Alice Ivy Chats Her New Era Of Music & The Power Of Collaboration

Naarm / Melbourne based Alice Ivy is well and truely solidifying a new, dominant era of her career. 

With every release since her sophomore LP, Ivy's discography incredibly continues to grow in quality and creditability, alongside an enviable, hand picked roster of the most exciting established and emerging non-male and gender diverse artists locally and globally. 

That aforementioned, sophomore record was an exemplary product in boasting collaborations, including songs with the like of Odette, Montaigne, Ngaiire, Thelma Plum, Bertie Blackman and more, whose curatorial efforts, production class and songwriting elitism resulted in it being shortlisted for the prestigious Australian Music Prize. 

She recently released a collaboratively single with Camp Cope front person Georgia Maq and most recently collaborated with Sycco for her fan adored, most complete single to date in the form of Weakness. 

In the midst of her performances at Groovin The Moo this year, we chat to Ivy about ushering in a new era of music, how performing following / in the midst of a pandemic has shifted her mindset and the power of collaboration in creating long-lasting music. 

You can catch Alice Ivy alongside Broods, Montaigne, Peking Duk, Snakehips, Thomas Headon, Wolf Alice and more at Groovin The Moo Bendigo this weekend. Final tickets are available HERE. 

After two years off, many people would assume that artists would be super keen  to head straight back to performing. How was it performing for the first time again,  at a festival like Groovin The Moo? Are there any unexpected anxieties that have  arisen for performing for the first time consistently in years? 

Although I had a LOT of shows cancelled in the past two years, I was also incredibly lucky  to be able to perform a fair amount in the gaps when restrictions were lifted. Although, it  wasn't quite the same with reduced capacities or no dancing restrictions in place in most cases. New Years was the first time I got to fully perform live again and it was amazing,  but I was also completely exhausted afterwards! Luckily, I'm feeling a lot more match fit  for Groovin'!   

What is it like sitting down and writing music again across such a big album in Don’t Sleep? Was it excitement or stress working on new music after a project like that? 

To be honest, I never really stopped working on new music after Don't Sleep came out,  but being a highly collaborative person, there were a lot of challenges due to the  lockdowns, not being able to be physically in the studio with other artists, or even access  my studio for long periods of time. I spent a lot of time co-writing and producing for other  artists and it was really refreshing stepping out of the Alice Ivy universe and working with  some of my friends and favourite artists like Mallrat and Georgia Maq. 

What is defining this new era of music from a mindset point of view? 

Recently I've been rediscovering my love for soul and disco, some of the genres that got  me interested in making music in the first place. I've been drawn to working with more  outboard gear and experimenting with textures and organic instrumentation, blended  with electronic elements. 

You recently cleared your Instagram and have started fresh. Do you feel like  recently, since your collaborative run of singles with Someone Stranger and  Weakness have begun a new era for your project? 

After "Don't Sleep" I felt like it was time to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. As time  goes on I find myself gravitating towards a more curated, less is more approach. It's definitely the start of a new era and I wanted everything to reflect that. 

Working with Georgia Maq, where sonically from the outside you come from such  distinct sonic worlds but internally it makes so much sense. Talk through that  collaborative process, and the pleasures of working with a songwriter like her?

I've actually been friends with Georgia for a while now and we always said we wanted to  write together one day. When we finally got the chance it all came together so naturally.  Georgia has such an incredible voice, she writes really fast and it was a dream come true  for me putting her on a big ole dance banga!

And then with one of my favourites in Sycco. Do you think you almost got lucky  with how that track turned out over the internet? How did you find the change in  traditional collaboration? 

Writing remotely can sometimes be tricky, you never know whether the magic's going to  happen or not. After many attempts to get in the studio together Sycco and I decided to  jump on a Zoom instead. I played her an instrumental I'd been working on and she was vibing it and honestly, we had the bones of "Weakness" down within a few hours! I guess  that one was just meant to be. 

What can fans expect from your shows at Groovin The Moo? What vibe are you  looking to present? 

I've recently re-worked my whole live set and I'm performing at Groovin' with a full live  band so the vibe we're going for is BIG! 

What are you most looking forward to this year? 

Travelling, performing live and writing new music! I just got back from a month-long trip  to the U.S. and straight after Groovin' I'm heading to the U.K. for The Great Escape  festival and shows in London. I can't wait!