Music

You looked like you had a lot of fun performing at the Mobo`s.

Mr Hudson: Yeah man it was funny, I remember I spoke to Kimberley from the Pussycat Dolls after and she said I didn’t look nervous and why and I kind of shoulda been, there was 10,000 people there, all the industry, live on TV and there was a moment before the performance where the lights where coming on and I thought I should be nervous, that made me nervous that I wasn’t nervous. So I had the mic in my hand and thought just don’t stiffen up, then when the track started I just went in. The rest of the night I’m Mr humble, thrilled to be here blah blah blah, but for those two minutes I’m not gonna waste your time as a viewer and an audience member by doing things half measures, so for those 2 and a half minutes that’s my stage and my microphone, my PA system. I was just like COME ON!!! (laughs). It just went like that (clicks fingers), it was like karaoke.

Is that one of the best things with what you do getting the audience vibing?

Mr Hudson: Definitely that moment where 5,000 people are standing up and I can see the likes of N Dubz and Sway clapping away, you cant take it in, your so in the moment, I’m just glad I hit the high notes cos I’ve been ill. Adrenaline is a good drug.

What was it like listening to yourself on the Jay Z track ‘Forever Young’? That’s a lot of peoples favourite tracks on Blueprint 3.

Mr Hudson: I heard the track when me and Kanye was working on the beat, but I had never heard his bars until it leaked, I was in New York, everyone was playing it, talking about it, it was the last track on the album, people were hitting me up and that was a massive buzz.

I’ve had a year of really privileged moments. Coming back to North London and performing at the Roundhouse, Kid Cudi comes on, then Kanye comes on, I used to live opposite the Roundhouse above that pub in Chalk Farm and I made a lot of this new album above that pub, that was sick. To be back in North London seeing kids queuing up at 5pm round the corner just trying to get spare tickets. Then when Kanye came on and we done an extended version of Supernova, we did Heartless and he turned round to my drummer and shouted this sounds amazing, in the UK it’s different because we don’t care so much if it’s all perfectly in time and in tune we just go at it, it’s funny I was on the doll 3 years ago.

And now you got your own Louis Vuitton shoes.

Mr Hudson: (Laughs) And I’ve got my own Louis Vuitton shoes named after me that I can’t afford. I should ring up the store and be like hello have you got a pair of Hudson’s in a size 10, can you put them to one side for me, what’s the name, Mr Hudson then I hang up the phone (laughs). I’ve gotta do that.

How has working with the G.O.O.D Music team (Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Common….) helped you as an artist?

Mr Hudson: It’s really prepared me to come back to London and do my record, it gave me a new head space and tools and techniques, motivation, they saw me differently to how people see me over here, because when you just know someone regular you just accept that’s what he does, Kid Cudi and Kanye were like homie you are this pop singer and you don’t even realise it, I thought ok let me give it a shot. Even though I’m in my little room writing the album I tried to stay in that headspace I had flying around with them and touring around Europe and seeing how they roll, taking a bit of their swagger but still keeping it very English

What do you miss most about London when your away?

Mr Hudson: A decent beer (laughs), I miss my friends, I may have all these new friends but you can’t beat those people you go way back with, school friends, family, the people you can completely say what you want and do what you want, you can walk around in your tracksuit and lounge with.

The new single ‘White Lies’ when did you write that? In that flat as well?

Mr Hudson: Yeah in the flat, I had the idea nocking around for a while then when I was committed to it I had to bang it out.

One of the tracks I’ve heard from the album that I really enjoyed was ‘Anyone But Him’ (featuring Kanye West). How did that come about? Was it about a particular person?

Mr Hudson: Sometimes I take two situations, it might be partly my experiences and then someone else’s experience, then I glue them together, there’s a little element to fantasy with music. But yeah I know that feeling, I definitely know that feeling, the angriest of the three verses is the first one. ‘I’d rather hear you had the whole football team, than have to watch his filthy lips on your skin, anyone but him’ jealousy is a strong emotion and when it captures you, it’s almost like you become someone else, luckily Kanye brings in a really light hearted verse, I’m completely stush and he’s giving it the whole comedy rout

It was funny because when I played him that song originally, he said stop stop stop the cd, I thought huh, he said I’m gonna pay you the biggest compliment I can, that’s the kind of shit I write (laughs). I’m glad you like that it’s one of my favourites of the album. It’s almost like you’ve got an Atlanta Hip Hop sort of beat to it, I definitely had my ghost riding Lil Wayne hat on with that song.

