Here’s the difference. While Allen, whose fame also began with MySpace, often traffics in bitterness and snark, the 20-year-old Nash—who also plays piano and guitar on her debut album, "Made of Bricks"—prefers vulnerability over being snotty. That’s evident in heartfelt songs like “Pumpkin Soup” and “Nicest Thing,” and it suggests that if Allen’s the girl on the corner smacking her gum and rolling her eyes at you, Nash is the one shyly playing with her hair, hoping you notice her new outfit.
Nash does, however, have plenty going on that doesn’t involve Allen, which we asked her about while the singer lounged on her bus outside a recent tour stop.
You're working on short stories influenced by Roald Dahl, who created Willy Wonka. If there was a Kate Nash Wonka bar, what would it be called and what would it taste like?
Oh my god. It would be called…how about Flambampunchuos Pop? Oh my god, it would taste so good. It would be creamy because I like creamy stuff. It would be like pralines and cream and it's got turtles in it, caramel, popcorn and just really delicious milk chocolate over it. Melted together with marshmallow. And you have to eat it hot and soft. So the chocolate and marshmallow are really melty and delicious.
And what does the Kate Nash bar say about you?
It says that I'm so cute and delicious?
And filled with caramel and popcorn.
Yeah. It's got punch. It's got those crunchy bits, those unexpected crunchy bits inside. And even though it's like really soft and melt in the mouth, it's also got that toffee crunch in it.
Your songs include references to things some people would call mundane. Hell, you've got a tune called "Mouthwash."
"Mouthwash" is almost like a protest song for me, like personally [being] defensive. It's almost saying don't judge me because on a basic simple level I'm a human being. We all need to eat. We all need to sleep. We all do normal things like have a family, drink cups of tea, use mouthwash.
Is there anything that's too mundane to write about?
I like mundane things. I think they're interesting. The mundane is real life. I like drinking tea. I like knitting. I like sitting outside on a summer day and just lying there listening to my favorite songs and stuff. Whoever tries to be interesting, it's like, "Why are you trying to be that interesting?" It's the people who have the mystery [who], for me, are more exciting.
Your MySpace page lists a lot of influences, including cheese on toast and Kermit the Frog. What did they teach you?
I just really like eating cheese on toast and Kermit the Frog's pretty funny.
If they're such big influences there must be lessons you learned from them.
Lessons? Like too much cheese on toast before bed gives you cheesy nightmares? And if you watch "The Muppet Christmas Carol," there's loads of lessons to be learned in there.
There ya go. Any other words of wisdom?
There's a lot of things to learn. I think a lot of them you have to have learned yourself. I've made mistakes. I would always say don't go out with sleazebags or people who treat you bad, but I've done that, so it's kind of hypocritical to tell people what to do. Learn from your mistakes.
Perhaps an analogy would put to rest the Lily Allen comparisons. Kate Nash is to Lily Allen as…
I don't know. I don't really like doing that. People make such a big deal all the time. And for both of us, I think we just kind of want to lose that. I think it isn't really that relevant anymore. I think that we're just like different versions…I don't know, maybe like one of us is salted peanuts and one of us is honey roasted.
And which is which?
Doesn't matter. Depends what you feel like eatin'.
