KT Tunstall reflects on the ‘unwelcome side’ of her early fame

Appearing on the ‘Good Vibrations’ podcast, the Scottish artist reflected on the 20th anniversary of her debut album ‘Eye to the Telescope’ and how she was perceived at the time

KT Tunstall is the latest guest on Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations (Cortney Armitage)

KT Tunstall says it was “deeply uncomfortable” to be sold as a pop star around the time of her breakthrough 2005 album, Eye to the Telescope.

The Scottish singer-songwriter shot to international fame upon the release of her debut studio album, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

The record featured hit singles including “Suddenly I See”, which was used for the opening credits of the 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada, and went on to become one of the biggest albums of the 2000s.

Appearing on the Good Vibrations podcast, Tunstall, 50, spoke about how she was perceived at the time and how she pushed back against her record label’s attempts to have her dress a certain way.

“All of that was really f***ing weird,” she said. “It was an often unwelcome side of what I do and it’s been really interesting looking at it from both sides – the perception side and my personal side.

“I was never particularly into clothes and makeup, it was never my thing,” she continued. “I was very much a tomboy, I grew up with brothers, all my best mates were boys. So when it came to being a musician, I didn’t even hanker after being the frontperson.”

Tunstall said she was “happy” to step into the limelight while performing, but still loved the camaraderie of being in a band and felt “pretty mortified” about any attention she received offstage.

Ironically, when it came to promoting her second album, Drastic Fantastic, in 2007, she claimed that her label wanted her to stay in the same “girl-next-door” jeans and T-shirt look as with her first album.

Tunstall, however, wanted to wear “sparkly dresses” and “boots with heels”.

“Of course I did,” she said, adding jokingly, “but it is ironic that most women will talk about the experience of being told to ‘get their tits out’ to sell their record, and [my record label] were like, ‘Put them away!’”

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

KT Tunstall is the latest guest on Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations (Cortney Armitage)

Elsewhere in the interview, Tunstall reflected on her years as a struggling artist before the release of Eye to the Telescope, along with her memorable appearance on Later… with Jools Holland.

“It’s pretty unexpected,” she said of how her single “Suddenly I See” has remained popular through the years.

“It really was an incredibly turn of events for that to happen [with The Devil Wears Prada],” she continued, “and again, very ironic, because I knew f*** all about fashion.”

Tunstall also revealed some of the stories behind those songs on Eye to the Telescope, and revealed her plans for a major new project launching in 2027.

The full episode of ‘Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations’ with KT Tunstall is available to stream now.