by pankhuri bhutani
photo courtesy of ivy-lee
Born into a multicultural family which supported her interest to explore and be open-minded, Ivy-Lee’s knack for music really started when she was just a little girl jamming and dancing to Atomic Kitten and Hilary Duff. From that time a star was born, at just eight years old Ivy-Lee wrote her first song.
Recently releasing her debut single “If I Fall,” Ivy-Lee is the freshest face to join the world of electronic-pop music. We recently had an insightful chat with Ivy-Lee about her music journey!
Hi there Ivy-Lee. So lovely to have you over at Unclear! How has the start of this year been going for you?
Ivy-Lee: “Hello! Thank you so much for having me! I honestly can’t believe we’re in March already… So much has happened this year and I am super excited about how things are going.”
Is there anything that you’re currently doing in order to maintain your creativity during times like these?
Ivy-Lee: “Honestly, I have about 100 hobbies going on at one time, so my brain is always buzzing! I like to keep myself busy whether it’s going on a bike ride cruising around my city, progressing myself through my figure skating hobby, connecting and catching up with likeminded people and listening to artists who inspire me. I think having goals and being inspired by influential people around me helps keep me excited and gets me in the mood for creating!”
You recently marked your debut with your first single “If I Fall.” Huge congratulations on that! Are you enjoying the response you have been receiving from the listeners so far?
Ivy-Lee: “Yes! I am beyond excited that it’s out! Being my first song release, I didn’t know what to expect and I was just happy for my friends and family to enjoy the track. Bianca from Renegade Records is AH-MAZING and has helped me to connect with people in industry I never would’ve imagined.”
How did the songwriting process go for this track? Where did you garner your inspiration from?
Ivy-Lee: “So, I moved to Sydney to work as a graphic designer for Uber when I was about 21, and it was super daunting, but I was wanting to get my foot in the door and ‘find myself’ as they say. I remember not having done much with music at all, so I teamed up with a few people and joined a punk band which got the ball rolling. We found a local studio which we would meet up with for rehearsals and one day I just decided to head there by myself and come up with something, anything.
I would listen to instrumental tracks on YouTube and just sing random melodies to tracks I liked, then I came up with the theming of the song which was about how I was feeling at that point in time in my phone notes. I remember writing the phrases ‘loosing myself in this big city’ and ‘being taken advantage of’ and ‘If I fall, please don’t let me go’ just kept coming up. Eventually put words to paper about where my head was at.”
What was the creative process like with this single? Did you face any kind of challenge during the production stage of the project?
Ivy-Lee: “I dabbled a lot myself in GarageBand to make it an electronic vibe. I am terrible at production though which is something I want to work on. I had about three iterations of the song but left it sitting there for about two to three years because I came back to Adelaide and got a full-time job. I was linked up with Jethro by a friend and I heard his music, I knew I had to get it properly produced! I honestly just was very specific of the sound I was looking for and Jethro made it happen.”
Now that you have officially made your debut, what are the top three things on your bucket list regarding your future years?
Ivy-Lee: “I would love to release an EP by this year — if not early next year. I would love the chance to either guest play or play at a smallish festival with my originals. Third one would be to keep building my experience and connections, I’ve already made some great connections through this process and I’m excited to meet more people in the industry who inspire me.”
Lastly, is there any message that you wish to give to your fans reading this interview right now?
Ivy-Lee: “Eeek! I just feel super lucky to have you listen and appreciate my work and story! Thank you so much for your support, and please stay tuned for future music from me!”