Q&A: George Alice’s Debut EP, ‘Growing Pains,’ Turns the Highs and Lows of Being a Teen Into a Cathartic Dance Experience
A SHIMMERING PORTRAYAL OF TEENAGE GROWING PAINS — Australian artist George Alice’s new EP details the pains one endures as a teenager, as its title rightfully suggests. “Growing Pains,” out Feb. 18, is the culmination of a project Alice has been working on from ages of 15 to 18. A lot can happen between those ages, which is typically a precious and vulnerable time. Alice captures her own experience of this time period in a way that lets you celebrate the person you’ve become while still looking back.
Growing Pains, comprised of eight tracks, is a collection of moments of heartbreak and love. The production is reminiscent of mid-2010s pop music and has this certain element that can be found in iconic pop albums such as Lorde’s Melodrama: the ability to take the sometimes harrowing teenage experience, and put it in an artform you can do nothing but dance to. The result is a cathartic experience that’s about dancing to the beat of a broken heart rather than wallowing in the hurt.
Alice began performing at 11 years old by busking at a country music festival. Her first single, “Circles,” won the Australian radio station triple j’s Unearthed High competition, where the radio hosts surprised her with the news at her school’s picture day. She was 17 at the time. Now almost 19 years old, she has an impressive resume that showcases her journey thus far.
Read below to learn more about George Alice’s pop music journey.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of your newest single, “Hold On,” which just came out in anticipation of the EP. How do you feel about the new releases?
ALICE: I’m super excited! I feel like I’ve been sitting on it all for a long time. I wrote “Hold On” when I was 15 and now I’m nearly 19. I’ve been holding onto it, and I feel like it’s my little baby and I’ve welcomed it into the world like, “Ok, I’m ready for you to go now.” I feel like the EP will [have] the exact same feeling — that it’ll be good to have it out and finally be moving forward and show[ing] people what I’ve been working on for the last million and one years.
LUNA: I heard that you got into music by busking at the age of 11. Can you tell me a bit about that?
ALICE: I actually went to a country music festival in New South Wales, because I didn’t have a busking license for Adelaide where I lived. I tried to get one, but I couldn’t get one — maybe because I was too young. So I went to this country music festival where they have an entire street full of buskers, and I went busking there for three days. I met some of my favorite artists at the time, which really freaked me out. It was super fun. You learn a lot by playing for people who you don’t really know if they’re listening or not, and it’s like a little game — whether you can catch their attention or not. And my parents were super supportive. My mom drove me all the way from Adelaide to Sydney to do it, which is a very long way. She’s dedicated. She’s Kris Jenner if I have ever seen her.
LUNA: Did you play original songs? Were you playing any instruments?
ALICE: Yeah, I was accompanying myself on guitar at that time. But I was doing covers, and because it was a country music festival and I wanted to be a country singer, I wanted to take over that scene. So I was singing covers of all the artists who were playing there. This one day I was singing a cover of this person’s song and they walked past me, and I lost my mind and was like, “Ok, keep the covers going.” So I just really dedicated myself to covers. And then when I grew up a little bit, I started doing the originals, but that was my little secret. I didn’t want anyone to know that I was trying to write songs.
LUNA: How did you transition from wanting to be in the country scene to making pop music?
ALICE: Growing up, everyone was obsessed with One Direction and Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. When I was younger, I was like, “Oh yeah, this is cool,” and I would freak out about Miley Cyrus and go to all those concerts with my friends. And no one was really listening to country music. I always thought it was a little secret, listening to country music and having that cool little niche. But I think I naturally grew up into it. Making this EP, I did whatever felt natural, and this is what felt natural. It’s a super easy segue from country music to pop music. I have no idea why or how, but Taylor Swift has done it — probably [in] the most famous way possible — so I feel like it’s just a natural way to do it, even though it’s two polar opposite ends of the scale. But it works!
LUNA: Going back to your newest EP, you said you’ve been writing it since you were 15 — now you’re 18. How has this music grown and changed with you over time?
ALICE: When I first set out to do this, I didn’t have a clear vision, and I was writing just to practice writing. The first song that I put out was the first song that I had properly written. It was a really cool experience, but I feel like I didn’t know enough. Since then, it’s just been a big bunch of experiences that I’ve been through from 15 until now. Without COVID and without sitting still for so long, I feel like I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to showcase every little stamp in my musical journey passport. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to show how much I’ve grown up since 15. It’s not necessarily the biggest reflection of where I am right now as an artist, but I feel like it’s super important to show where everything started from and the music I’m still playing at shows, and I feel like that’s still a huge part of me. This is my first step.
LUNA: What are the main feelings of the EP? If you could describe it as certain feelings or emotions, what would they be?
ALICE: I guess it comes across as heartbreak, but for me it was more so just growing up in high school. High school just wasn’t for me, and I didn’t really get on with people that well, and I just think of the feelings of being a teenager where you’re like, “Wow, everything really sucks,” but then also it doesn’t. Now, looking back, I think it’s definitely as said in the title of the EP Growing Pains — I think it’s exactly that. It’s just one big story about growing up and all the things you face when you’re growing up. How weird it can be, but also how beautiful it can be. Without all those things happening, you would never grow.
LUNA: Which song are you most excited about releasing on the EP?
ALICE: I was really excited for “Mid Years” because it was me jumping back into the pop world. It’s me coming out as 18 and saying that I’m doing different things than when I was 15 or 16 and showcasing that in a really cool light; showing the maturity behind it. There’s also one ballad on the EP that I’m really excited about. I started writing the choruses and verses when I was 14, and I was in high school sitting in a music room writing all these lyrics. Luckily, I was able to finish it last year. I’m excited about it. I feel like it shows another angle of what I’m doing.
LUNA: Do you have a favorite lyric that you’ve written for any song?
ALICE: There’s one in the ballad: “They always say that opposites attract / but I think that we’re the opposite of that.”
LUNA: What is your process of writing and producing your songs?
ALICE: I always start on the piano and focus on a top line, the lyrics, and melodies. Then I’ll stick with a producer and we’ll just go through references. I always have a playlist of references of my favorite music or songs that I want to sit in a similar lane to.
LUNA: Who are some of the references on your playlist?
ALICE: I really love Charli XCX. I love her so much. I referenced Lily Allen for a few songs. Remi Wolf — she always rocks. Literally anything from the ballad world is always Adele. And then, when it’s going into pop-star world, it’s almost touching hyperpop but still really pop. I feel like there’s something really cool about it. I love Kim Petras with my whole heart. I always reference Kim Petras.
LUNA: What’s next for you in the future?
ALICE: I’m always writing new stuff. I’m not set out to make a body of work or anything. Maybe in the future, but not yet. I’m focusing on playing shows where I can because we haven’t been able to do that heaps. I’ve only played a handful of shows in the last two years. I’d love to get back overseas and do some fun stuff overseas.
LUNA: Do you have a dream festival or city you’d want to play?
ALICE: I would really love to play Glastonbury one day. It’s always been my dream since I was little. My dad is from England, so I always chat to his friends when I see them about how one day we'll play Glastonbury.
CONNECT WITH GEORGE ALICE
SPOTIFY
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo -
-
RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
-
RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
