The artist herself openly admits that this is a rather "heavy" record. This is not only due to the intimate and defiant tone and the incredibly personal lyrics, but also because Phillipson was able to draw on a wealth of experience. Music was, as they say, her first love. At the age of eight she formed her first band in Ashford, Kent. For years she honed her musical skills in various combos scattered across Great Britain and sang for artists such as Martina Topley-Bird, the Beta Band, Mad Professor, David Holmes, Marc Almond, Grand Drive and various hip hop bands in London and New York.

Determined to one day launch a solo career, Phillipson wrote new songs all the time, creating over the years the stunning collection of songs that make up Notes On Love. The album was recorded at London's Mayfair Studios with the help of her long-time friend and ex-The Verve guitarist Simon Tong. The album marks the end of a very eventful chapter in Petra's life. "When I started writing this album eight years ago - at the same time I moved to London - there was just my voice and a guitar, maybe a second one - that was all."

Some may recognize Phillipson's voice (which occasionally sounds like Billie Holliday), which may be because she rose to fame three years ago as the singer of The Free Association. The musical head of the psychedelic punk-funk ensemble in question was David Holmes, a producer and musician (he most recently wrote the music for "Ocean's Twelve"), with whom Phillipson has been friends for years. The two met through another close friend of Phillipson's, Martina Topley-Bird, who lives just around the corner from Petra in London. So one day Holmes called Phillipson and asked if she would like to come to LA and record some vocal tracks for him. Phillipson originally wanted to stay for a week - it turned into three months.

The Free Association played a lot live and appeared on various television shows. Petra and the band were guests on the Jools Holland show and performed at the renowned Glastonbury Festival and in various European football arenas. But although Petra enjoyed the attention this brought, after a while the hype got on her nerves: "You live in a bubble, you get driven everywhere. People think you're a pop star and don't treat you like a normal person anymore. Your family behaves strangely, your friends behave strangely, even turn away from you, everyone just goes crazy!" During a break from the tour, Petra retreated to a studio in the southern English county of Devon to record her solo album with producers Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Laika) and Head. However, she was not happy with the result and so the recordings were stopped.

Petra had lived in Australia for a while during her childhood. After returning to her hometown of Ashford, she no longer had any contact with the children she had grown up with. As a teenager, she was into hip hop – her idol was KRS One – and so she often drove to London in the evenings to check out what was going on in the clubs there and what clothes were currently in fashion. She then took the first early train home. "I think," Phillipson admits looking back, "that music saved my youth. Music is a great way to distract yourself, to free yourself from yourself." But the most important thing for Petra was to get out of her home town. She took a course at London's St. Martins College, which she dropped out after a year because she was fed up with the arrogant pomposity of her classmates. She then studied art at the University of Bath. Phillipson is currently working as a conservator at London's famous St. Paul's Cathedral.

While studying in Bath, Petra also organised her own hip hop night - "The Swamp" - where she played a very ambitious mix of music ranging from Hazel O'Connor to the Beastie Boys and the Specials, and America's "Horse With No Name" was also frequently heard. She then acquired her musical skills in "various all-girl punk-funk bands", attracting the attention of the British indie label Fierce Panda, among others, learning how to sing vocal parts correctly the first time and perfecting her guitar playing while travelling around the globe.

When asked why other artists like to work with her, Petra says: "Because I can really get excited about something. I like working, I like films, music and all that stuff, I really love it. I like creating new things and I'm a little crazy. I just have to keep doing new things, otherwise I would go completely crazy."

Now that Petra Jean Phillipson has recorded Notes On Love, a record that eclipses all her previous work, she can finally enjoy success on her own terms.