A post by Peter Jordens.

Lianne La Havas is a 24-year-old mercurial jazz, folk, pop and soul singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from South London, England. Her 2012 debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, reached Nr 4 in the UK charts and won the iTunes Album of the Year 2012. She is often compared to Sade, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, Esperanza Spalding and Amy Winehouse but seems to have already made the transition from breakthrough act to established artist.

La Havas was born in London in 1989 to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. Her parents broke up when she was two, and her mother worked unholy hours as a postwoman, leading to La Havas living mainly with her Jamaican grandparents, which meant that she grew up hearing a lot of reggae.

London’s The Independent spoke to her recently; here is part of the interview.

TI: Describe your music in three words.

LL: Guitar and bee.

IT: If you owned a festival, what would you call it and why?

LL: Eclectifest – because it would have a very eclectic line-up.

TI: Name five people (dead or alive) you would like to go to a festival with.

LL: Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, Nina Simone, Prince and Ozzy Osbourne.

TI: What record changed your life?

LL: In Rainbows – Radiohead.

TI: If you ruled the world what would your first rule be?

LL: Compulsory margaritas on all flights and free deodorant for everyone.

TI: Who would be your ideal headlining act at a festival?

LL: Bob Marley.

TI: Who were your biggest influences?

LL: Five, Spice Girls, Lauryn Hill and Michael Jackson.

TI: What’s coming up for you in the next year?

LL: I’m just about to go to Japan on tour for the first time in September, then writing and recording the second studio album and hopefully releasing something in the interim.

The full, original interview is at http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/festival-no-6/festival-no6-asks-lianne-la-havas-8794898.html.

La Havas’ website is http://www.liannelahavas.com.

She will be performing at Festival No. 6 http://www.festivalnumber6.com in Portmeirion, Wales, September 13-15, and in the Billboard Live Tokyo club in Japan, September 17-20.