Sharleen's real gone on her Kyd
from the Daily Record - 6 September 2003 by John Dingwall

SHARLEEN SPITERI is in hiding and nervous as hell that I'll leak her present location to the world's media.

No, her ego isn't out of control as she prepares to launch the latest Texas album , it's just that she doesn't want to let a pal down which is understandable when that pal happens to be Stella McCartney.

Under the guise of being on holiday, Sharleen is holed up in a remote Scottish hotel. In reality, she is getting ready for Stella's wedding to Alasdhair Willis, which took place last week.

Sharleen, a close friend of Stella, joined a select set of the designer's VIP pals to witness the marriage on the Isle of Bute.

And, as we chat just prior to the Big Day, she is trying to keep mum over the details - it's that sort of loyalty which has led to lasting friendships with the likes of Madonna and Blondie legend Debbie Harry.

As she warms herself in front of an open coal fire, Sharleen says: ``Debbie is such a good friend of mine and I absolutely adore her.

``Anyone who has followed Texas's career will know Blondie have been a huge influence on us as a band - we love them.

``It's cool to become friends with Debbie now. I saw her four weeks ago and she gave me a couple of her original Blondie dresses.

``I held them up and went, `Oh, my God. I know that dress. It's amazing'.

``She said to me, `I know you love these and I feel honoured you want to wear them'.

``I couldn't believe it because she brought them over from New York for me, which was very sweet.

``It was amazing she still had them and so cool she gave them to me.

``I have the original black Blondie dress she wore for a lot of publicity shots and the Heart Of Glass dress, which has one shoulder.

``I've worn them a couple of times, but I haven't had time to go out on the town in them because I've been working my ass off. I did wear them to a couple of dinner parties and stuff like that.

``You never know, you might see me in them at some point.''

Sharleen was introduced to the New York singing legend, who shot to fame at the height of the punk explosion in the late '70s with Blondie, through a mutual friend.

Now the pair are considering a duet together.

Sharleen says: ``Debbie is great.

She is avery soulful person and an amazing songwriter and vocalist. I really don't think Debbie Harry has ever been given the credit she is due.

``Who knows whether we'll duet? We've spoken about doing bits and pieces together so something may happen.''

In the meantime, Sharleen's band Texas are back with a new album, Careful What You Wish For, which is inspired by Blondie and New York's hippest rockers The Strokes.

Due for release October 20, it's a fresh, diverse collection of songs - her first since giving birth to her daughter, Misty Kyd, to boyfriend Ashley Heath.

Rather than take time off to concentrate on becoming a mum, Sharleen wrote the bulk of the tunes while she was pregnant. Within two months of Misty being born, mother and daughter were in the recording studio together. Sharleen, stunning at 35, says: ``It's been a good time. When I was pregnant I was enjoying the songwriting. After I had the baby it was easy putting the record together.

``It was funny because, as a band, we said we'd take some time out. But after about a month it was like, right, let's get back to work.

``Being a mum is everything I expected and more. I absolutely adore Misty. I have a little girl and we are very much in love with her.

``She's great. She is a cheeky little begger. I have no idea where she gets it from. She is very headstrong and determined -it's all her dad.

``She's walking around now. She still holds on to things with one hand, but is toddling about and says a few words.

``Her vocabulary extends to mama and dada and Po, of course, because she is obsessed with the Teletubbies.

``She says `bear' and `hiya' and `bye bye'. It's really funny to hear the words coming out of this little voice. Her favourite toys are a pig and a bear, which she is absolutely mad on, and Po from Teletubbies -and that's it.

``But I've no interest in writing a record about my kid because I figure she's my kid and why would anyone else be interested.''

The cranked-up domesticity of being a working mum could have got in the way of creativity, but Sharleen insists the effects of motherhood have all been positive.

She says: ``In the morning, I try to whistle anything other than the Teletubbies theme in the shower. I worry about getting enough sleep, but have no worries about her. She goes right through the night and has done since she was three months old.

``Thankfully, Ashley does his fair share of what a dad should do.''

Now, as Misty approaches her first birthday on Tuesday, Sharleen is resurfacing more confident than ever -not only with a new sound, but with a new look.

She says: ``At first, Misty came into the studio with me, but when she started running about it became more difficult to have her there.

``When she was still in her chair she could just bounce away to the music. These days, she's at that stage where her fingers are on the buttons and there are flashing lights and racks of equipment at her height.

``So, now it's not sensible to have her in the studio too much at the moment.''

THE first single from the album, called Carnival Girl, is released on October 6 and features Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishal.

Sharleen reckons she's on to a winner, since Misty has given it her very small thumbs up.

She says: ``I think she is a fan of the music because she dances whenever the new album comes on. She likes it, especially Carnival Girl. She looks at me, gives a big smile and dances.