So who else have you got on the album? You’ve got Kanye and Kid Cudi on there.

Mr Hudson: Just those two you know I stopped it at that, there’s loads of people I would have wanted to be on it, I could have hit up Common, people in the UK, but I didn’t want it to sound like a mixtape how ever amazing a mixtape it would have been. I wanted to be confident in what I was doing I didn’t want people to think I was using other peoples shine that’s why with the next single ‘White Lies’ in the video it’s just me, no video girls, no cameos just me and a camera.

What keeps you inspired?

Mr Hudson: For songs just life, it could be the guy selling the Big Issue outside Woolworths rest in peace, it could be being at a blinged out party that’s rubbish, the champagne is warm and no ones having a meaningful conversation. That ‘Supernova’ verse ‘Out on the lawn let’s pretend where’re having tonnes of fun as the warm champagne pours, in this world we don’t belong’ I dunno though I’ve got different sides to me, I can do that, then on the other hand I wanna go back to Camden and have a pint of Guinness. I remember N Dubz said to there’s a road half to me (laughs). I can have tea with the queen or talk to the Big Issue seller, I think it’s good to move between the different worlds. And musically I’ve spent a lot of time in the singer songwriter indie scene, then I’ve spent time in the Hip Hop scene making beats and working with Sway, Lethal B, Dizzee Rascal, Newham Generals, going to Lyric Pad and Jumpoff, Deal Real is my family, Shortee Blitz. Estelle, I met Reggie Yates down there all the man dem (laughs)

So what else have you got in store for 2009?

Mr Hudson: The album’s out October 19^th, I’m touring with Calvin Harris, shooting a video with N Dubz next week, they’re from near where I was living, they was surprised I knew that I know the estates their from. Doing a track with Estelle, just pushing the album I wanna kick them in the nuts with it, then keep working with other people I’ve set up my own studio, I’ll be making lots of beats, a lot of people have been calling me up to make them beats, back in the day I couldn’t give them away.

I’m happy, it’s been a great year, it just gives me more fuel to work even harder.

On twitter I see you’re a big fan of cars.

Mr Hudson: I just love em, I’ll just go and rent stupid cars, I saw this stretch Merc outside a club yesterday (shows me a picture of it on his Blackberry) look at the alloys on that, I just like funny cars, I’m not just gonna buy one and commit to it. Those pics will just go straight to twitter. I saw this car in Chicago a big old Dodge Charger I love them, the new one looks sick, I’d love to drive that in the UK, Westwood behaviour (laughs)

Any last words any shout outs?

Mr Hudson: I suppose after the Mobos I’m proud of the UK scene doing so well, everyone’s been working so hard Sway, N Dubz, Chipmunk, Tinchy. People are collaborating like they weren’t in 2004/2005, I thought why isn’t everybody jumping on each others track, everyone is just doing their own thing, now everyone is collaborating, people like Mike Skinner opened things up, he always wanted loads of people jumping on stuff, if I’ve been apart of that I’m really happy with the Newham Generals track I done, Sway, Lethal B, if I’ve been apart of breaking down that barrier between urban and indie I’m really happy, I’m honoured to have helped out.

I can sum it up in this analogy, there was a studio that we all recorded in and I’ll be in one room with my acoustic guitar and in the other rooms was Estelle and So Solid Crew, this was back in 2003 and I thought why is there a wall between the studios, lets knock this wall down and make some records people give a shit about, instead of putting the indie boys in one room, then all the guys making beats on MPC’s in the other room. Now it’s happening it feels like everyone is on each others album now. Statik has a lot to thank for it with the Grindie stuff, you ever hear the track I did with Dj Wonder, he’s a beast, that half time stupidly moody shit, one of my favourite Dizzee Rascal tracks was made by him ‘Respect Me’ I love that track. Wonder is a beast I don’t think he gets enough props.

Mr Hudson`s album `Straight No Chaser` is out October 19th, his new single `White Lies` is out 12th October

http://www.mrhudson.com