You're listening to a Mother Maya podcast. Mamma Maya acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is recorded on.
Yeah, you don't want to forget that it happened. Of course it didn't work. Do I want to be there? No with that person?
Heck now, but it happened, and I'm so grateful for the life experience.
Hello, and welcome to No Filter. I'm Laura Brednick, and today we're sitting down with Perry Edwards, chart topping singer, performer, mother, and now finally a solo artist. Perry has lived many lives from global pop stard and with Little Mix to navigating heartbreak and motherhood in the public eye. But now she's stepping into something new, a solo career that's deeply
personal and entirely her own. In this conversation, Perry opens up about the pressure of going solo after years of success with one of the biggest girl groups in the world, the heartbreak behind her first solo Forget About Us, and how becoming a mother shifted everything. She talks honestly about her decade long relationship with footballer Alex Oxford Chamberlain, the quiet grief of pregnancy loss, and the challenge of carving
out her own space away from the spotlight. With her debut solo album coming out tomorrow and another baby on the way, she's stepping into a whole new chapter both personally and professionally. This is a conversation about what happens when you stop trying to please everyone else and finally make something just for you. Here is Perry Edwards. Well, Perry, Hello,
and welcome to No Filter. Hello. So I opened my Instagram app over the weekend and I was greeted with some really beautiful news from you, announcing your pregnancy and in this moment of going through that huge life moment and you're about to release your debut album and the build up to that. How are you doing in this moment with these two huge monumental events happening at the same time.
Oh good, Okay, there's a lot going on, but it's kind of just like really exciting. I feel like there's just so much going on in a great way, and it's everything. I love. Babies and music.
Oh yes, the two joyful things in life.
Exactly.
Was there a decision to sort of put that news out there in the lead up to the album because you're doing a lot of press or do you just feel like the right moment. What do you kind of thinking around that being on such a public platform.
I think it was just the right time. And I said, from like the beginning, you know, I spoke.
To all the doctors and all the specialists, and.
We all kind of come to an agreement that it would be best to share the news after like the scans all went okay and everything was fine.
And then also I'm just I'm a bit bored of height in it now.
Yes, because I conceive doing a lot of performances and things, and I guess you have to be very strategic of hiding it in that moment.
Yeah, it's so annoying, Like the outfits are not necessarily what I want to wear, but they cover the bump the best. And it's like there's been a lot of a lot of that going on behind the scenes that I'm really tired of now. So I'm like, just free.
Bump, because free to bump in that day, we love it. It's well leading up into this moment of your debut release and seeing the excitement around the anticipation from fans and you're doing these performances. I want to sort of take you back to I guess young Perry and what she would have made of this huge success. Was this something that when you were growing up and singing. I know both your parents are into music. Is this something that you ever pictured for yourself?
I think so.
I think I pictured it differently, but I always pictured singing. So I knew singing was like my thing and it's what I wanted to do. But I didn't think i'd get this lucky in life and naturally be living out my dream, which is crazy.
But whenever I go through things, when I meet certain people. I met Anastasia the other day, Oh wow, And she was like one of my biggest idols grown up as a little girl, and.
I used to listen to her album constantly on repeat in the car. And then I met up with her and we exchange numbers and we're like chatting, and I'm like, obviously, I'm just like, oh, that's so cool.
But Little Perry would she would die if she knew she.
Was like messaging the Anastasia and she'd be freaking the hell out. So I think there is times in my career and in my life that I sit back and I think, WHOA, this is wild.
It's always the people that you loved as you were growing up that I don't I met you. But I meet so many celebrities in this line of work, and it's always the people that I loved growing up that I get the most star struck around. I guess because they've been with you the longest.
I think that's what it is.
Yeah, because there's so many people that I could meet and I'd be like, oh, that's so cool. But you're right when you're a kid and you grow up looking at this person and you think they're all like untouchable and just incredible, and then you kind of meet up with them.
When you're alder like that. That is weird, but in the best way.
Oh. Just think of all the people that you watched growing up who were probably at this moment singing along to your music in the car or putting it on to get ready in the background like that the most surreal feeling. Were you always the kid who was singing around home or wanting to be in the school musicals? Like what was that moment if you like of sort of finding your voice at a young age.
I would sing constantly, so I was constantly humming or constantly singing, or you know, spending hours and hours in my bedroom singing. But I would never really do it publicly. I wasn't the type to like want to be in the school plays, someone to audition for things. That kind of really used to terrify me. So I didn't really start singing publicly till I was about fifteen.
