Lulu James is a 22-year-old from South Shields, northeast England, but she hails from Tanzania and was born at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Her grandmother took her to the local choir, where she was first introduced to music. She moved to England when she was only six and started singing at open-mic nights when she was about 19 years old. She was very nervous at first, but when she started to sing, the nerves just disappeared. She grew in confidence and never looked back.

How are you enjoying the festival so far?

I’ve had a great time. I arrived late last night and had a bit of a party, had a dance off with Rudimental, and we totally kicked ass, but yeah, it’s been amazing! 

What have you been up to, and what plans have you got for the rest of the year? 

Apart from this festival and The Jools Holland Show, I’ve done loads of other festivals, which have been amazing, and I’ve had some really good responses. Still got quite a few to go, like Love Box Festival, Bestival, Unknown Festival in Croatia, Electric Picnic. Loads! (for full list of festival appearances click here) 

What was your experience on the Jools Holland Show like?

It was great. The whole experience was just so humbling. Just amazingly electric, and everyone was just so nice. The crew were amazing; they looked after me, got everything done for me, no messing about. Everything was just so organised. So what is Jools Holland like? He’s so natural, a really nice guy. 

Have you got any record releases coming out in the near future? 

Yes! In January I have an album release along with The Sweetest Thing, I think! And that’s an EXCLUSIVE!

What are your major influences; what actually got you into music? Was it an overnight thing, or was it gradual. 

 I’ve always been a great music lover; I was brought up by my grandma, who was massively into it, like the choir and all that, and ever since then, I grew up with it. James Blake and India Arie were my main influences, the soul route I wanted to take. They really encouraged me to write my own material and not just do covers. I also like Jamie XX, Gill Scott Heron, Jamie Woon and Drake. 

Are there any other artists, who are prominent now, that you really like? 

After the first two I just mentioned, I really want to see Jake Bugg tonight. I’m a massive fan. I’m so open-minded with music, I just love a lot of people. 

Interview: Gary Urwin

Photo: Dave Hudspeth