She's not a pop star!

A nice short interview with Roisin from The Guardian, in which she admits she's anything but a pop star. Hooray!

What got you started?
Performing Don't Cry for Me, Argentina as a gift for my mum when I was nine. My whole family's gobs dropped open - they couldn't believe I could sing.

What was your big breakthrough?
Going up to Mark [Brydon] at a party in Sheffield in 1994 and saying, "Do you like my tight sweater?" I guess he did, because he took me to his studio that night and recorded me saying it. That was the beginning of Moloko.

Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
I have no idea - I can't imagine what my life would have held if I had not been a musician.

Are you fashionable?
Yes - this job is one outfit after another.

What's your favourite museum?
Sir John Soane's Museum in London, for its sense of going back in time.

What one song would feature on the soundtrack to your life?
Jacques Brel's If You Go Away, sung by Shirley Bassey. I'd have it at my funeral - it's the most dramatic, annoying, drama-laden song to leave people with.

Do you suffer for your art?
Yes, I'm very capable of being a miserabilist and a worrier. Especially when I made Overpowered - I was working with people all over the world.

What advice would you give a young singer?
If you really want to do it, you can - especially today. Records are cheaper to make; you can even put out your own.

What work of art would you most like to own?
When I was 16 and on a tour of Europe, I fell in love with Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut chapel in Ronchamp, France. I'd quite like to live in it.

Complete this sentence. At heart I'm just a frustrated ...
Sexual maniac. I'm brave and fearless when I'm performing, but in real life I'm actually quite prudish.

What cultural tip would you give to a tourist about Britain's arts scene?
It's not as good as you think. In eastern Europe, you can feel the politics in the air. People ask me why London is so cool and I say it's not - look at Warsaw.

What's the biggest myth about being a pop star?
I wouldn't know, because I'm not one.

What's the greatest threat to music today?
There isn't one. Music will go on regardless. What people are actually concerned about is the threat to music revenues. But I'm sure they'll figure out how to make more money; they always have in the past.

In short
Born: Arcklow, Ireland, in 1973

Career: Formed electronica duo Moloko in 1994 with then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. Has released two solo albums, Ruby Blue (2005), and 2007's Overpowered. Performs at the Academy, Leeds (0113 389 1555), tomorrow, then touring.

High point: "Touring the Moloko record Statues in 2003."

Low point: "Breaking up with Mark in 2001, and continuing to work with him."

Picture by Steven Stausens