``A lot of MTV and VH1 have started playing Texas on the TV again and, when they do, she looks up and says `Mama'. She recognises my voice even on the old songs.''

Sharleen hopes the album will substantially add to the 20million records Texas have sold worldwide -their last three albums all reached No1 -in a career stretching back to 1989.

To make sure they remained at the top they were willing to collaborate with underground West London dancehall crew Suncycle, Liverpool studio legend Kingbird and renowned Madonna mixer Spike Stent.

Texas -Sharleen and co-founder Johnny McElhone, guitarists Ally McErlaine and Tony McGovern plus Eddie Campbell on keyboards -enlisted top producer Trevor Horn, the man behind Frankie Goes To Hollywood's '80s hit Relax, for a raunchy track called Telephone X.

Another two songs from the album -See It Through and Where Did You Sleep -were the result of a collaboration with Robbie Williams' former songwriting partner Guy Chambers.

Sharleen says: ``We did a couple of songs with Guy, which we'd spoken about doing for a long time. People asked me what it was like and I explained that if you put three songwriters like myself, Johnny and Guy Chambers in a room and don't come up with some unbelievable songs, it's time to pack up the bags and give up.

``It was three accomplished songwriters together. It worked out really well. We're very happy with the tracks. We did three songs in two days. All three of us came in with the ideas and we just did the third song because we were going at a rate of knots.''

To coincide with the album, Sharleen has turned punk rock chick, all leather and studs with a hairstyle, somewhere between a Joey Ramone and Chrissie Hynde bowl cut.

But she insists her barnet isn't the brainchild of a poncy designer hair-stylist. Instead, Sharleen chopped it herself with the help of her pal Laurie and Johnny McElhone: ``Do you like it? I cut it myself. I swear to God I cut it myself.

``My mate Laurie, a old hairdressing mate from way back in Glasgow, cut the back for me and I cut the front,'' she explains. ``I've always tried to play with an androgynous look. I have never had the Debbie Harry look, but have gone down the whole Patti Smith or Chrissie Hynde thing.''

Her image change fits perfectly as Texas try to move themselves away from the MOR sound that dominated the band's earlier material and towards a more cutting edge, contemporary feel.

But Sharleen denies the new look is all part of a carefully orchestrated marketing plan: ``I didn't get my haircut just because there was a new album coming out.

``Like any woman, I wanted to look a bit different because if you look the same all the time it gets boring.

``Women play with their hair and dye it different colours, but with jet black hair it's difficult to change the colour.''

Boyfriend Ashley may have got a shock when Sharleen (who was just 16 when she worked as a junior in Irvine Rusk's Glasgow hair salon) popped her head out of the bathroom door with her mop top. But he gave it full marks even if it was a DIY job: ``I just disappeared into the bathroom one night and came back out and went, what do you think of my new hair.

``It was one of those moments. ``Johnny McElhone gave it a bit of a chop as well then his wife turned round and said, `You've got to be off your trolley to let him anywhere near your head with a pair of scissors'.

``But I didn't want it to be perfect.

``It shows you how trusting I am that I just said, `Gonnae cut a bit off my hair'.

``It could have gone very wrong, but it didn't. I was one of the top hairdressers, why do I need to go to one of those trendy stylists?''

For Sharleen, motherhood is the most natural thing in the world.

And she scoffs at the idea of being put under pressure as she balances her work and home life.

She says: ``How can it be a great pressure on me? I don't have to worry about paying the mortgage at the end of the month.

``Here I am sitting in front of a lovely coal fire. I don't have to rush back to work to pay the bills. I don't feel any pressure to do what I do.

``It's something I love so much and I also have a fantastic family life.

``Misty goes down to her bed at seven-thirty at night, so Ashley and I can relax and do our own thing.''

She adds: ``If anything, I think becoming a mum has hardened me.

``Because, you know, I look at other mothers like my sister, who has an eight-month-old and is straight back out to work.

``I'm lucky to be in the position where I can work when I want to and take my kid with me.

``I do things the way I want to do them. Not a lot of mothers have that freedom.

``The funny thing is, I don't have time for people who go round the houses.

``Now, I'm like, cut to the chase, I've got to get back to my kid.

``Travelling has become hysterical. I used to just pack a bag but now it's a case of toys and stuff for her.

``I don't know if it can get any bigger.'' Meanwhile, Sharleen hasn't ruled out the patter of more tiny little feet in the future.

But she insists there's no master plan and she doesn't intend to wait for a suitable break in Texas's workload.

She says: ``I would love to have more children, absolutely. I would.

``But that doesn't mean the headline should be, `Sharleen wants more children' -if I see that I will come after you.

``Having my child just happened to work out perfectly. It wasn't a case of it being in the schedule somewhere.

``I wanted a child and another one will happen when it happens.

``That's pretty much my attitude to life.''


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