Louise Aubrie talks to us about what inspired her new single 'It Was No One’s Fault But Mine I Must Confess'

Cary Grant

Most of the songs on my upcoming album are inspired by Cary Grant. I’m a huge fan of Cary’s movies and perhaps a bigger fan of what he did with his life off screen. He’s very well known for being a master of invention, or rather reinvention. He came from very humble beginnings in Bristol and ended up being a huge transatlantic movie star. I think every artist has a dream of who they want to be and Cary Grant famously said: “I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until I finally became that person.” I found this deeply inspiring.

An Affair To Remember

This classic 1957 movie is a beautiful tugging of the heart strings! Two soul mates who are surprised by the depth of their feelings, and prove that love really does overcome all. Cary Grant is in devastating form as the playboy who falls in love and then has to try and live with (what he thinks is) rejection from his true love. The song ‘It Was No One’s Fault But Mine I Must Confess’; was inspired by this movie and by Deborah Kerr’s eventual confession that nothing could ever lessen her love for her man.

New York City

I split my time between London and NYC and I think the draw to NYC is that it’s an amazing, iconic city full of the memories of the music that drives me … bands like Blondie, The Ramones, The New York Dolls …. I fell in love with it immediately. And being in the city has had a huge influence, both the city itself and the people I have worked with on my records. It can be tough living in this city, but it’s also very addictive… it’s so hard to leave, and even though it can boot you and bruise you, it’s a wonderful city full of opportunities. London and New York are similar these days in many ways: you walk around and see the same stores, the same restaurants, the same spectrum of (in)sanity and creativity. But there is a difference in the energy. I found the energy in NYC is more heightened than in London, mainly because of the 24-hour culture. I still don’t think London has really embraced this, which is no bad thing, but New York’s streets feel different at night which again can spark thoughts and ideas that might otherwise be constrained to dreams and/or nightmares! I have written a lot of material with the midnight street life providing a backbeat.

Frank Sinatra

I am not sure how obvious that is from listening to my records (!) but I remember watching re-runs of those old Sinatra TV specials when I was very young, and I was transfixed by his performances. No one comes close (or will ever) to his style and phrasing in a song. He never once sounded unsure in his attack. Sinatra once said “Throughout my career, if I have done anything, I have paid attention to every note and every word I sing.”

Morrissey – Vauxhall and I

This mid 90s record changed my (musical) life. It’s perfect to me, bookended by two tracks written by Boz Boorer (Now My Heart Is Full and Speedway). Boz has been my long term mentor and has played guitar on all my records to date. Continuing my love of movies, this record has samples from ‘We Are The Lambeth Boys’ and ‘Oliver Twist.’ It ties together music and movies in a way that I try to emulate. I hope people do still listen to albums end to end, because this is one of the best.