INTERVIEW: Alice D releases remarkable new single 'Forever Mine'
Image: Katie Glass
Alice D returns today with new single ‘Forever Mine’, the first new music from the British singer-songwriter since last June’s ‘Offline’.
The independent artist has consistently produced top-drawer music since her early beginnings in 2014 when she recorded music in her bedroom, and with ‘Forever Mine’ she has crafted perhaps her greatest song to date. A mesmerising blend of R&B, soul and pop with hints of synth, the lyrics, perhaps appropriately for a Valentine’s Day release, are “a love letter to yourself” asking us all to become our own best friend and to ignore societal pressure that insists everyone must be in a relationship: ‘People ask / Why don’t you get lonely / Don’t you need somebody to love?” Alice sings.
The slick production from Oscar Scheller would be worthy on an international superstar’s mega-release but retains an intimacy and warmth, primarily through Alice’s at times melancholic yet ultimately empowering vocal performance - the emotive tone to her voice, the trills in the chorus, the multi-layered harmonies through to the unexpected but gorgeous falsetto ending of “even though it hurts we gonna be alright”. This is already one of 2020’s highlights and augurs well for Alice D’s upcoming second EP. Highly recommended listening. To tie in with this new release, we recently spoke with Alice to find out all about creating ‘Forever Mine’ and her plans for 2020.
Hi Alice, great to speak to you again! What have you been up to since the release of your last single ‘Offline’?
Hi Women in Pop, lovely to speak to you again too! Since “Offline” I performed at my first UK festival (All Points East), which was a brilliant experience and I did a few little gigs throughout the summer. Since September 2019 I have been working on a new 5-track EP that I recently finished recording & can’t wait for everyone to hear.
Your new single ‘Forever Mine’ is out today - Valentine’s Day - and is absolutely brilliant! You have said the song is ‘a love letter to yourself’. Can you speak to us more about the inspiration behind, and the meaning of, the track?
Ah thank you very much. I was looking into what it means to be someone’s “soul mate” and the overall theme was that a soul mate was someone you “couldn’t live without” or felt “incomplete” without. I find this way of thinking a bit odd, as someone should complement your life, rather than fill a void. ‘Forever Mine’ was a phrase that popped up that I thought would be great to flip and sing the song as if I was speaking to myself throughout. Releasing it on Valentine’s Day I felt really honed the point that your happiness and contentment starts with you first.
The one person we are always the most critical of and perhaps least loving towards is usually ourselves - you would never say to a friend what your inner voice says to you – so the thought of a love letter to yourself is beautiful. In the spirit of ‘Forever Mine’ what thoughts do you have on how we can all be kinder to ourselves?
I know, it’s so true, I can be so self-critical & harsh on myself sometimes. I think just try to take each day as it comes - thinking ahead constantly and worrying never helps. Also if you don’t feel okay, then that’s okay; just try to get through the day & focus on your wants & needs. I think also to celebrate our successes more - in terms of my career, I used to dream about where I am today, but rarely take a step back to appreciate all that I have achieved.
Like all of your music there is a gorgeous blend of styles in the track: soul, R&B, electro, synth, pop, was there a particular sound or vibe you were going for when you were recording in the studio?
Thank you! I don’t really think too much about it, I just write to what I like. Oscar (Scheller) who produced the track had already started the instrumental and I loved the moodiness and simplicity of it. I think it works well with this uplifting melodic song over it.
Do genres even matter anyway? We - especially music journalists! - are always so hung up on assigning songs to a genre but do you think that obsession can constrict our creativity?
Totally! In the past, I have been guilty of thinking my music has to sound a certain way and fit into a genre but I think it stumps creativity and authenticity if you pigeonhole yourself. On this new EP there are a couple of songs that even sound quite disco-funk-esque. It keeps things fun and refreshing if you mix it up and experiment from time to time!
Who did you work with on ‘Forever Mine’?
I worked on it with my long-time collaborator Oscar Scheller. As I’ve said before, he’s so easy to work with - we wrote the song together in about 4 hours.
Is there a video also coming for ‘Forever Mine’, and if so can you talk us through its creation?
There is indeed! Sylvia Suli who has a great vision for it will direct the video. We wanted to create a feeling of freedom with bold silhouettes and playing with reflections and different lighting, but I don’t want to give too much away so you’ll have to wait & see…!
You mentioned you have recently finished recording your new EP, what can you tell us about it?
I recently decided on a title for it which I love, but that’s a secret for now! I worked primarily on it with producer/artist Jimmy Robinson aka “Big Pretty” who is super talented and has been really great to work with. There’s a real mixture of styles on it, as previously mentioned there’s a track that’s quite 70s sounding and another quite soul/funk/R&B, but they all tie in nicely together. The four songs I worked on with Jimmy I have written by myself, which at first I was a bit nervous about as I normally collaborate with another person. But it’s been a liberating experience trusting my own lyrical ability & choices.
You posted on Instagram that you signed with a modelling agency last year. What has it been like adding this extra creative outlet to your portfolio of work?
Signing with NEVS last year was really cool as they’re such a prestigious model agency. The team are so lovely too. I adore fashion and photo shoots so it’s great to be given the opportunity to also be a part of that world and let people see a different side to me.
It’s hard to believe we are now in a new decade. It’s a big question but if you look back over the 2010s what have been the musical highlights for you?
I know, it’s crazy! I think it’s taken me all this time to finally feel somewhat content and confident. Musically I only felt like I found “my sound” & was truly happy with my music around 2017, when I released ‘I Don’t Owe You’. But it’s all been a learning curve - experimenting with different genres and working with many producers and songwriters to see what suits you best. I now know what works for me and what doesn’t. The Narcissus EP was a highlight as it was the first body of work I released and people seemed to like it, so that was an added bonus! Now I can’t wait for everyone to hear EP number 2…
New single, new EP….what else is on the cards for Alice D in 2020?
I’d like to do an EP launch show as I think that would be fun! But just to keep working and writing, you can’t ever stop - once one thing is out, people are waiting for the next haha! I’d like to do some collabs, work with more producers and I’d LOVE to start working towards an album/mini tour, that’s always been my dream.
‘Forever Mine’ is out now. You can download it on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.
‘Forever Mine’ is on Women In Pop’s New Music Spotify playlist, updated every week! Listen here
To keep up with all things Alice D, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify and Soundcloud.
Artwork: Nick Dynan
