When you messaged Bloodshy & Avant on MySpace, were you expecting a reply?
"Not really, because most people don't reply, but this was back when people were using MySpace more so it didn't seem impossible. I was pretty surprised though because they'd just had this platinum hit with Britney's 'Piece Of Me'."
What happened next?
"Bloodshy told me to go on iChat. We talked about music and he was a bit surprised by my knowledge because I'd only just turned 15 at the time. Then he asked me if I wanted to be the first artist on his new label."
Without meeting you?
"Yeah, pretty much. We didn't meet each other face to face for about two years actually. I was working with one of my friends out here, so I would email Bloodshy & Avant the song I'd written, they would kind of fix it, and it would just go back and forth. Then it started getting bigger and other producers jumped on board."
The list of producers you've been working with is pretty mouth-watering. Do you get intimidated stepping into the studio with such established hitmakers?
"The only one I really got nervous about was Linda Perry. People like Greg Kurstin and Paul Epworth are really calm, whereas she's very strong and intimidating. She knows what she's doing and she makes it clear! She has a very pop element to what she does, but she can make it really dark too. All her songs have a deep meaning."
What sort of thing do you write songs about?
"In general I observe people more than I actually do stuff, so I write about what I think is going on. When I was very young, like 15, I went through a phase of going out to nightclubs with older friends, so I write a lot about what I saw then. I'm willing to talk about things that a lot of people in the pop world won't talk about, like dating older people, getting a fake ID, gold-diggers..."
Will any of the songs on your MySpace page make it onto your album?
"They don't really fit on the album, but I'll definitely release them in some form. Well, I want to, but I need to find a way. Maybe they could be downloads from my website?"
When will we get to hear stuff from the album?
"I'd say Springtime - maybe March? I haven't put anything from the album online yet because I don't want to set myself up without finishing it properly. I want to be completely ready when I come out. I didn't work this long to be mediocre."
You write in your bio: "I always felt like an adult even when I was six years old." Do you still feel older than you actually are?
"Definitely - and I still feel like an outsider, even among adults. I'm one of those people who's always doing their own thing and looking in, but I don't mind that. I don't understand the way a lot of people are. I always want to be working and I don't understand people who don't feel like that. I think that's why I get offended when people try to paint me as some kind of socialite. I know some of those people, and I dress similar to them, but I'm not a party girl. I work a lot."
How are you finding the attention you're starting to get?
"I don't think it's affecting me... I'll take the free clothes though! You know, I've always been someone you either love or you hate, and that's definitely, well, increasing."
You knew Michael Jackson while you were growing up. Did you notice the massive amount of attention he received?
"Not really. My mum's a hair stylist and she worked with him for years and years, so I've known him since I was born. It never hit me how huge he was until recently. I always liked his music, but I never saw him as the biggest popstar in the world."
What was he like?
"He wasn't strange at all to me. He was very giving. Neverland was for ill kids and kids who couldn't afford to do stuff. I got to go all the time and it was a dream place for any kid. I think it's really sad that people turned stuff he did to be nice into something terrible. The respect those people have shown him since he died is what they should have shown him when he was alive."
Finally, you tweeted about Jedward a few weeks back. Are you a fan?
"Oh my God, I love Jedward! I was in London quite a lot over the fall and I would always watch X Factor when I couldn't sleep. Other people found them offensive, but I just found them amusing. They did great to get as far as they did."
What if they sent you a message on MySpace asking for a song?
"Of course! I would write them a song any minute! 'Ghostbusters' was amaaazing..."
More information on Sky Ferreira at http://www.myspace.com/skyferreira.
