How many cities have you been to in this tour?
I couldn’t tell you, really. It’s so many. We’ve been to lots of places. We’ve been to Locarno, which is a fishing village in Switzerland. There’s this big lake… really beautiful. That’s the Italian speaking part of Switzerland, which I haven’t been to before.
Do places inspire you?
Definitely, that’s what I love about travelling… and also the process of travelling. In the song Paris Nights/New York Mornings, there’s that line, “Still, seven hours, nothing but clouds…” that’s about being in a plane and being in transition. It’s such a strange feeling that you’re somewhere, but you’re nowhere.
Do you prefer beaches to mountains?
I love being in any part of nature that is overwhelming. I love to be in a really rugged landscape. Sometimes when you are in the city, there’s a tendency to measure yourself against other people, especially when you are around buildings. I like being in nature, which is outside of people’s control and human endeavor.
I heard you recorded the first song in your album by the sea.
It was recorded in Scarborough, on the coast of England. Because it was the first song we were recording, I wanted to do something that would pull the team together. I wanted to get away from the places we had recorded before. We found this recording studio by the sea. It was like a working farm, with lots of fields and chickens.
What are things that you leave home without?
I have this moisturiser called wild rose beauty balm that is from Neal’s Yard, a little company in England. Planes tend to dry you out. It smells like lavender and makes me feel like I’m home. I always have my BlackBerry. You can easily take a picture and attach it to an email saying, “This is the view from my hotel.” It’s like sending little postcards home.
Is there a place you wish to visit?
I’ve never been to Brazil and I’m really looking forward to going there in November. I like the idea of a place where there’s a real mixture of different cultures, where people getting on side by side. In Brazil, there’s the influence of Portuguese and European peoples, African people, and Native South American people. Being someone who has a black parent and a white parent, I like to be in a place where everyone has a mix.
Is there a place that really inspires you to write songs?
I like to go this place near where I’m from. It’s near the countryside called the Yorkshire Dales. It is where Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights.
Any travel tip you can share?
You have to take things that remind you of home, so you can set up a home anywhere you are. I have a suitcase I’m really attached to. It’s falling apart now, but it has all these compartments. It has little bits from everywhere: business card from a nail shop in Los Angeles, a demo from a band, or a candle from Paris. I like to collect things along the way. I even bring my slippers on the planes. When I came to immigration, I didn’t realise I was still in my slippers. n
