Balance

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After celebrating the 10th anniversary of her first X Factor audition back in August, with unveiling of the beautifully emotive ‘Everything Changes‘, Lucy has spent the last four months putting the finishing touches to both the LP, and the book. When I heard this song for the first time I was blown away, it is absolutely beautiful and the message is very important, especially right now. Though both boast huge choruses, it’s the latter that shines brightest – a love letter to Manchester, the upbeat track places its focus on the inclusivity and community vibe that the City is renowned for. Elsewhere there are some jaunty songs which give a sense of what went wrong particularly Cocaine with its list hook: ‘I just wish you loved me more than Cocaine, red wine, late nights and good times, fast cars, pink pills, Mary Jane and cheap thrills.

While songwriting has always been her strong suit, the songs on this record are a far cry from “Last Night”. It happens a lot on tour, especially with things like sobriety, or things that people have been through.When asked what memory or song she feels such a deep connection to, Spraggan immediately brings up Emily Sandé’s “Read All About It”, a song she had to sing during the X Factor UK.

Now, when I listen to it, I hear how much I needed her help and I am so grateful for finding some Balance. Last month she publicised the release of her book Process: Finding My Way Through, which we are currently reading, by waiving her anonymity and revealing she withdrew from The X Factor in 2012 because she had been raped. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. Products shown, tagged or featured on YouTube by creators are sold by merchants and are subject to merchant's terms and conditions. If you saw a fellow human being suffering like that in any other context, you’d say – fucking hell, that person needs help.

Perhaps these songs are what help other people find their balance or the fact that Spraggan is openly talking about her own mental health struggles and more recently, her experience with sexual assault.

Whilst Cowell adds: “When I heard this song for the first time I was blown away, it is absolutely beautiful and the message is very important, especially right now. Spraggan has been very open about her OCD, so perhaps it’s no surprise there’s a song here with that title and that it’s quite so brutally honest with lyrics including: ‘I doubt I learned to think before I speak’ and ‘Brain’s not normal you might have noticed … I’m still a little temperamental. The memoir is obviously quite chronological, and I’ve realized that my music is definitely more intersectional in that it intersects with parts of the book.Balance well and truly showcases Lucy’s strength and growth and not just in her working life – with lyrics about chasing her own dreams and living her life, the poignant ‘Seasick’ is the perfect example of how far she’s come in her personal life. It’s one of Spraggan’s own favorites because she feels it really adds to the ongoing dialogue of body positivity – or even body neutrality. When I started to work on who I am and how I was going to find my own balance I realised that it’s not always best to do it alone and that sometimes it’s important to reach out for help.

Mainstream LGBT representation and visibility have certainly grown in the past decade, but there’s still a lot of work to be done and victories to be had. A decade since shooting to fame on the X Factor as the first contestant to perform an original song, Lucy Spraggan is having a busy year. Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better. It’s like a transformation picture, or listening to a song and saying, I can’t believe I ever felt like that! Predictably, I’ve also gained more wisdom as I’ve gotten older as to who I am and what I want in life.It makes me laugh that only now, when I had a top five album with my last album as well, there’s been quite a lot of attention and people ask about longevity and how to stay in the industry. It’s a personal journey played out in song and although far from plain sailing – title song Balance sees her //‘Sleeping in an empty bed / I’m gonna leave my ex on read / Listen to what my therapist said’// – one that treads a path to where she stands today as an artist. We carry a broad range of CDs and vinyl (7”/12” singles and LPs) and specialise in indie, alternative, rock, punk, metal plus a few other genres. It makes me laugh, because truly – you just hold ont something if you feel like that’s what you’re supposed to do, and you fucking do it.