Alice Ivy is an incredible, rising musician by Annika Schmarsel and when you listen to her music it is just timeless. I had the opportunity to speak with her between showcases at SXSW and discuss her recent music releases and her upcoming plans for music releases in 2024.
She was always interested in music growing up. Her parents always had music around, her mom played piano, her dad loved attending music festivals, and took Alice to a few festivals. One of her uncles is an excellent guitarist who has helped shape her with her own music and character. She was always surrounded by music and always wanted to play an instrument, but she didn’t really realize she wanted a career in music until she was about 15-16 years old.
Her debut single, “Charlie,” was out in 2016-17, which she claims “wasn’t really a release” and that she just threw it up on SoundCloud and it kind of just did its thing. She says, “I feel like back then it was definitely easier,” she continues, “It was before the TikTok era and the community helped build my career.” With “Charlie,” it got a bit of radio play, and that built into the next single. “I played a ton of shows after that and I have my loyal community to thank for the support. I guess community is everything.”
Alice Ivy is Annika Schmarsel. “One thing I always try to create is timeless music. A timeless song is something you can listen to ten years later, twenty years later, and say ‘damn, that still holds,’ that’s incredible.”
Alice recently released a track with musician Mayer Hawthorne titled “Howlin’ At The Moon.” She says, “That is one of my favorite collaborations I’ve ever been a part of. Growing up I listened to a lot of Motown/Soul from the 70s and I’m a massive fan of his. That writing session for “Howlin’ At The New Moon” came together very last minute, as it always somewhat always does in the music industry,” she explains…. she continues. “He had a session cancel and I had a session cancel, and we both got to work out of a studio in New York for a day, and it was just absolutely so surreal. He’s such a pro on the mic. The song came together pretty quickly. That’s also a thing, I feel like a lot of the music that I make is written on the road and I do a lot of writing trips, and I spend a lot of time in the States, and most of it’s done in very, very limited time. It’s sort of amazing sitting back and having a collection of songs that were written in 3-4 hours per day. That song is kind of a “miracle song.”
She also recently released “Popstar” with Låplsey and that has a story behind it. The two musicians jumped into the studio together during a trip to London one day a few years ago. They didn’t know each other when they first came into the room together, so they spent a bit of time getting to know each other, but totally hit it off.
She explains, “We sort of really reflected and connected on that, and as I said there was something in the air. Caroline Polachek was next door recording her vocals on the record that just came out. We just felt really empowered and cool. You can quite literally hear, Låplsey is such a wordsmith, so her lyrics really paint a picture, and tell a story.”
Alice was also at SXSW and had an amazing time with the crowds and performing.”
“Back at home in Australia, we do have a conference, SXSW is on another level. It’s a really surreal thing to be a part of and it’s a real honor to be here. When you’re playing shows, playing shows for me, is the true way how I connect with fans and with an audience. I’ve had such an amazing time so far.”
In 2024, she is planning to release a new album, but isn’t sure quite yet when that will be released, but stay tuned for a new album from Alice Ivy!