Maybe, Oh wow, that's so interesting to think of now as like you know where you are now and sort of was it a bit of a looking back now as an adult looking back on it as a teenager, was it a bit of almost stage fright or anxiety or was it just not your place at that day?
Yeah, oh, gosha, know I was terrified. I just didn't want to do it. I knew I could sing, and I loved singing, but doing it in front.
Of people would just make me feel sick. So I was just terrified to do anything like that. It took me a while to get the confidence.
I think doing like performing art at college really helped me come out my shell a lot, because everybody in the room was just so big and like over the top and like animated then the best way, and I was just the opposite of that. So I think they kind of brought me out my shell a lot on that, and we did loads of shows and things like that, So I think after that I started to think, oh, this is really good.
Yeah, that feeling of being on stage would kind of trump the anxiety in a way.
Yeah. Absolutely.
And I've heard you talk many years, because I've been a fan for a very very long time of your music and everything, and I've heard you talk many many times over the years about the beautiful relationship that you have with your mother, how close you were growing up, and that she was really the one to kind of give you a bit of a push into performing. Is that right, Like she could see what you were going to become.
Yeah, she was always the one trying to push, but I was so bit fully shy. I was useless, and you'd be like, why can't you just do it? And I'm like, God, I'm so scared.
She's always pushed me, because she's always been my biggest chelia down and biggest fun But I suppose when you're growing up you just think your mom thinks you're the best anyway, the worst singer in the world.
And my mom could have been like you're amazing.
I think I didn't fully like support her, you know, love for my.
Voice and everything like that. I was like, nah, you're crazy.
But then yeah, I think like even now, she's the one that still has like expectations and kind of knows what I can do and everything like that, whereas I'm still a little bit in the same head space.
I don't know. Yeah, she's always been my biggest fan.
Oh right, do you still get a bit of stage fright to this day. I mean as an outsider in like watching you perform over the years that it doesn't come across that way at all, but you still the kind of person who will stay to your mom before a big performance, like I don't know if I can do this even now.
Yeah, I think it's more like the like releasing things and putting things out, and it's all the fear of the unknown route, which I think is completely normal because I think that would be the same for anybody in any kind of line of work that they're in. But yeah, I do still get really nervous and I get scared, But once I'm on stage, I'm kind of like the happiest version of myself, So it's like it's a little bit giddy before I get on, but then once someone, I'm like, oh, this so what I love.
So I definitely don't get as nervous now as I did when I was a kid.
Oh okay, well that is that is good. I guess that's one of the lovely things I always say about to people who are scared of growing up and getting older and like, but you just start to feel more confident, things are easier, Like That's the beautiful thing as you get older is you do get to be able to overcome some of those big fears that you had growing up.
Yeah, definitely, and you just care less as well about your opinions. I think you really step into your power as you get older. I think you just become like the person you want to be, and you're not worried about outside noise as much. And I think everything comes with age. I think grace, like everything, understanding, it all comes with age. So I enjoy getting older because I start to give less.
Fox really is I guess I'm really finding that as well. That's why I say to all the younger people in this office who were worried about going to her thirties, I was like, no, it's actually lovely because yeah, you just feel more confident in yourself. And so I also understand that going into that time leading into the X Factor auditions, it was your mom that wanted to was pushing you to go along. Is that right? Is she the one who was sort of like, this is your moment?
Yes, And I didn't want to go and I'm really embarrassed.
And I was like, what are friends at school see me or like forends at college.
It's just embarrassing. My mom was like, no, it's not and she walked me up in the middle of the night and drove me to Glasgow.
Newcastle auditions were canceled, so I was like, yes, lo and behold she comes in. She drags me out of ben Off people to Glasgow. So I'm grateful for my mom pushing me into it. The time, I was how are you doing?
But now that I'm all that again, now that I'm older, I get it.
She could see the potential, she could see the talent, and she just wanted me to kind of succeeds, I guess.
So now I'm so gread you did it.
Oh, I feel like we all Your mom are huge debt, Like she was really putting in the work behind the scenes to get you to be this musician that people have loved for so many years. So yeah, I feel like we know her are quite a big debt for what she's done for the while.
Depths.
Yes, we'll time debby and going into those early exacted days. I know this must seem like a million years away too now or maybe it feels like yesterday. I don't know how those kind of very vivid memories work. You
were seventeen at the time, is that correct? In twenty eleven, what were your memories of that time of being in those audition rooms and being on that stage, and were you looking at it as a life changing moment or were you looking at with the shyness that you're talking about, as something like I just have to get through this and then I can go home.
Yeah, I think that. I think I was, Like my mum kept saying to me, like, love.
If you don't get through and you don't get through the auditions, just look at it. It's life experience and like this makes you who you are, like as you get older and I'm like, oh great, yeah, getting a big fat nose going to really shame Well, Yeah, exactly, like the majority of the auditions happened before you even see the judges. So you have to audition in front of like the producers and everything, maybe four or five auditions.
Then you see the judges, and then you go through like the whole X factor kind of regimended thing.
But before that, it was like.
Audition after audition after audition, and I think I've alsaw bord of it, and I was like, Oh, I'm not really nervous anymore.
It's just a bit long, right, And you were there for hours all day every day.
So I think it got to the point where I was like making friends there and we were having like a laugh and it was like a little deal out and I thought, oh, it's quite fun actually, So then it just became a bit more of like a a thing. And then once it started to get real, then I started to think, oh my god, this could actually happen.
And so initially you were taking other soul auditions and then put into a group. Did that sort of help with the audition process? Going through that you were standing in side by side with these other people, and you were guests, got to form your own little safety net within this huge kind of what was such a global show at the time.
Oh yeah, absolutely. I got wrung my mom and book can't crying my eyes out every day. I was like, please pick me up, behaved here, And then my mom was like, look, if you're lucky, you'll get put in a group.
And I'll take to think.
It's just like yeah, because if you think about it, like I just said, I was so painfully shy. I really performed in front of people before the next fact, that was my first kind of big thing that I did. So I think having like the girls presiding and being put in a group of brow of confidence that I didn't necessarily perfect the beginning, So I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me, to be honest.
Oh that's such a lovely way to look at it. And again going on then to sort of those days in Little Mix and the bean blowing up and people being so invested in you as a singer, and you're doing huge tours and you're doing appearances, and I remember looking at the paparazzi videos of the time and all just like the fans just dying crying in the streets, some of them tears pouring down their faces at seeing you and you're at such a young age at that time.
What do you think when you kind of look back on that moment. Were you able to stop in that moment and think, Wow, this is incredible or was there a certain kind of I guess pressure of then, like now we've won. Now there's these expectations, and now we have to go and be this successful band that people think we're going to be.
Yeah. I think it was a little bit of both.
I think, you know, when I look back now, I wish we could have kind of lived in the moment a lot more, because we did have so much fun, Like we had such a laugh, like we topped the meg,
like we just had the best time. But we worked so hard and we were so hard on ourselves to become successful and kind of you know, we were told several times that go Bunst doing well and little Makes doing well, you're not going to make it, And we wanted to prove people wrong so much so that we kind of run ourselves into the ground a lot of the time. And I think like back then it was like crazy as well, like you're seeing the funs and
the paparazzi and everything at the time. But it was all just a bit much to take on board in the Mormon But when I look back now, I'm like, wow, that was wild. Yeah, but it was probably a good thing that we were so busy that we didn't really have time to pondermics.
Maybe it would have been a bit much, maybe not.
Good at that busyness of just like just keep going in. But it's always that's always a thing, those big times in your life. You always look back afterwards and think, Oh, I wish I just enjoyed that more. But I guess when you're in it, that's hard to kind of move into that. And you talk about also working so much, long hours, the tour hours, all those sorts of things.
But were there moments where you sort of remember enjoying that fame for the first time, Like, was there a moment where you got a paycheck and you got to buy something crazy, because I would have just like run to top Shop or something if I was your age, or buy something for your fair or where was the first moment you got to have like a little bit of indulgence off your fame.
Ooh, I don't know. I think we did like an advert on X Factor in his very early days. I can't remember what it was for emin s maybe.
And we did a few different things and we actually got paid for those things, right went to the cashpoint with my mom and my brother and I.
Was like, oh, my gosh, there's money in my cat.
It's like my brother like whacked me on the head and he was like, nah, it's more than that.
And I was like, what number is that it was? I didn't even know what number.
It was crazy, but for me, like from humble beginnings, I've never seen before in an account. So I was freaking out and and my mom and my brother were like freaking out in the street, but try not to be too much of a thing made people stop and stare.
And then I remember going to the Apple Store and just buying my whole family like laptops.
Oh that's so nice of you to like spread of the wealth around the families start away.
Yeah, I felt rich. I was like you, it was epic.
Oh, I love that.
I'd be grateful for that. It's great.
And I think like when we did fan events and things like that and we got to actually see them in the flesh like clause and seeing how much they just loved us. It was like, that's when I'd be like, shoot, like we're actually doing something amazing here.
This is wild.
Oh that's a yeah, that's a beautiful way to look at it. And the fans as well, because again, like music that you sing along too, especially when you're a teenager, and so many of your fans of the time, like so many adults, but young girls, like, there's nothing I think that really trumps that feeling of falling in love with a band for the first time and sleeping out for tickets or sleeping out to get into a concert and all those kind of things, Like there's nothing that
kind of I think replaces that feeling. So it must be nice to know that you were that for so many people.
Oh yeah, it was the best feoman ever. It was epic.
After the break, Perry tells us the truth about an iconic brit Awards moment and how she pushed back against industry pressure to find her voice as a solo artist. You were saying before that when you first got into the band, there was a bit of talk around girl bands not succeeding or being a bit harder to establish, and obviously we've seen over the years from so many different musicians that that's not true. There's a huge appetite
for that music. And I wanted to ask you about the brit Awards win when you were up on stage and as a group you said, the industry is filled with like a lot of sexism misogyny, but we've pushed through and this win is for all the other girl groups out there, and you name some of them. And I just think that's like such a powerful moment in
pop culture across the world. Like that clip still gets played across so many social media platforms now and people still resonate with it because of how powerful that statement was. What does it mean to you now to sort of look back on that and be such a history making moment but also decide as a group that you were going to make it about all the women in the industry.
Yeah, I think that's what a Little Mits was always about. It wasn't just like we're doing this and this is our pack and this is that we just wanted to pave the way for other girls, other women in the industry, girl bands that came before and after us that we thought was so deserv and of winning that award. So we just couldn't really comprehend that, and we were like, that's just so weird because they were fucking great.
So that's why we.
Wanted to kind of shout out, you know that in our acceptance speech.
Just to be like, you all deserve this.
You got overlooked and it wasn't fair in a very male dominant industry.
Yeah, it's lovely that I think that moment is still remembered so strongly around the world. And when you were then deciding to move into a solo career and what you wanted those sounds to look like, but also at the same time, you're coming off this huge career and this huge worldwide fame. Was there any part of you that thought, like, oh, I don't I don't have to go into a solo career. That's not what I want to do. I want to give myself a rest or.
Did you sort of come into that mindset of being like, this is what I want to do and this is what I want my sound to be as a solo artist.
I don't know.
I think I kind of did get to a little bit of a crossroads where I.
Was like do I do it? Do I not?
I think I kind of owed it to myself to do it because it's something that I love. But at the same time, I was like, oh, I know the industry, I know how hard it is, and this.
Is completely different now even to what it.
Was back then, and I think part of me was a bit like should I even do it?
And that wasn't because of laziness.
I was just because I thought, is it something that's going to actually make me happy? And then I think when I started making music and being in the studio, I thought, no, this is like, this is what I just love to do.
I just love singing.
So I think any opportunity where I can be on the stage and be performing and get that adrenaline rush and like all that stuff that comes with been a singer, I just.
You know, I wanted to give it a go and just see see what happens, yes.
And just sing. And I guess know that like old fans, new fans would all sort of be there to hear the new material that you were releasing and would be excited to hear it.
Yeah, exactly.
Coming into twenty twenty four, you released a single Forget about Us. Switch is such a banger, one of the ones I sing along to in the car quite a bit myself, And you've said about that that it's about past relationships and looking back on what worked and what didn't and where you are now. How do you go on the process of sort of looking back on all these past relationships and feelings and then picking out the
moments that you want to put into a song. What is that process like, because I guess from an outsider's perspective, it just looks like so many different feelings and thoughts to distill down into this song that you want to put out into the world.
Yeah, I think it's different every time. With that one, it was you know, it was written by a cheer and it felt like a big pop song.
And it just really big and I loved the sound of it, and I love the viber bit and at the time I didn't have the first single or what I thought my first single, and I think concept wise, I liked that it was just relatable.
I feel like so many.
People go through life where they have relationships with people that didn't work because it was wrong person or wrong time or whatever the circumstances are. But at the same time, it happened and it's part of your life and it's kind of it makes you who you are.
When you're old at kind of shoot you as a person, and there's.
Such huge impactful moments in your life that I kind of thought, like, Yeah, you don't want to forget that it happened.
Of course it didn't work, but do I want to be there?
No, not that person techno, but it happened, and I'm so grateful for the life experiences.
Just everything about it. So I'm like, I don't want to forget that it happened. I'm actually glad it happened, whether it was good or bad. So I think that's kind of the concept around that song, and that's why I loved it so much.
Yeah, that's a really brilliatable take. I think that idea of like you have looking back on your past paint and again that whole thing saying earlier of getting older and being able to look back on things with like I'm glad that happened, and now I can sort of think of it in a different light. It's really powerful.
Yeah.
I was reading that you were in the studio working on the album, and you had singles and you had music, and then you decided to put a little bit of a pause and kind of reconfigure a few things. Is that right, and sort of look at doing things a bit of a different way.
Yeah.
I think I was just like feeling the pressure a lot from everybody as well.
And you come from a group, everyone has such expectations of you. You're not a new artist anymore.
People already know who you are because you're quite established from a group. But then when you go solo, if you're not doing what people thought or wanted or walked you would do, it's almost.
Like they're just shit all over. It's just like, ah, okay. So it's kind of stressful, and I think I just got to the point where I was like.
Right, I don't feel like I'm being truly authentic to myself. I don't feel like, you know, I wasn't right in the material. It wasn't coming from me. It didn't feel that genuine. And I was thinking, no, wonder they think this week, because even I think it's much too much.
I did, So I think I just kind of put the brakes on a little bit, had a little bit of a.
Break, went back in the studio with a fresh head, took the pressure off, and just thought, right, I have what I think is my album can I can I do what I would rather do and see where I get to.
And then I think as soon as I did that, there.
Was just a huge shift in like my creative juices and everything like that.
It just felt so much better.
So I'm glad I did that because I'm glad I stuck to my guns and now my album is saw Me. It's so authentic. It's just like from my heart really, so I'm just I love it.
Well, that's a That's a very admirable thing to do, because I can imagine that when that wheels in motion of making an album, there's so many different people involved, and you've been talking to different people about album releases and musicians and even people in your own life of what your schedule looks like. There would be the thought that I'll just push on and I'll keep going and
I'll make it work. But to have the sort of strength to say this is it right, I'm going to stop and make it what the album I want it to be, I think is very admirable. Do you make those decisions by yourself or their people in your life where you crisis call and say, like I'm thinking of doing this, what do I do what's the kind of process around that.
So I think, yeah, I think the hardest thing about being an artist is like the kind of voices and opinions around you twenty four to seven, from your team, your label, the higher powers, all these different things, and I think it can be really hard to kind of stay through to yourself because you can get easily led when everyone's saying this is great and this is it, but you don't feel like it in your gut. You
can still be sweat. So I think in this industry, being like a solo arts especially, it's really hard to stay through to yourself. So I'm glad that I've got like people around me that I can go to and be like, I'm not feeling it.
I don't feel good. Like my manager, she goes to war for me every day, bless her, and she'll have my back.
And then I've got like my family and my mom, my partner lets, and I think they know what I want to do and what decisions are me so they just backed me and because then it's authentic anyway. Oh so like yeah, they're definitely the key people in my life luckily, because it is it is quite difficult.
It's it's tough sometimes.
After the break, Perry opens up about meeting Alex on a dating app and navigating long distance love, and how becoming a mom has changed her life for the better. I wanted to ask you about Alex, so thank you for bringing him up, because there's that lovely song you go your way about your relationship in those early days. Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like to meet him and how your love story started.
Yeah, of course we met Onria.
You know, yes, yes, I do.
That was like the hot thing at the time.
It was a hot thing that the waitless thro it across the world apparently have escalated to such an extent. There's millions of people trying to go on on, like celebrities trying to get on. There was a press release about it the other day and they're just at capacity. So I think you got it at a good time because now everyone wants on.
Yeah, that's crazy.
I feel like when I was on it, there wasn't that many people on there that was but it was like hundreds of thousands.
Of people you could pick from it. It was a very shallow pool, but it was kind.
Of good because it was like quite exclusive at the time, but this was ten years ago, so it's different now.
But yeah, we.
Met on there and then we started chatting and exchange numbers and then nothing really came about. And then I was like, I think I've seen them on the google Box, like the England scued the players were on goggle Box. I was, oh, my god, that's that guy that I was talking to Umbria. It seems really funny, really nice. It was really cute. And then Jesse made me message him, so I messaged him and I was like, Hi, when you take me.
Off for a drink, that's a good opening line. That's a nice, casual but like exciting opening line, and it obviously worked.
Yeah.
Well, I was cringing at the time, but I was like, oh, I forgot to lose. I've been single for a little while, so I.
Thought, yeah, I'll give it a go.
And I dated a lot, but everybody just give me the egg and.
Nobody was it like it was just annoying.
I couldn't be bothered with anybody, to be honest, I think I was just like, right, I'd rather just be on my own. And then I met him and then I just thought, oh my god, he's perfect. He's everything that I was wanting to meet, and I think I needed somebody like him to come into my life to change my men especially, So I.
Was like, yeah, this is great, he's lovely. Fancied him straight away.
Oh what a beautiful love story.
And then that was it.
We were just like inpable ever since. So we went out a lot, met all each other's friends and everything like that. So yeah, it was great and it was just a gentleman. He was lovely.
And your song go Your Way, I understand that's from the early days of your relationship. Is that correct when you had just met but you were going off on a tour and you sort of said to him you were thinking he needed a break and can he tat me through? Sort of like that moment and how it led to this song.
Yeah, it was a bit random, So it was, you know, this was a Joy Anonymous song, and I love Joy Anonymous.
I think he's the coolest guy and.
I'm obsessed with him, and this song like kind of made me think back to a time when Alex and I first started dating, Like we were seeing each other, we really liked each other. You know, I was getting feelings, he was catching feelings, but neither of us had seen anything, and then I was born to America three months to do that.
Are in a Grande tour?
Oh wow?
Yeah?
And I just remember sitting him down after like a date one night, and I was like that, I'm going to be away for three months.
I don't expect you to wait for me, So why don't we just go our separate ways for now. I'll do my own thing. You can do your thing, and if we're meant to be, then maybe after the twelve we'll kind of come back together. And he's like ooh, he was horrified question and he was like, that's gross. Why would we do that?
And I'm like, because I'm going to be out of the country in America traveling for three months and we've just met, so like, and we were off quite young at the time. I just thought I don't want to put that pressure on him. And he was like absolutely not, like you're my girlfriend, I don't want to do that.
And I was like, oh, is asking me. You're telling me I'm asking you you wouldn't be my girlfriend.
So I thought we were like, I'm like, oh, okay then and then we just had to like based was it? But we just styped every day, messaged constantly, and then I think we came back for like one night to do the Bricks.
We performed at the Brits, won an award, spent the night, and then went back to America.
So I think I got to see him like once in that two and a half three months.
But yeah, weird, that's.
Really beautiful and also story ties him with your song if he wanted to, he will because he made it work the distance and there's so many of us out here who are just the bar is so low across the board, and so when you hear something like that that it's like true love and true commitment. That's really lovely.
I think that my bar was so law.
That's why I was like, do you want to just part ways?
The fact that he was disgusted in that, I was like.
Oh okay, what a green flag with me?
And he's waiting for me and he's willing to do these things.
So I think he just had a lot of maturity as well, you know, but you're right, if you wanted to be definitely words then he did.
So Yeah, I think I think it's a wake up call a lot of people need. So thank you for that bit of a bit of tough love across the board. And so, as you said, you've been together for over ten years now and you welcomed your beautiful son a few years ago. How has been a mother changed the way you look at your career and your music and how has it shaped what you want to do going forward?
Oh god, it's it's like impacted my life completely in the best way possible. Though.
I think, like I say to all my friends that becoming a mom is like one of the best things in the world.
Like I didn't grow up is the kind of bill that was. I want to get married and this is going to be my wedding.
And plan all those things. But I knew growing up I wanted to be a man, and I wanted to have kids, and I wanted to like live vicariously through them and just have the magic of that. And I think have an Axle is everything that I.
Would thought being a man would be.
Like, he's just an absolute who.
He's funnydic he like.
Comes out with the funniest things, and I just love the innocence of children.
I just think that. And he's just the best thing ever. So I just adore him.
I think when you have you know, you have big things that impact your life drastically, but definitely becoming a parent changes your outlook on everything. Because I used to worry a lot about, you know how, what people thought of me or am.
I doing enough?
And I was very critical on myself. And then once I birthed a full on a human, I thought, why do I care the whole humans? Yeah, now I feel like a badass, and I feel like I just look at things completely different Now I don't swept the small stuff.
Little things happen that would really annoy me, and now I'm just like.
Oh, well, like, I think I've just definitely changed my perspective on things, but in the best way possible.
I think it's made me a way about person that's a.
Really beautiful way to look at it. Does he does? I know he's still very young, but is he the age now that he knows that his mum is sort of one of the most biggest musicians in the world, or like, what's his kind of reaction to that, or does he think everyone's mom sinks to stadiums and performs on TV and all those things.
He doesn't really get it, but he did, like they did something at nursery like a few months ago. I've seen us in big school now. Didn't know it was saying, you know, tell us about your parents and what did.
They do and what do you want to be when you grow up? And he was like, well, my dad has a footballer, and I think my mom like dancers.
I mean not wrong, is this quite great?
Oh my god, two step or two?
But I'm a singer, darl and I'm like, mummy's the singer, remember, And he's like, oh yeah. He just doesn't really get it, to be honest, he doesn't fully connect the dots.
And if we're out in public and people want pictures and stuff, he's a bit like what are you doing? And then he wants to be in the So I think he's very young at the moment. He doesn't fully understand it. Yeah yeah, I don't know what age that will become a thing. I don't know, maybe like.
Well, yeah, I'm not sure. I guess. Also when a new baby arrives and he also gets to sort of see you be in full more Moon for like album release mode and what do you I mean that's a lot. I can't believe one human being is going to do all that, But what do those next few months look like for you? As I said, You're expecting a baby, which is very very exciting, and you're a touring about to release this new album and then you've got a baby a son to look after at home. How does that?
How is that schedule going to work? Not to stress you out on this call, I know I'm.
Thinking, Oh my John, I'm going to bring my managea.
You can do what I think, thank you.
Yeah, well I've been doing it the last few months and I think I've handled it quite well.
Obviously, act was back in school now, which is great, so it just means I've got more time to do my stuff.
My mum is always with me, so.
She's basically my village in Alex's home now, so that's making things easier again. So I think like I'm definitely You know, my album has been my dream for years and it's what I've wanted, and I've worked so hard and bought so much, and I had to go through so many fricking obstacles that you wouldn't believe to get this album to go ahead. So now that it's finally happening, I just want to be able to do my everything and do as much as I can.
But I think it's all about balance and like, again, my manager's really good at doing that kind of thing. And you know when people are like, why isn't she doing this, why isn't she doing that? Probaly because I don't want to.
I can't physically do it. I have so much in my schedule and we have to prioritize everything. And it's not as straightforward as just right, You're going to do this, this, this, and that's the plan. We've got to plan everything ahead, we've got to schedule everything, we've got to make sure I have time to get myself together, and there's a lot to do.
But at the same time, it's so exciting that I'm just like, I'm so ready for it. Yeah, and then just before Christmas as well, so it's great so I could work, work, work book, yes, and enjoy Christmas.
And what is it like being on I guess this press tour for the album and also knowing that once it comes out, there's going to be all these I guess people like reading into different lyrics or people playing it.
And you've been in the public eye for such a long time, do you get excited when you're leading up to these periods where you know that people are gonna be talking about you even more, or is there like a little bit of anxiety of being in the public face a little bit more during this time, Like how do you balance that side of it?
I think I'm more just excited, and I think I'm more just like at the stage.
Where I just want my album out so and I love it so much. Yeah, and I'm so proud of it, and I feel like it's everything I wanted it to be. So now all I can do is really soon if people like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't, that's out of my control. So I think the parts that I can control, I've done. Now. I've done my best, I've worked my hardest, I've done everything to the top standard I possibly could. And now it's just done to the public and how they perceived it and how it does.
But I think because I feel so confident in it, I'm just happy as long as.
My fans hear it and they love it. Yeah, very care about.
Yeah, that's a really beautiful way to look at it. I guess like that's with any piece of art, whether it's an album or movie, a book, anything. Once you put out into the world, it becomes the property of the fans and the people to consume it in the way they want to sort of take that. So that's
a really lovely way to look at it. Speaking of that, like living in the public eye and the press too, are recently you've talked about like a few different personal things, and in the lead up to sharing your pregnancy, talked a little bit about suffering pregnancy loss, which I'm very so sorry to hear that, and I hope you and
your family are doing okay. But what I noticed after those stories you talked about those stories publicly is just the threads of comments underneath from women saying thank you for sharing. I've been through this, I'm going through it now. Was it a difficult decision to make those private parts of your life public? And do you see that outpouring from women thanking you for doing it.
I never intentionally wanted to go public with that.
I think you know. It happened a few years ago and we've kind of kept it as a in our circle. So I'm my best friend to my family obviously, Alex and I and then I did the podcast with Paul, and I think because you.
