Lucy Rose released her debut album Like I Used To in 2012. She will follow it up later this year, but before then, tours to Tyneside this month. She chats about writing, touring, and loving far-flung places

Where are you up to with your second album?

Well I thought I'd done it, but my label told me to carry on writing. I was upset, but they were right because I wrote a lot of new songs that were all better than the ones I'd got previously. It was totally worth the delay. You push yourself and a different side of you comes out, and now we're all happy, even if my ego had to accept I was wrong and they were right.

You're going to be playing new songs on the tour?

Yes, we're going to play seven or eight. We're a heavy touring band, so it's great to have some new material to play. There are some slower, acoustic songs on the new record, some with me playing the piano for a change, but it's a more diverse record, so there are some more raucous moments, and more light and shade.

How long has it been since you played live?

Well we toured the UK and Europe with Counting Crows in the autumn, which was great, so it's not really been that long since we played. We played a lot with them. We didn't play in the UK that much last year but we did go to some amazing places.

Like where?

We did a show in Manila. We did the shows then went on a band holiday on a tiny island in the Philippines, which was kind of surreal but amazing. The crowd in Manila were really intense, and gave me an insight into a madder world. Everyone wanted to come to say hello. In the UK if people are going to come and say hello at the merchandise table at the end of a gig, they all queue very politely, but in Manila there were huge crowds pushing. And even if I was walking around the festival there were hundreds of people who wanted to say hello.

Why were you there? Do you have a fanbase in the Philippines?

I thought we were going to get people interested, I didn't think anyone there would've heard of me, but as they all told me at gigs, they watch my videos on YouTube. I had no idea I had any fans there at all. Same as Singapore. I did a gig in Kuala Lumpur, then across to Singapore and I was booked for one night. I was asked to do another night, then they put on a third show because the second sold out too. It was insane and I met hundreds of people. Genuinely one of the greatest things that's happened to me.

Do you get many Counting Crows fans coming to your shows now?

Hopefully there will be some, although there were some who would just stare at me, clearly hating it. But I'd like to think they were the exception. Playing to that audience is a great thing, and hopefully I can win new fans by doing things like that, performing in front of people who would never normally hear my music.

Will you be playing live a lot more during the rest of the year?

If I had my way it would be live shows every day, forever. I guess it's just working out how financially viable that is, and how hard it would be to get my label to let me go to all the far-flung places I want to. But the record is finished now, so the rest of the year is focused on releasing that and promoting it in the best way possible.

For more information go to lucyrosemusic.com

n Sunday, March 21. Think Tank, Newcastle