Michelle Escoffery: Pop art

Emma Warren quizzes Michelle Escoffery, a south Londoner born and bred, on her talent for writing songs for the stars

Above: Songwriter Michelle Escoffery, who grew up in South Norwood and Streatham, is now a resident of Anerley

Michelle Escoffery is sitting on a Brixton roof terrace. The singer and songwriter, who won an Ivor Novello award in 2002 for the year’s most played song, Liberty X’s ‘Just A Little’, is explaining the intricacies of the collective Kindred Spirits, which she founded seven years ago. There’s the intimate, music-curating Kindred Spirits monthly that showcases fresh live music (it staged shows from Corrine Bailey-Rae two years before she had a hit); a new acoustic Sunday night; and a record label, Kindred Music. "We’re very creative in south London," says Michelle, who grew up in Streatham and spent her teenage years in South Norwood. "There’s a very strong relationship with West Indian or African culture and that has a lot to do with the music. It’s engrained in the music."

The same could be said of the songwriter, who has written for All Saints, Tina Turner and Beverly Knight and once sang with Stevie Wonder. "I listen to loads of different things and I was always exposed to very different things – reggae, country and western, folk, gospel and jazz. My dad made sure we had a very broad musical education."

Michelle has poured all of her experiences into her debut solo album, Growing Pains. It was recorded in London and Ohio, with hip hop producer P Nut who was Grammy nominated for Jill Scott’s ‘Whatever’. "It was time for me to do my own album," says Michelle. "And I was getting pressure from people to do it. You switch on a hat to write for other people, to get into their world and tell their story. But enough people were saying, ‘What about you?’ I’ve come to a time where I’ve got enough to talk about, about life, growth and love." Once the final touches have been applied, Growing Pains will be released on her own label.

Michelle Escoffery began singing with her three sisters in her local Seventh Day Adventist church. "My father taught us all to sing," she says. "We had study with drums, bass, guitar and piano and we’d rehearse for hours and hours." They became The Escofferys and spent school holidays touring churches across Europe and the UK until they were signed by American label Atlantic. In 1993, Michelle was headhunted to join R&B girl group Truce. Her writing for the group attracted industry attention and she began writing for other artists including Hinda Hicks, Damage and Fierce. "I really enjoyed that creative process of working with people’s vocals, being behind the desk and really getting the best out of their voices."

However, she is keen to point out that there’s more to the music industry than being a star. "People go for what they see. They see singers and MCs and that’s what they want to emulate. There are so many different routes into the industry – management, A&R, booking agents. Sometimes people see the artist and think that’s what they want without asking themselves what they’re really good at."

Luckily for Michelle, she can cut it in both camps – although she’s well aware of the benefits that songwriting has brought her – specifically, winning her Ivor Novello award. "It’s the biggest accolade you can get in this country. It’s for songwriters, by songwriters. It opened a lot of doors – all of a sudden you go from being a junior songwriter to being fully-fledged." The following year, Michelle sat on the judging panel, an experience she describes as "brilliant" and she’s similarly enthusiastic about two of the major league jobs that came her way in the wake of the award. "I wrote a song for Tina Turner and did a vocal production with Rod Stewart. I was sitting there thinking, ‘How did this happen?’ It was like wow – that was cool." Songwriting hasn’t harmed her bank balance, although she politely refuses to be drawn on whether it’s made her new-house-rich or new-car-rich. "We are eating," she says happily. "It enables you to be able to concentrate on your creativity."

Kindred Spirit was based at Halo on Battersea Park Road. They’re currently looking for a new venue ("We go where people want us," she says) and it’s a part of London she loves. "I love Battersea Park! It’s so big, and I’m always drawn to the lake – it’s beautiful." She’s a big fan of London’s considerable open spaces, citing Dulwich Park and Bromley’s Kelsey Park as regular destinations. Food-wise, her south London favourite is Crystal Palace. "It’s my hang out spot," she smiles. "There’s an Italian cafe called La Bruschetta where people go with their kids. Everyone knows each other – it’s all ‘Ciao! Ciao!’ And it’s a lovely warm place." Lavender Hill comes a close second, with Khans, Thai Yum Yums and The Banana Leaf on Northcote Road on her regulars list.

So does Michelle have any tips for up and coming songwriters? The key thing is passion, she says, counting down a few extra pointers before heading home to Anerley. "Make sure your vocabulary is large. Read a lot. Expose yourself to different genres of music. Really get into the fibre of the music. Even if you’re not writing in that genre – you’re listening to rock or indie then you got and write an R&B song you’re drawing something fresh into that genre. Oh, and don’t be precious."