Pixie Lott falls to earth

Teenagers spend a lot of time trying on different personas, "personalising" their jotters and growing questionable moustaches (questionable as in "not very good" rather than "Hitler"). It's all part of establishing your identity, and working out your place in the world.

Be honest, you had dreams of going into space, or turning those swimming trophies into a Olympic medals, or marrying Jason Donovan and feeding him baked beans in a jacuzzi. After all, no-one grows up wanting to become a dentist.

But what happens if you're a thrice Brit-nominated pop star before you can learn to drive? What do you do with those growing pains then?

If you're Pixie Lott, the solution is to imitate all your favourite musicians before settling on your own style. Her first single, Mama Do, was an homage to the retro soul sound of Amy Winehouse. For the follow-up Boys & Girls, she was a little bit Billie. Mega-ballad Cry Me Out was a very British attempt at doing Alicia Keys.

Now, on her fourth single Gravity, Pixie is chanelling the spirit of Leona Lewis. With every line, she gradually ratchets up the dramatics until the chorus arrives with a big swooshy noise and the vocals take off like Usain Bolt chasing a handbag thief down Fifth Avenue.

The song's all about some boy Pixie keeps coming back to, even though their relationship is rotten (a classic teenage mistake - for God's sake don't get engaged when he goes to university). Where Pixie excels is in selling that lyric. You can feel the confusion and frustration and passion in her voice, where Leona would just bellow out the tune with all the subtlety and force of an exploding bouncy castle.

All of which suggests that, when Pixie finally decides who she wants to be, she'll earn a darn sight more than three Brits nominations.

(Here’s the video, in which Pixie looks surprisingly leggy for an eight-year-old.)

Pixie Lott - Gravity

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