Chatting with Alex ahead of her new single
Hailing from Torquay, singer songwriter Alex Pye graces listeners with her unequivocally Aussie sound inspired by the likes of Missy Higgins and Kate Miller-Heidke. Amid her studies and day job, Alex re-embraced her songwriting talents throughout 2020 and is coming out with a new single that’s slated to drop soon. We at Forte decided to sit down and have a chat with her about her story, inspirations and what listeners can come to expect from her sound.
Tell us about your journey into music. When did you start singing/playing guitar, and what inspired you to pursue it?
My mum played the guitar when she was younger, so there was always a guitar around the house. I would pick it up from a young age but it would never sound good… thankfully my mum soon realized I was playing her right-handed guitar upside down! I have this distinct memory of being about ten and going to the Port Fairy Folk Festival (an annual experience since I was at the age of two). When I was sitting on my little beach chair in one of the tents, I could sense this very strange feeling. It was almost like I really didn’t like the people up on the stage who were playing music. I soon came to realise it was a massive sense of jealousy that I was feeling! So little ten year old me made a pact to myself that when I got home, I would pick up mum’s guitar and play it until it sounded good. Every day after school I would try my hardest to play that guitar right-handed but it was too painful. I waited until Christmas that year to get a very old nylon stringed left handed guitar and boy was I happy!
Move ahead six years and I was playing my very own songs in pubs and bars around Melbourne! When I was eighteen I recorded my first EP and I was nineteen when my second EP came out.
Sadly, when I turned twenty, something just switched off. I lost the passion, gave up on my dream of playing music, went to university and became busy with working and mundane things. Looking back, I don’t think I knew myself like I did when I was sixteen. I kind of lost myself and was battling coming to terms with my sexuality.
However, moving up four years, it’s 2020 and I find myself being in lockdown in a house that has a beautiful old piano. With not much else to do, I started playing some chords (what I think are chords as I never learnt to play) and not long after I wrote a song! It was two years since I’d written anything I had liked, let alone finished! I was hooked once again and haven’t looked back since!
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How would you describe your sound and where do you want to take it? Who are your musical influences?
I would describe my sound as raw but rich. I was once described as the music baby of Missy Higgins and Kate Miller-Heidke, which is a bit random but I love those two artists so I’ll go with that! I want my sound to keep evolving, I love learning new instruments and playing around with sounds. For now as it’s just me and my guitar, my sound is very acoustic. I’ve always loved simple songs so I’m happy with how things are sounding at the moment but I would love to get some bass and drums happening in the future! As for musical influences, I would have to say… Kate Miller – Heidke, Paul Kelly, Courtney Barnett, the Waifs, Shane Howard, Missy Higgins and Neil Young. I’m a bit of an Aussie music fan.”
For many artists, music often plays a big role in self-discovery and progression and learning to love and accept themselves. Tell us about your experience? Is that something that music has done for you?
A hundred percent music has helped me figure out who I am as a person and has helped me to learn and grow. When I wasn’t playing music, I was a very lost person, had no idea who I was and felt so far from the girl I was when I was playing music. Music felt foreign to me and I wasn’t sure how to get back to being that person I was. In 2019 I started to notice changes in myself and I became fully aware and comfortable with my sexuality, which led me back to who I was when I was playing music. I think that if I didn’t come to love all parts of myself, I may never have gotten back into music.
On that note, in recent times, we’ve seen an increase in artists being unapologetically themselves – and we’re loving it. Do you have any role models/inspirations within this space?
I absolutely love Thelma Plum, I think she is just so insanely cool. G Flip, Courtney Barnett and Kate Miller-Heidke also come to mind.
What’s been the biggest challenge/hurdle to overcome with actively pursuing your music in recent times?
Being able to juggle everything. I work part time and study full time, so music can sometimes be hard to manage. But because of lockdown, I was able to find the time for music and really focus on it which was the best thing for me!
We had a cheeky stalk of your Instagram and noticed a lot of beautiful acoustic covers – from Fleetwood Mac to Avril Lavigne. What do you love about doing covers?
Thank you! The thing that I love about covers is that it reminds me of being ten years old and learning the guitar. Learning covers inspires me to learn more on the guitar or any instrument. I love the freedom of putting your own twist to a cover as well and it just takes off a bit of pressure that I put on myself with songwriting.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently recording a single that I hope to release this year! With the recording studios being closed due to the pandemic, I’ve bought my own recording gear so I’ve been keeping myself busy with creating arrangements and teaching myself the basics of recording. It’s been a lot of fun!
Lastly, if you could perform alongside any artist, who would it be?
Missy Higgins! She’s just so incredible and always been such an inspiration to young female artists.
Alex Pye’s next single ‘Beer in my Belly’ is set to drop soon, but in the meantime be sure to check out her Instagram, Bandcamp and Soundcloud!
