She is overwhelmingly humble and understated despite her unique musical genius. Her voice has depth and soul that touches a chord instantly. Hailing from indigenous Australian ancestry that has astounding similarities with many Indian cultures, singer-songwriter Alice Skye is emerging as one of Australia’s dazzling young music icons.
While her debut album ‘Friends with Feelings’ received several accolades, Alice was honoured as the inaugural recipient of the prestigious ‘First Peoples Emerging Artist Award.’ The soft-spoken 22-year-old shares her artistic conviction pivoted on unapologetic individuality .
How conducive has living in Melbourne been for you as a musician?
Melbourne is a great city for music with so much going on everywhere. The city offers many venues to promote its musical diversity. This can be overwhelming when you come from outside.
Where do you find your niche in this overwhelming diversity?
My music is about what I am currently feeling and since I’ve lived in Melbourne for the past five years, environment plays a role in my writing and the same goes for when I am back home in the country, but that is very subtle.
Tell us about yourself.
I am Victorian Aboriginal and my family is Wergaia and Wemba Wemba. These are two different clans from different regions within Victoria. A lot of our music is oral , especially from my family. A lot of the indigenous music of Victoria would be song-lines, vocal repertoire passed down the generations, since each song tells a story.
What forms the foundation of your music? Do you have indigenous influences in your music?
I honestly don’t know under what genre my music falls, but the most essential part of it, are the words, the focal point around which the melody is composed. In terms of sound, but for the lyrical content, identity is a big thing for me as is for several other young indigenous people. We are re-carving our identities and want to sing about it. The lyrics are to some extent influenced by indigenous thoughts and I have to tell those stories. Instrumentation-wise it’s my piano.
What languages do you compose in? Your efforts to preserve indigenous languages have been commended
I am working hard to learn my native language. In Australia we have around 350 indigenous languages. I have two different languages in my family, one that was well-preserved, and the other a bit more broken and not currently spoken. I am trying hard to learn them so that I can sing in both languages eventually. We have some special recordings of my grandmother speaking the language.
What do you aim to achieve through this current work?
I never pictured myself doing music as something that I’d get paid for or travel for, which I am so thankful to be getting to do. I want to further myself and gain more confidence in the industry.
Any new albums and tours?
I released my first album two months ago. Along with visiting Darwin in the North, I do have some international projects later this year.
Any modern influences on your music?
I listen to a lot of piano-based music, especially female masters like the great British musician Joan Armatrading, Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins whom I idolised when I was young and even pianist-singer Regina Spektor.
Do you consider your music the voice of your soul?
It is straight from my heart and I try to be as honest as I can.
