ALL TIME LOW - Ragged

A lot of the music on Strip Me sounds very modern. Was that a
goal of yours
Definitely. I really wanted to grow and develop as an artist this time around.
I executive-produced the whole thing, and I was just trying to show my taste
in music. I’m a pop artist, but that’s not at all indicative of what I listen
to regularly. I like really classic songs. I love the whole neo-soul scene and
other progressive stuff, too. I come from London, and that’s a city of so many
different cultures, so I feel like my music should represent that.
While you executive-produced the record, you also collaborated
a lot on this record. Do you enjoy collaboration
I love collaborating. I think it’s quite heaven-sent. You can do your best on
your own, and that’s wonderful. But collaborating always makes it a lot more
fun. I also feel that it makes me a better artist; I learn something each time.
Your very first record was massive, and one of your first singles
was almost inescapable. How was it to watch your career go from
zero to 150 miles per hour
It was amazing and incredible, but also overwhelming. Nothing could prepare
me for it. All my life I was quite shy, so something like the stage was nervewracking
at first. But once I was forced out there because of the success, I
learned that I could be very dramatic and come alive—not only that, but it
was expected of me. So it really helped my confidence a lot.
38 ragged // raggedmag.com