Spotlight On: ROMY
ABOUT this week’s podcast guest + radio hour featured interview:
You may recall that back in June, we had Romy Madley Croft of The xx with us for an episode of our SHEROES & QUEEROES series for Pride month. She guest-dj'd an hour, and we spun a couple of tracks from her then-newly announced solo debut, Mid Air. This week I’m so thrilled to welcome Romy back to the show to go a bit more in depth about the album, as it was just released on September 8th. For those unfamiliar with her story, the history of The xx, and the significance of her debut solo outing, or for the casual fans, here’s a quick refresher:
The UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and DJ met her future xx bandmate Oliver Sim when they were just three years old, and they’ve been best friends ever since. Romy began playing guitar at age 11, and soon was writing hushed songs that laid the groundwork for the now internationally known songs she has co-written with Oliver for the xx for fifteen years and counting. Together with Jamie Smith, now known as Jamie xx, they became a trio and released their 2009 self-titled debut, which immediately captivated critics, catapulted the band to some of the biggest stages and music festivals in the world, and won them the coveted Mercury Prize within a year of its release. The trio has since released two other albums - Coexist in 2012, and I See You, in 2017, while Jamie xx also released his solo album, In Colour, in 2015. Whatever the members of The xx do, it seems they are never far away from one another. Romy and Oliver both co-wrote a couple of songs on that album, Jamie produced Oliver’s 2022 solo debut Hideous Bastard, and co-produced Romy’s solo debut, along with Romy and Fred Again. Romy first dipped her toe into working outside of The xx as a writer and co-writer, and she's a DJ - a passion that has its roots in the queer clubs she and Oliver used to go to as teens. Romy’s new album Mid Air is an ode to that music and a celebration of those spaces, as well as her most direct and openly queer collection of love songs to date...
ALSO on the SHEROES Radio Hour:
SHERO BIRTHDAYS:
9/19 - Tegan and Sara Quin
PLUS: we celebrate the SHERO-versary of SHEROES mix engineer, Kelly Drake.
Listen to the syndicated public radio SHEROES Radio hour: