Beth Orton on Her New Album 'The Ground Above' and the Struggles of Making Music

Beth Orton discusses her new album 'The Ground Above', the title track of which runs eight and a half minutes. She describes how the song evolved from an idea for her 2018 album 'Weather Alive' into a 'raging beast' after drummer Tom Skinner added free-jazz energy. Orton compares songwriting to architecture, noting that a misplaced beat can collapse a structure. She reflects on her career, including BRIT Award nominations for 'Trailer Park' (1996), collaborations with William Orbit and The Chemical Brothers, and her current comfort with a smaller audience despite financial challenges. The album is more political, influenced by her children Nancy (19) and Arthur (15), and a sense of global turmoil. Orton admits uncertainty about whether music can change the world but writes as if it can.