Zella Day on playing London: "I didn’t want to dip a toe on this tour, I wanted to cannonball..."

After attracting huge waves of applause for her singles, Day released debut LP Kicker in June, featuring heavy hitters like "East Of Eden", "Hypnotic", and "Jameson". She's gone from strength to strength since that, and we caught up with the Arizona-born singer/songwriter ahead of tonight's debut UK headline show in London.

Check out "Hypnotic" below, and then read over the Q&A after.

Are you looking forward to the show tonight?

Yeah! I played Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen last time as well, but I wasn’t headlining.

This is your first headline show in the UK right? How are you feeling about that?

Proud. I’m proud that I’ve worked hard enough to deserve to headline and sell out. I live so far away, across the water and half way across the world, and I’m proud that I am at that level now. In America I have more presence, and headlining isn’t such a big deal, but Europe’s such a different market. It feels like starting over, and working from the ground up.

What can people expect from the show? Are you doing anything special?

I just can’t wait to see everyone that’s coming. I’m looking forward to singing along with fans and connecting with the audience.

Have you had much time to explore London?

We got in yesterday, straight to rehearsal, then back to the hotel… but I got some god sleep, so no jetlag. I got to walk a few miles to the venue as well and check out this cemetery. It’s my third time in London, so I'm not too worried about making sure I see everything.

Did you do all the touristy things when you were here before?

I saw Big Ben! I’ve been lucky actually, I met up with some locals so I was able to catch stuff from a different perspective and not just be a tourist. I loved seeing the nightlife; I caught Years & Years last time which was cool.

You released Kicker over the summer – has life changed much since its release?

This year has been so different! I’ve been touring for 10 months straight, both before it was released and after. It’s been a whirlwind – the pace of my life has just totally changed. It’s a lot of not being home, figuring out how to stay sane, create, work hard, get better at my live show... it’s a competitive world, and it never stops.

What are you working on?

Everything. It’s a full time job. You can’t just be someone who plays music anymore. I have to be up on my socials, staying connected with fans, because they’re the people I wanna take with me on the journey. I’m coming up with video treatments, finding ways to stay inspired, I’m writing, I’m trying to grow more and more all the time.

You mentioned that you’re writing – does that mean you might be going back into the studio soon?

I’m not focused on that right now. I could release a record tomorrow if I wanted, but I deserve to tour it and enjoy the experience. It is a payoff. It’s really rewarding to be able to perform the songs I’ve written. When you’re on the road for long periods at a time it can be blinding – you’re in a van, a hotel room, on stage, van, hotel, stage… it’s a cycle, and sometimes it can feel like you’re not going anywhere, but I think back to a year ago, and instead of opening for a half-sold show, I’m selling out a date the other side of the world. It’s good to take it objectively sometimes.

What makes performing so rewarding?

My favourite thing about performing is about getting to connect to people who listen to my music and have the same things in common… my songs are about expressing who you are, and expressing emotions, and the human experience. They’re about connecting.

You’re off to the rest of Europe afterwards – what are you looking forward to on the tour?

I have eleven more shows. I’m excited for Paris! I can’t wait to see Amsterdam. I’ve been to Sweden before, but can’t wait to perform in Stockhol. Oh, and Russia! That’s gonna be quite an experience. I’m looking forward to being in a place I know very little about. Everyone else was kinda nervous when they saw the plane that went down yesterday. It’s kinda exhilarating knowing I have no idea what to expect. One of the things I wanted to do on this tour was go places I’ve never been. I didn’t want to dip a toe on this tour; I wanted to cannonball into the waters.

Day headlines a sold out show at London's Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen tonight. Debut album Kicker is out now via Hollywood.