’s disconcerting,” says Jackson about the PR process ahead of her major-label debut’s North American release, which included an industry showcase at the Drake last April.
“You don’t get any idea of who is coming to your gigs. One hundred people on the guest list is ridiculous. You don’t know who these people are. You would never do that in the UK. Never. You just wouldn’t.”
Not that the wavy-haired redhead needs an introduction in Britain, where the album came out in late June. She’s opened marquee tours for Lily Allen and topped the British singles chart with her 80s-inspired electropop joint Quicksand.
The self-titled debut recently received a huge jolt of buzz when the Mercury Prize shortlist revealed La Roux among the 12 nominees.
“We’re so happy about it. It’s so unexpected,” says the 20-year-old. “It’s not like the Brits or the Grammys. It’s based on a panel of people who are influential. It means more, and it generates respect.
“Plus, it doesn’t require you to be big. That’s why it’s so nice.”
If La Roux manages to upset Bat for Lashes and Glasvegas, she has a legit chance of taking the prize. Her music has proven staying power. The melodically infectious songs – best described as updated versions of the kind of tunes Annie Lennox, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode wrote 20 years ago – have floated around the Internet for close to two years now, increasing fans’ desire for a proper release.
“I just listened to the album for the first time the other day,” she says. “But now I need some distance from it. I’ve worked on it for four years, and now it’s done. There’s are other things to sort out in the world.”
music@nowtoronto.com
