My mum told me I just had to do the Blackpool Illuminations Switch On show says Louisa Johnson

This Friday, the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On will see performances from headliner Olly Murs as well as former X-Factor winner Louisa Johnson and rock band Toploader.

In the run up to the iconic event, Olly Murs and Toploader have already shared their thoughts on the big night with us but now it’s the turn of pop star Louisa.

We caught up with the 28-year-old hitmaker after she had just performed at Manchester Pride, and with the singer commenting “It was nice to be back up north, I love it there”, we can tell she is more than up for her Blackpool trip!

See what else Louisa had to say below…

We’re only a few days away from the switch on so how are you feeling about that?

“Yeah, very excited. Speaking to everyone about it is making me really look forward to it so I can't wait - I can't wait to be in front of a big audience. It's such like an iconic event that I feel very, very honored that I'm doing it.”

Why was it an event that you wanted to do?

“I think it's because everyone speaks so highly of it and it's such a big thing over there. Even when I mentioned it to my mum, she was like ‘Oh, my God, Lou, you have to do this. It's amazing’ and she used to go to Blackpool a lot when she was younger. So yeah, I'm really excited. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm just buzzing.”

Have you performed in Blackpool before?

“I've performed a smaller show in Blackpool, but not anything like this so yeah, really looking forward to it.”

Do you remember what Blackpool audiences were like?

“Ah, no, not really to be honest, it was a different kind of show, the one I performed before but everyone's telling me they're bringing the energy so I'm very much looking forward to that!”

Have you ever visited to see the Illuminations?

“No, I haven't, this will be my first time so hopefully we'll go in with a bang”.

And have you had a peek yet at any of the illuminations designs?

“I have! I literally just got sent an email the other day about all the designs so I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them. I didn't realise how much amazingness was put into it, you know, like, I've just literally been having a look through the pictures. I'm very excited to see everything in real life, because a picture doesn't quite do things justice, so to see it in real life, I'm really looking forward to just soaking it all up.”

If you were able to have designed one of those Illuminations, what would your one look like?

“Oh, my God, that's a great question. Okay, so my favorite colors are blue and green so it'd have to be something blue and green. I'd say metallic, maybe some sort of goddessy ethereal energy, maybe some ocean tones in there? I don't know it's a hard question, but that's where my starting point would be.”

It sounds like you'd be a mermaid with a green tail in the Irish Sea?

“Yeah, that's what I'm thinking! Something definitely ocean led, but also quite goddessy as well.”

And if we focus more on your performance, what can the crowds at Blackpool expect?

“High energy. I'm very, very excited to interact with everyone there. I feel like they're going to be an amazing crowd. I'm just excited to have fun, to be honest, it feels like one of them shows where I'm just going to let go and just give everything, leave everything on the stage. So yeah, I'm absolutely buzzing.”

Are you expecting any songs to go down particularly well there?

“I feel like ‘Tears’- the one I did with Clean Bandit, it always goes really well. So I always keep that one in a set because that's one of my favorite songs to perform. And then I have a couple of surprises in there too. I don't want to give anything away, but, yeah, I have some good tracks in there”.

I'm assuming one of those surprises is not that you're bringing out Clean Bandit for the event, right?

“No haha, I won't hype that up. Hopefully I'll be enough for everyone!”

You certainly will, but also you've got Toploader and Olly Murs performing on the night so how are you feeling about sharing the stage with them?

“Yeah, I'm really, really looking forward to seeting everyone. Obviously I know Olly really well, he did The X Factor when I was on it and then we did a track together a few years ago, so it'll be nice to catch up with him.

“I've not met Toploader before, so that'll be quite nice, nice to meet them. But yeah, I'm absolutely buzzing. I'm really, really excited.”

You mentioned X Factor there and it was a decade ago that you actually won so how does it feel to still be performing to thousands of people?

“I know it's mental, isn't it? It feels weird because, you know, I was so young, and I still feel really young now. I think it was just a moment in time that this crazy thing happened to me, and you sort of learn to navigate your life in a new way. I'm just really, really excited to make new music and share it with everybody. I think that's my goal from now, like, just to get the new music out and experience the new version of myself with everyone.”

And as well as your performance in Blackpool, do you think you'll get a chance to explore the town?

“Yeah, definitely. I'd love to. I've already been given a few indications of where to go, so I'm looking forward to it. I want to buy a battered Mars bar but I need to try and find a gluten free one so I don't know if that's going to be possible!

“I did go somewhere in Blackpool a few years ago for dinner, which was amazing. I can't remember the name of it, but it was right on the seafront and they had like people swinging from the ceiling from their hair, and that was pretty cool. They did great chicken nuggets so I might have to go back there as well.

What are your thoughts on roller coasters, can we expect to see you at the Pleasure Beach?

“Possibly, I do love a ride. Yeah, anything that's gonna get my adrenaline up, I really enjoy so, yeah, who knows?”

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Speaking of thrilling performances, why should people head down to the Switch On show to watch Louisa Johnson's performance?

“If you want to have fun, if you want to bring the energy and, like I say, one of my favorite things is connecting with people through music, through songs. I love the idea of someone coming to watch me sing, and just letting go. Whatever's gone on that day, just leave it where it was and enjoy t the moments together. We can go back to real life after but it's just so nice to have a moment with people- from whatever they're experiencing in life, just to escape for that moment. I think that's just a really beautiful thing.”

You mentioned that you have some new music coming out, if people enjoy seeing you in Blackpool, can they watch out for anything more from Louisa Johnson in the next few months?

“Yeah, definitely. I've been working on music for a while now and hoping to get that out soon. I can never give too much away but yeah, I'm very excited to share the new era with everybody and just get it out there and go again.”

Have you got any final things to say to the Lancashire audience?

“I'm just very excited, very excited to be there, very excited to share that moment with everybody, and very excited to experience Blackpool in a different way as well. I'm always sort of back and forth every now and again for work so I'm hoping to get a little bit of fun in there as well, that'll be really nice.”