In August, Stealing Love Jones' Esjay headed to California to make it big in the USA. Now she's back home (briefly) for a national summer tour throughout December. We catch up with the fiery singer to talk new beginnings in LA, rediscovering Nirvana and forming a new band.

What have you missed most about South Africa?
The thing I've missed the most is Kauai and the moment I landed at Johannesburg airport I ordered one of their large natural smoothies. It was amazing. The food in America is really crap.

Now that you're back home, is there anything you're missing from the US?
I'm missing the music scene ? there's a great music scene in California. I'm definitely missing the San Diego weather. But nothing else really. I've got my band with me so I'm all good to go.

What's been the biggest challenge since you moved over to California?
It's been hard starting all over again, going over by myself without the guys who were in Stealing Love Jones and finding a new band, being alone in a big crazy country and its been a big challenge competing in the music industry where in Los Angeles alone there are two million registered bands. And I am just yet another one of the bands. But it's been amazing, I've been very blessed and stuff's happening, so I just keep on going.

But what has been keeping you going?
How it works over there for most bands is you pay to play shows, you pay to play bars, but we've been so lucky, we're actually being paid to play, which is amazing. I have American friends who've been in bands for six years who can't believe that.

'Don't Blame Britney' got nominated for a Hollywood Music Award, so things are happening. We're just having such an amazing response in California, people are really supportive and people really believe in the band and the songs, so we've got to be doing something right.

Lots of locals have tried to make it big over there, but not many have made it. Why do you think you'll be different?
It's hard over there. The South African industry is so small you can actually make a living here and over there you really have to up your game and I think a lot of musicians aren't willing to put in the hard work. Musicians generally have a mentality that they can kick back and smoke weed and write music and success will come find you.

It doesn't work like that anymore. It's no longer the '60s where it's sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Now you've got to be out there making your career happen for yourself. You have to be on your marketing all the time, you have to be creating a brand, you have to be ahead of all the other bands in the game. So it's about working really hard and I think a lot of bands maybe haven't done that. And at the end of the day it's also really hard being in a country where you don't have your friends or a support structure around you ? but you don't want to come home and admit defeat.

So I think it's just about really trying to stick it out and you either have it in you or you don't. So I'm sticking it out.

So has California influenced your new music?
Definitely. We've already started writing the new album and I'm playing with a completely new band, they're all Americans and the guitar player is the most fantastic songwriter so him and I are doing a lot of writing together. The stuff's a lot heavier, a lot more '90s Nirvana influence, so I'm very excited about the new direction of Stealing Love Jones.

I think my songs are always going to have a pop sensibility ? that's just the kind of writer I am ? but I hadn't actually had a phase in my life where I was a huge fan of Nirvana and bought every album and just gone crazy about the band. And just being in the 'States you become aware of this Nirvana legacy and I've really started enjoying their stuff and realised what effect Kurt Cobain and that era has had on music. And it's never died, so it's got to have a winning formula and I'm feeling it right now so we're definitely going with it.

The next album is definitely going to have a harder edge and we'll see what happens from there out.

You're playing one of the new songs, 'This Is Not The End', on your current tour. How does it compare to the other music you've been writing?
We've actually got a couple of songs that are probably stronger, but it's a really great performance-driven song. We're going to start showcasing guy and girl lead vocals, so it's no longer just me singing, we're going to start having Christian doing a lot of lead vocals as well, which is cool. It takes a lot of pressure off me, I can focus on performing a little bit more and give my voice a bit of a rest. He's got an amazing voice and I'm really enjoying where we're going.

And what about the old songs? Do the band add anything new?
I think everybody's going to bring their influences onto a song. They're big fans of the old stuff which has been wonderful. So many people have been so negative about my songwriting and the guys, who've been in bands in the 'States have told me: 'You're a really talented songwriter and you need to really embrace that and we're going to get alongside you and really support you'.

They obviously have different influences and are bringing their touch to the songs, but Stealing Love Jones are definitely feeling a bit edgier than we ever have been and I'm probably happier with the sound than I ever have been in six years. So I think we finally are Stealing Love Jones.