Were so like safe and calming, and it's almost like a therapy session. But I don't think I was really thinking of it like this is the time to go public.
Just came out. It felt like a natural kind of way to do it.
But I didn't think I would have discussed things like that, not because I didn't want to raise awareness for it, and not because you know, I know so many people have gone through it, like women and friends of mine, and it's really hard.
But the only reason I didn't want to discuss it.
Is because I found it too difficult to discuss.
So I thought, I'm just never gonna talk about it. I'm just going to keep it in and that be that because it's really hard. It's awful.
So yes, what I did again, I was very sorry to hear that, and I can only imagine that going through the pain but then also having that threat of like the public potentially finding out. I think it's really lovely as you were saying that you're in a circle new but a word of it was never breathed to the public, So it must be nice to know that you've always got that in a circle around you who will hold tight to any of those stories.
They are the best, Like nothing gets out of my circle. They're very strong to take that to the grove.
That is good today because I mean, there are many celebrities who say they still I mean Pete davidsone was saying the other day, and I've heard other celebrities say it. They have to sometimes even now, like plant different stories within their friendship groups to see who will leak it and all that sort of thing. So I think that's really lovely to not be on that.
Oh now, there's none of that for me. Everybody just kind of knows. In my inner circle they know everything.
So luckily I don't have that issue. And yeah, someone couldn't be trusted, I wouldn't tell them anything.
So but that is a lovely way to go through life. And So, in anticipation of the album about to come out, we've heard some of the singles. A lot of them will be under wraps until it's released. What are you hoping that people take away from this album? I know we've talked through this sort of behind the scenes of a few different songs, but what is the kind of I guess journey that your hope listeners will go on when they sit down and listen to all the songs all the way through.
I'm just in true to say what ones people love them, what.
People like click with because it's a whole body of work and everyone's going to have different opinions.
So I'm just so intrigued to say what everyone's going to think, and like.
I say, I love it so much, so I'm expecting everyone else to be like, yeah, it's a great album, but yeah, I think I'm just excited to get it out there so I can start having the conversations with the fans and DM in them and just getting to know the insights of what they think of the thing that's the most exciting.
I think, Oh, you DM with fans, oh yeah all the time. Yeah, oh wow. I mean someone with such a big following, I would find that surprising that you do you ever delve in there and just think, Oh God, I don't know what I'm going to find in my messages or is it usually pretty pretty just like what people wanting to discuss the music.
Yeah, I think it's like May the fans we talk about all kinds of stuff we talk about, like the summert and prey.
Wait, which teamy. I need to know Jim Conrad, what are you? Yes, no, I am team comrade, But I feel sad for Jeremiah. I actually think that she just needs to go live in Paris and just not go near those boys again because it's been a bit of a messy situation.
I don't want to choose herself. That's cute and all, but no, not now.
I want Connie and Belly to have forever after because they've they've.
Always been day ones. But anyway, me, the fans get into this constantly. We talk about all kinds of stuff. But yeah, I always talk to my fans as much as possible. Really, they're just so lovely.
So yeah, and that's the thing with social media you can kind of have that platform.
We feel close to them. But yeah, we chat about all kinds of crap.
Oh that's really well. I mean, I'm sure for many people that's exciting for them. And having those real life fan interactions, like, has there been a particularly memorable one? Because I know there's so many times where as we were saying before, I've seen fans cry in front of you or get very excited. What's your most memorable fan interaction?
Oh gosh, I couldn't say, there's just been so many.
I don't think it's very rare I've ever had like a bad interaction with anyone.
Oh well, that is lovely, Perry. It has just been so glorious to talk to you. And I've listened to the album all the way through. It's just really lovely from the songs they've sent me, and I'm so excited for everyone else to hear it. And yeah, it's just always such a joy to watch you on stage and a joy to talk to you. Thank you so much for your time, so much.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
That was Perry Edwards. And what a journey she's been on. From girl group success to solo artists, from heartbreak to motherhood, from stadium tours to quiet moments at home. Perry has lived so many lives already, whether it's through the music she's making, the family she's building, all the voice she's still learning to trust. Perry is stepping into something that feels braver and more personal than ever before. She's honest, grounded, and now finally she's starting a new chapter on her
own terms. And one thing's clear, Perry Edwards is just getting started the Executive producer of No Filter is Naeima Brown and senior producer is Tina Madlof Audio production by Jacob Brown and video editing by Josh Green. I'm Laura Brodnick. Thank you for listening to No Filter.
