Alice Russell Interview

Singing sensation Alice Russell is getting ready to tour the UK, Europe and USA before the year is over, following the release of her new album ‘To Dust’. With a musical history spanning back to when she was just a child attending shows with her parents, as well as sharing the stage with the late Amy Winehouse, you could say success was inevitable. We grabbed some time with the golden girl of soul to ask her about her childhood, her partnership with TM Juke and the long-awaited return to Australia.

Hi Alice! How are you today?
I’m good actually! The sun’s out so it’s all good.

You’re touring the UK and US this autumn, where are you most looking forward to hitting up?
I love going to the States. I love the UK but y’know, we’re here a lot! So it’s nice to pop over to L.A. and have some sunshine. We can’t complain! We’re doing a bit of Europe, like Sweden, France and Germany, during the UK dates, so it should be a cool little autumn!

The UK festival season has only just come to an end, have you managed to get any down time?
I’ve just had a bit of time off in August; I’m just getting back into work now. We went to Corsica for a bit because we had a gig there so I thought we’d have a bit of a holiday! So we’re back into the grind of it now.

You’re back working with your long-time production partner TM Juke for your new album ‘To Dust’; what is it about your partnership that works so well?
I think we’re just forced to work together! No, we’re both just really open to lots of different musical styles. Both of our record collections are very eclectic, and we’re very open and playful.

Do you get to have some fun while recording then?
Yeah, we do. Sometimes it’s stressful but the fun part is making up the songs and playing around.

You’ve been described as the girl with the golden voice, but who are your musical influences?
There are loads, from Kate Bush to Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Prince. I’m also discovering new voices.

Who are you listening to at the moment?
Even though it was out last year, I’m still in love with the James Blake album. It’s made an impact on me lyrically.

Your father is an organist and your sisters are also very musical; does it feel like being in the music industry was your destiny?
That makes me sound like a superwoman! I think it was very unique and natural. I grew up singing in a choir and my dad would take me to rehearsals that he conducted. It was always going to be a massive part of my life. I couldn’t help but wanna take part because it’s a very beautiful thing.

So you never felt any pressure to go into music?
Not at all, in fact I was the only one that didn’t go to music school. Both of my sisters did – one went to the Paris School of Music and the other to Trinity College – but I went to art school. I was very lucky that my dad would always take me to concerts and they always blew me away. Those pieces of music I remember very vividly. We were just very lucky really.

You’ve certainly played a range of venues, with different sets to all ages; is there a performance that’s stuck with you?
It’s really tough! One of them was a really small gig we did. We went to Japan and we had two big gigs in 10 days and there was a massive amount of time where we could go travelling. There was a little village, this guy was a fan and he let us stay in his hotel as long as we did a gig for the village. And it was really cute because there were grannies and kids. It was an hour and a half and it was really special.

Are there plans to tour Australia?
Yeah, we’re meant to be going in January and February. Festival time was always usually January and February, so it would clash with other plans, but they’re changing that, so there’s a lot more festivals throughout the year, and we’re able to make it. I really miss it; we used to go quite regularly so I really can’t wait to go back.

Where’s your favourite place in Australia?
I really love Sydney because of the Botanical Gardens and it’s pretty chilled, but also Melbourne because it’s a bit more cosmopolitan. And then of course hopping over to New Zealand – I love playing out there.

What do you do on your days off?
Usually there’s lots of admin stuff because I don’t really have a manager. I’m trying to clear time to write, that’s my main aim. There are always distractions at home and there’s always so much to do, especially with the tour coming up. My new year’s resolution is to make time to play my instruments and write some new music.

Awesome! Thanks for talking to us Alice.

Watch the video for Alice Russell’s ‘For A While’ below.