INTERVIEW: Phoebe Go’s solo debut EP: “I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to say something meaningful”

Words: Emma Driver
Image: Nick McKinlay

Phoebe Go is the indie pop/rock solo project from Melbourne’s Phoebe Lou – formerly of Snakadaktal (the band she fronted from the age of 15) and, more recently, electro duo Two People.

In October she released her solo debut, the beautifully reflective EP Player, which encases her thoughtful songwriting in a more pared-back production – guitar, small-band vibes, delicate harmonies and an unassuming atmosphere.

Connecting with people is Phoebe’s reason for making music, so it’s no surprise that every song on the EP has a story to tell, with a strong melodic core that draws it all together. Phoebe’s voice is an assured one, thanks to her 12+ years of recording and performing, and it captures every nuance and mood in her lyrics. From the reverby textures of first single ‘We Don’t Talk’, to the sense of loss in the minimal ‘Hey’, she manages to say something new about the complicated things we feel – those invisible threads that connect us all.

Women In Pop recently plied Phoebe with questions about her new music, her songwriting and what it’s been like to go solo. Look out for her Australian shows in 2023!

Hi Phoebe! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. How is everything in your world right now?
Hello!!!! I’m happy. My world has been kinda busy to be honest. I had a bath last night though which was very cool.

A big congratulations on the release of your debut EP Player, it is such a beautiful collection of music. What was your intention when you started creating the EP? Was there a particular message or theme you wanted to project?
That’s kind, thanks. Um yeah. I really opened myself up for this project. I think that was the main thing, you know. I wanted to write from a really honest place. Like I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to say something meaningful. That’s just how I feel about music, I guess. That’s the rewarding part for me – connecting with people somehow. I just wanted to be myself, though. Because I knew that would be the most sustainable way for me to keep doing. It had to come freely and it had to be fun. Cause I wanna be doing this till I’m 80.

Player heads into vibey guitar territory after the drum-and-synth excursions of your Two People project of a few years ago. Can you tell us a bit about the kind of production and arrangement choices you made?
Yeah I think this project is kinda like coming home. My first favourite records were folk/rock/indie country stuff. You know. So it made sense for me to go back there once it was just me again. Like I love electronic music, but that’s not really where my skills lie. Joey, my bandmate in Two People, made that side of things possible. So Phoebe Go was about sitting down with myself and being like, what can I do? I tried to simplify it for myself, boil it down, you know. And then Simon, who produced the EP really brought that to life and helped shape the arrangements and the sound. But yeah. We just kinda went old school on it.

Your writing is really great at capturing complex interiority – states of mind that aren’t easy to put into words, like melancholy, self-consciousness, dislocation and regret. Is that something you try to do – to represent those complex emotions lyrically and musically?
Yes actually. I try really really hard, haha. That is absolutely the target for me. Finding a new way to say something that already exists, somewhere. But something that doesn’t have words yet. So yeah, thank you.

The first single from the EP, ‘We Don’t Talk’, includes the key line ‘I’ve been feeling some of that shit I don’t believe in’. We love this idea – can you tell us more about writing that? Do you think we all find ourselves having feelings we never thought we’d have, that we surprise ourselves?
Yeah, that’s the interesting part about songwriting. I think, you know, sitting with a feeling for a lot longer than you’d maybe hoped … This song was written about that chunk of time when I was toying with the idea of a solo project. So I was searching for myself, I guess … searching, avoiding, searching, avoiding. For me, it was about finding some inner grit too. Something to push me into taking a step forward. I was wrestling with myself and trying to find strength to be vulnerable. Because I didn’t want to do this half-arsed. And if I wasn’t risking something, then it would be a waste of time. And the songs would be worse. So I put it all on myself. I had no expectation or outside pressure, no one else to lean on, just me, bearing my fucking soul to the world. Lol. And I’m so glad I did.

That thread of ‘not acting my age’ runs through the EP – Nintendo addictions, shoelaces caught on the fence, kids gripping door frames in trepidation – and you remind us that this is such a human thing to feel! It seems to be common to a lot of creative people too, the feeling that everyone else is busy doing ‘grown-up’ things (just like in the video for ‘The Kid’). What does it mean for you?
It’s about the inner-child stuff, yeah. Learning and unlearning. I feel really connected with that side of myself. Which I think is a really helpful thing to keep intact for us old-soul types. There was a lot going on in my life that I was reflecting on too, stuff from my past. So I was probably trying to lighten the mood somehow too. I wanted my solo project to encompass all aspects of who I am. Not just the serious singer-songwriter side but the person who I am at home and in the playground too.

This is of course your first solo EP and you have said you were really freaking out about putting yourself out there as a solo artist. Now that is has finally happened, how are you feeling? Does that fear, or freak-out, still hit you?
To be honest I feel so relaxed about it. Maybe too relaxed? Haha. No, I just feel really empowered and excited to keep on doing what I love. I feel like after my first song came out, ‘We Don’t Talk’, all of that initial fear sort of just dissolved, and I realised that it’s through my vulnerability that I find strength and yeah, passion. I guess I knew that deep down, which is why I would get myself into those spins. Because it was always gonna take guts. But yeah, it feels good to do my own thing and to see that connecting with people.

What parts of being a solo artist are you enjoying the most, and conversely is there anything you miss about being in a band?
I really love being the boss. Even though I’m still getting used to it. I really miss the certainty that comes with a band. It feels like family. Like, they’re not going anywhere, they’re concrete. But honestly, I’m trying to surround myself with people who can fill in the gaps of the parts that I miss. And I think it’s working.

The music industry has been run by older, white, straight men since its inception and as a result has always been a difficult space for women to exist in. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry, and have you seen any changes during your decade in the business?
Yeah. This old chestnut. It was definitely there for my introduction to the music industry, you know, I was 15 in a room full of men. At times it was easy to feel small or outnumbered. I had to learn early on how to back myself. And that’s the thing, isn’t it, for any artist – learning how to do that. Not only for yourself but for the people who you work with. I think it’s about finding people who you trust and, equally, people who trust in you. Like really trust you. If there is trust in the artist, everything else will follow. So that’s what I look for above all else.

Player is out now, what else do you have planned for the rest of 2022 and into 2023? Any tours on the cards?For the rest of the year, I’m recording. Then next year, some Australian shows for sure, and then some UK/European shows in April/May! Can’t bloody wait.

Thank you!
THANK YOU!!!

Phoebe Go’s Player is out now. You can download and stream here.

To keep up with all things Phoebe Go, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.