Bombay Bicycle Club singer Jack Steadman felt “embarrassed” recording with Chaka Khan in a fancy studio.
The band teamed up with the music legend to provide vocals on their track “Tekken 2” and Steadman flew to Los Angeles for a session at an upmarket studio near her home, and Steadman admits he was left red-faced when it became obvious he wasn’t going to use any of the high-tech sound equipment.
“I have this funny memory of walking in and the mixing desk was the size of an entire house. I’d just brought my laptop and plugged Chaka into that, but I thought it was so embarrassing that I wasn’t using all this stuff,” he explained to The Guardian newspaper.
However, Khan wasn’t fazed at all. “I thought that was really cool,” she quipped.
Steadman went on to admit he felt intimidated at first, but soon relaxed after the singer’s family showed up. “[I felt daunted ] until I stepped into the room. Chaka’s family all showed up and the whole vibe was so communal and supportive. And Chaka herself was really down to earth. I immediately felt relaxed,” he said.
“I really liked the song and the message was right up my alley, in line with my philosophy,” Khan added of the collaboration.
The single features on Bombay Bicycle Club’s new album, “My Big Day,” which is released on October 20. The upcoming record also features the likes of Damon Albarn, Jay Som, Nilufer Yanya, and Holly Humberstone. Meanwhile, Bombay Bicycle Club have announced plans for a new headline tour across the UK and Ireland for January and February. The tour will begin in Belfast on Jan. 29 and will end in Cardiff on Feb. 18. Pre-sale tickets for the tour go on sale from Oct. 25, and on general sale from Oct. 27.
The band has also announced plans to perform a summer show at Alexandra Palace Park in London on July 12. UK and Ireland tour dates: Belfast – Jan. 29; Dublin – Jan. 30; Birmingham – Feb. 2; Brighton – Feb. 3; Bristol – Feb.5; Nottingham – Feb. 6; Sheffield – Feb. 8; Norwich – Feb. 9; Cambridge – Feb. 10; Glasgow – Feb. 12; Newcastle – Feb. 15; Manchester – Feb. 16; Cardiff – Feb. 18; London – July 12
