It’s been ten years since we’ve learned the hard truth behind the fashion industry from Devil Wears Prada: working for a fashion magazine is as hard as it is glamorous. The same can be said about the life of a musician. For example, Scottish singer KT Tunstall, whose hit “Suddenly I See” scored the opening scene of the (already) classic movie.

Her 2005 breakthrough allowed KT not only to leave busking behind, but also took her around the world and let her release five albums. The sixth one, Kin, drops September 9 and comes as a surprise to everyone, including KT, who decided to abandon making records several years ago and relocated to LA to pursue a career of scoring films. Apparently the hold pop music had over her was too strong to deny, and now KT is ready to make a comeback with what she promises to be “some of the best stuff I’ve ever written.”

We chatted with the Scottish songstress about her decade-spanning career; foray into film scoring; Devil Wears Prada and Kin.

I still remember hearing your first song on the radio.

Oh, yeah, it was a long time ago, haha!

Yes, I wasn’t even in high school back then.

Oh, that’s so sweet! And so weird for me. Sometimes I have fully-grown adults coming up to me and just going “I’ve been listening to your music my whole life.” And I’m like “How is that possible?”

So where are you at this very moment?

I am on an amazingly beautiful Scottish island called Orkney. I’m walking by some sparkling water in the sunshine and it’s covered in seabirds and it’s just beautiful.

Seems like a perfect place to start writing your next record…

It’s all done, it’s all done!

No, I know, I was talking about the follow-up. I know how you musicians are — you never stop working.

It’s so funny, I have actually started tinkling with some ideas. It’s true.

Good to know. Especially since you were about to give up on releasing albums before making this new one, right?

Yes. I didn’t think that I would give up forever. I just thought I really needed some time out. I needed a hiatus. I honestly didn’t think I was gonna write a record for a good few years. Maybe five to ten years. I really wanted to do something else, I felt very burned out, I didn’t feel that I was enjoying touring as much anymore. As you get older it’s more of a sacrifice every time. You’re away from home, from friends and family. You have to love it and I’ve been doing it for ten years. I loved my last record, fans responded so well. I toured the record solo and they were these very beautiful sit down shows. The shows were very emotional and gentle. I was wearing a suit that was made for me by Dior. It was a beautiful experience, but at the end of it I felt very exhausted. It takes so much from me to play in that environment with everyone seated. It’s very difficult for people to express themselves when they’re sitting. So I felt done.

I enrolled in a Sundance Film Festival composers lab in California. I sold everything I owned in London and moved to Venice Beach. I’d wanted to work in film music for many years but didn’t have time. And that’s what I did. I did music for some short films and a couple of feature films with other composers. Made songs specifically for movies. I was just flexing different creative muscles and it felt so good to do something else.

But I love listening to music in a car. I was driving to Laurel Canyon, Mulholland Drive and places like that and listening to Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchel. It’s just got into my bloodstream and I connected with the fact that this music had been written in that place. And I started writing these muscly big powerful emotional pop choruses and it reminded me of the first record. It felt very carefree, very joyful, but at the same time very vulnerable and honest.

At first my body and my mind were very annoyed going, I don’t wanna write anymore, shut up! And then the spirit won. If it was folk music that was coming out of me like the last record, I’d probably just put it on a shelf. But the fact that it was these very powerful songs didn’t let me ignore it. I feel like this is some of the best stuff I’ve ever written.

Talking about touring alone — maybe now you can have some company since you have James Bay appearing on your record.

It was one of the best collaborative experiences I’ve ever had. He’s an extraordinary musician. I was so pleased that he did this song with me. We met at the Jools Holland show last New Year’s and made friends. We admired each other’s work. A few days after meeting him I realized he’d be perfect for the song I really wanted someone to duet with on. I wrote to him going “Hey, I know you’re owning the world, but would you like to finish writing this song with me?” And he agreed right away. He was coming to LA and we had this beautiful Sunday where he came by and we finished the song. He could’ve easily done it in one take. And he did it in three. It was just fantastic.

Since you both have quite long hair, did you exchange any beauty tips?

Haha! The guy has much better quality hair than I do, I’ll tell you that much! He only has to deal with the bottom part of his hair — his hat deals with the roots. Totally smart move!

One of the songs on the record is called “It Took Me So Long to Get Here (But Here I Am).” Is it about you reflecting on your career?

Yeah, that song is arguably my favorite song on the record. It’s absolutely the mission statement for the album and such a meaningful song for me. I decided to really try and embrace my vulnerability as much as possible with this record and just say it how it is. The lyrics are very honest and completely autobiographical and real. With this song I just wanted to go out and celebrate it with the fans who come to the shows. We go through all of this shit in our lives and we don’t just survive it, we become better, wiser people and therefor find your kin at the end of that journey.

Your songs were placed in many movies and TV shows. Which one is your favorite?

It has to be Devil Wears Prada. It was an utterly extraordinary experience — to have a new artist and a new song used in its entirety in a movie. My manager at the time told me: “Enjoy it, it doesn’t happen very often.” It was a huge and brilliant movie. Because of that movie I went to Japan, because the Japanese fans are so into fashion and suddenly I’m like a fashion girl with my own 9-page-long fashion spread. There’s nothing like hearing your music playing over a movie theater’s sound system. It’s just such a thrill.

Would you ever want to run a fashion magazine yourself?

I could never run a fashion magazine. I’d be constantly trying to slip in articles about dolphins and whales and puppies and too many other things.

Maybe a Japanese fashion magazine then…

Haha. Maybe it could work, you never know. I think if I wasn’t a musician I’d love to be a jeweler.

I know you started as a busker. Do you still get to busk on the streets? Venice beach seems like a perfect place for that.

I have to be honest: it’s nice to not have to do this anymore. I quite enjoy going by other buskers and thinking, Good for you, I don’t have to do this anymore. I did my time. It’s hard work! But it was amazing training. One of the many things that I learned from this, that I take to my shows now, is that you have to earn people’s attention. You shouldn’t just expect people to listen to anything that you have to say or play. If I have a noisy crowd at my show, I’ll really do anything I can and put in 110% to make sure I’m putting on a performance to get their attention. And if that still doesn’t work, I’ll tell them to shut the fuck up.

Let’s talk about one of your older hits. Did you ever plant a cherry tree?

I didn’t. When I lived outside of London in the countryside there was a cherry tree in the garden. And one of my friends during a party bought a really cheesy statue of a black horse and put it at the bottom of the tree. We found it the next morning with a hangover. It was pretty funny. I remember eating my first cherry off that tree and chuckling to myself.

I know you're pretty tech-saavy, so what are you favorite phone apps?

You’re right. Garage Band for iPhone is absolutely astounding. I wrote some of the demos on my phone using it. I also like artistic apps, so I use Mextures photography app. I’m a huge Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat fan. I have so much fun with them and love interacting with fans.

So no pokemon?

I don’t have time! It looks quite fun, but I don’t have time and I’m also quite clumsy. I’d be among these people who’s in the news for falling off a cliff.

Okay, so don’t install it wherever you are right now!

Yes, I won’t. It’s beautiful here without the pokemon.

And finally what’s your gem right now?

“WTF” by Missy Elliott. It’s so good! We use it as a warm-up music before we go on stage.