Cheap Date is i-D’s series where we take our crushes out for under $40, get to know them, and have a good old fashioned hang.
“This is my first date with a woman in 20 years,” I tell Naomi Scott, deadpan, as she settles in across from me at De Beauvoir Deli. She bursts out laughing—the good, proper kind of laugh that makes you want to keep saying ridiculous things just to hear it again. “Congrats to us,” she shoots back.
If Scott’s face rings a bell, it’s because you’ve almost definitely seen it—as Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin, a Charlie’s Angels recruit in the 2019 reboot, one of the titular Lemonade Mouth teens, and even a Pink Ranger. Today, though, she’s here as a fully fledged music artist in her own right
It’s 10 a.m. in East London and she’s ordered an iced Americano with oat milk; I’ve gone for a kombucha, after half-joking about getting an Aperol spritz. She has a perfectly mussed pixie cut, those almost absurdly striking eyes, and a face that makes you temporarily forget to sip your drink.
Scott’s in the final stretch before releasing “Cherry”—her playful, slow-burn yet uptempo earworm of a new single—the result of a three-and-a-half-year process of building her debut album. It’s a record stitched from her gospel upbringing, her dad’s Windows Media Player library, and the DNA of Janet Jackson’s finest moments.
The “Cherry” video, which she directed herself, is a nod to the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, featuring a real local women’s football team and infused with the British-summer joy she grew up with in Hounslow. Even as she casually sang tidbits at the table—as a real vocalist fan—I was gagged. In the presence of a budding pop star. But I digress.
By the end of the interview, we’ve wandered next door for sausage rolls—vegan for her, pork and sage for me—and the whole thing feels less like work and more like catching up with someone you already know you’d hang out with again. A gorgeous first date.
Alex Kessler: You must travel loads. What’s the first thing you want when you land back in London?
Naomi Scott: Curry from my mom—cauliflower and potato, aubergine, okra. Then snacks: salt and vinegar Popchips, Percy Pigs, Kinder Bueno Hippos.
Let’s talk “Cherry.” How did it evolve into what it is now?
It’s had so many lives. It was first written in a completely different style. Then in Norway with Lido [Norwegian artist and producer], he started chopping up the demo vocals like a DJ. My husband said, “Everyone leave and let him cook.” A couple of hours later, we came back and thought, “Oh, okay… this is it.” We sped it up, pitched my vocal, stacked the harmonies—it just landed.
And what’s the song about?
It started with “Cherry picked right out the bush,” which is a ridiculous but perfect pop hook. It became about patience, sexuality, taking your time. I like when you can sing along before you’ve fully clocked the meaning.
You directed the video—why take that on yourself?
My creative director said, “You always talk about Bend It Like Beckham… you should direct this.” I knew exactly the vibe: British summer, coming-of-age, girls having fun. We found the Shepherd’s Bush Booters, a local women’s football team, and shot it in Wormwood Scrubs. No pros, no perfect football. Just joy.
Why Bend It Like Beckham?
It’s literally my childhood. Filmed in Hounslow, in the park I grew up in. Jasmine’s Manchester United Sharp shirt? I had it. She’s Indian, loves football, supports Man United. That was me.
You grew up in church, what did that give you musically?
Church is where I learned to sing from a truthful place. Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Kim Burrell were my early education.
And outside church?
My dad’s Windows Media Player library included Phil Collins, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder, Michael and Janet Jackson, Simon & Garfunkel and Enya. Later I discovered Jessie Ware, FKA Twigs and Blood Orange, whose sounds are layered, emotive, and slightly cinematic.
Your gig at Lollapalooza this year, how was it?
It was only my second time performing all my own songs. I threw in “She’s So Gone” from Lemonade Mouth, where I got Lido to make a version that felt like me now. The nostalgia hit was huge, and I didn’t see it coming.
And acting, where does that fit now?
I co-run a production company. We make things I’d be excited to act in, but also fund training places for people from lower-income backgrounds to get into drama school or crew jobs.
Okay, final question. Is this better than your first date with your husband?
Absolutely.
Let’s grab sausage rolls next door.
Yes!
