Alice on the roof On Lasemo Festival, Artistic Growth, And Industry Expectations

After her performance on the mainstage at Lasemo Festival, we caught up with Belgian artist Alice on the roof

You just played on the main stage. Lasemo is such a special festival with all its different worlds created. How did you find the vibe on stage today ?

It’s the first time I’ve played here at Lasemo! I really need to go explore because apparently there is a fire breather, I don’t want to miss that!

I played at 1pm which is quite unusual, I thought everyone was sleeping at that time of the day but no – they came and saw the set. It really is a family friendly festival and it is the kind of audience I really like. I was amazed to see so many people, it’s been a long time since I last played a gig.

This was the first time I got to see you live. Since the beginning of your career, you’ve followed a consistent artistic direction, which is really great. In the music industry, there is this toxic expectation, especially for women, that as an artist you always have to renew, do better. How do you experience it? Do you feel like you have to constantly fight against these huge expectations coming from the public?

It is a big thing when you’re an artist. For me, my first album helped me meet the public, and it was successful. And when you have this first success, writing the second album is a real challenge because you want your audience to still connect with you but at the same time you want to explore new things.

What I look for in an artist is a sort of renewal and new ideas. It’s a mix of all this, but what I find nice is that in Belgium the public gives us a lot of liberty, artists don’t need to be put in boxes. Even though sometimes my universe is a bit crazy, I always feel accepted as I am. It really gives you confidence to push to be yourself entirely.

When I first started, I did a lot of gigs in small venues and I really learned a lot doing it. I try as much as possible to keep the same mood in these little places as in the bigger ones. I try to be myself as much as possible even in front of so many people, it is extremely important for me. As soon as you are aligned with who you are, I feel like the connection with people is easier.  

On your song ‘Miroir, miroir,’ you discuss the feeling that you will never be able to live up to expectations, especially on social media. Is the song an answer to the pressure? What triggered the creation of this track ? 

Now that I am 31, I feel like I have a responsibility towards girls. I find it easier to be a singer now than 10 years ago, there’s less pressure to be perfect. I am not a model and it’s important to exist either way. When I was 22, 23 I was uncomfortable with myself and I wrote a lot about it, I was so sure it won’t ever change.

And now, the more I grow, the more I age, at some point you just let go of that pressure you put on yourself. When that clicks for you, you win so much time. I’ve made six videos for the release of the record, each time with a different hairstyle. Sometimes you can see my calves, and I never never show my calves, I hesitated about asking to cut it but I decided against it: you have to show regular calves.

I find the strength to do it because other artists do it, like Theodora. I am so glad she exists, it’s so refreshing to have this kind of example as a woman. You can create art and be normal. 

Was this easy to write or did the intimate subject matter make it more difficult?

When I sing it live, there’s a line where I second guess myself, “Pourquoi je m’aimes pas?” (Why don’t I love myself?). Sometimes I have this little voice that’s like a photograph of a thought. Even socially sometimes, I feel like I am not in the same headspace, I can be awkward. When I play live, I want to keep it real and keep this clumsy side of me. It’s important to accept every part of you and be gentle with yourself.

Your new album is entirely in French, your first language, compared to the two first ones that were in English. Why did you make this choice and what were the challenges?

Something clicked. On the second album I had dipped my toes in French with ‘La fille sur le toit,’ a mix of English and also French in the chorus. I was feeling this sense of honesty, writing and singing this part in French. It made me want to go further in the process, except that writing in french is not easy.

Singing in French forced me to go deeper in my feelings. Music has really helped me. As an introvert that doesn’t really like to complain or talk about feelings, writing in French sometimes really really freed me. There is this one song called ‘15 ans,‘ which I played today, that speaks about eating disorders. From 15 to 17, I dealt with bulimia, and I never talked about it with my family for example, but here at Lasemo in front of 8000 people it is not a problem at all.

Your last album, ‘Alice‘, has been out since last November, 6 years after the previous one. I am really curious to learn how projects are created. What is your process?

Each song is always a little bit different. In my case, it took a lot of time. I won’t be able to just record a song that someone wrote for me, I can’t do it anymore because it will not be true to what I feel, or what I experienced. I took the time to experience things, I’ve met a lot of new people to work on this album.

Among them is Albin De La Simone: you really need to go and discover him. He is so inspiring because all of his songs are wonders, every single time. He makes his life a piece of art, everything is subject for poetry: stories from his childhood, someone he met, a painting in a museum… he can write about anything. It makes me want to do the same, we can make everything beautiful and poetic, it’s a lot of practice and changing our perspective on life.

During these 6 years, there must have been some doubts. That’s what you narrate in ‘Tyrannosaure‘, a form of self-sabotage. Are you still doubting yourself? How do you cope with it?

I still doubt myself sometimes. I also said it during my set, each in their own way but from what I observe from others and from myself, sometimes you have a part of yourself that goes wild. And we know it, we know we’re doing something bad for us, it can be a mindset, or make yourself late, which is my speciality by the way. We know it’s lame but there is a force that pulls us, it’s a struggle you have to fight everyday. This Tyrannosaurus can be more or less big, depending on the moments. At the moment he’s little, because I meet a lot of nice people and I do things I enjoy. It really helps me.

You said that in Belgium you find yourself lucky because you don’t feel like you are closeted in one box. You follow your desire, you played in a musical comedy, you already had two roles in indie films. What do these experiences bring to you that music doesn’t?

It brought so much. In this kind of career you can easily lose touch with reality, it allows me to do other things in which I am not the center of. I played in a musical comedy called ‘Le suppositoire qui voulait échapper à sa destinée’ and I’ve discovered a lot during 3 weeks of playing, it’s a routine I did not know at all. I was surrounded by professional theatre actors, whom I don’t get to connect with usually. I observed a lot, how they played, how they worked. I kept it and now when I have to talk on stage I am more comfortable than before I went through these different paths.

Are there any other artistic fields you want to explore?

There is one thing that frustrates me because I want to but I don’t have the capacity: I can’t dance at all. I am so frustrated, it must be so awesome to be able to express things with your body. But you have to do sports and that’s my limit. Another thing is drawing, but I feel like you have the talent or not and I can’t draw. I’d love to paint but I still have a lot to learn. 

While on the way to the festival I listened to the album again from top to bottom in the car; I really imagine this being a good backing track to a road trip. When you were happy with the record, and ready to put it out, were you imagining an ideal place or moment for it to be listened to for the first time?

I discovered recently the joy of having a record player. I was getting so many records from friends that I had to buy one. It’s so nice, putting it on, standing up to change sides, it’s so enjoyable. When you create your own record you have to think about where you want to cut the first side, because there is a time limit. 

I think it’s the kind of album to listen to in a calm environment, you get to understand the lyrics. But I really hope it can be carried everywhere.

Listen to ‘Alice’ here:

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