Her independent approach to her music has given the singer-songwriter a creative confidence that shines through in her captivating vocals and stripped back music. Having developed her bluesy, folk sound busking on the streets of Berlin, she has caught the ears of a community of music lovers the world over with her honest storytelling and raw, beautiful voice.
She grew up on a mountainside in South Africa listening to her parent's records and indulging her love of theatre, arts and music at a local Waldorf school; a formative time that nurtured her independence and desire to experience music of all styles. This multi-faceted creative upbringing mixed with Alice's natural wanderlust and in 2010, 16-year-old Alice made her first journey to Europe during her summer break from school. Inspired by watching fire dancers in Paris, she began to perform likewise to get enough money to fund her travelling.
That summer she roamed between Paris and Amsterdam; experiencing the highs and lows of street performances' underbelly. This vagabond lifestyle was a creative inspiration and gave her an enduring taste for the immediacy of street crowds. After returning to South Africa to complete her studies, her path led her back to Europe and she made her way to the German capital - Berlin. The freedom of the city was intoxicating and she immersed herself in the creative world there.
She began busking across Berlin with just her guitar, a small amplifier on a trolley and her mesmerising voice. Her natural talent and captivating delivery started to garner a cult street following with people coming to see her busk and buy her records. The uncompromising creative community of Berlin also helped Alice grow musically and she collaborated with acoustic, jazz and electronic musicians; including multi-instrumentalist Matteo who quickly became Alice's live performance companion. Soon she self-released her first body of work - the Momentum EP - her first collaborative effort recorded between Berlin and Cape Town with five different producers. Although by now interest was sparked with several major labels, her desire to maintain the creative freedom she had fostered kept her focus on growing her digital community of loyal fans and imagining ever more interesting settings for her intimate live shows
Now having spent two years playing intimate gigs across Europe and South Africa, and supporting established like-minded artists like Rodriguez, 2016 saw her releasing her first full length studio album. Orbit comprises nine jazz-influenced, eclectic tracks recorded between Cape Town and Berlin that encapsulate the freshness of her live style, vagabond spirit and showcase her distinctive, soprano voice. Produced by Matteo and Kyson, the album is a testament to Alice's collaborative way of writing and features musicians from South Africa and Europe lending their musical skills and different visual artists producing art works to match each track. The result is an intricately woven pattern of soul, blues and jazz: scattered with retro, beatnik melodies; soothing vocal harmonies and sleazy brass flourishes.
Amsterdam
Alice Phoebe Lou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sit by the magic tree
Singing songs of the wise and the free
And the bike slipped from beneath my drunken weight
And my body it became the tar's evening bait
But none of this is fate
And I've crawled through the bushes and spiders and thorns
I'm just an innocent outlaw
But I know that it's good that I'm doing this for
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
And my limbs have danced for the Amsterdam sunrise
With not one restriction and not one disguise
Monotony is what I despise
Integration to society would be my demise
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
It's all lies
The lyrics of Alice Phoebe Lou's song "Amsterdam" speak to the experience of being free-spirited and rejecting societal norms. The dreadlocked man singing songs of the wise and the free represents a way of life that is outside the mainstream. The singer describes slipping off their bike while drunk, and feeling like they have become the tar's bait – a metaphor for feeling stuck and trapped. This part of the lyrics suggests the singer may be struggling with the consequences of their choices, but they do not believe in fate.
Next, the singer describes crawling through bushes and thorns to delve beyond the festival's celebration core. They describe themselves as an innocent outlaw who is doing good, though it is not explicitly stated what that means. The repetition of "it's all lies" throughout the song suggests that the singer is pushing back against the status quo and rejecting societal expectations. They do not want to be integrated into society because they believe it would be their demise. Instead, they celebrate the freedom to dance at sunrise without restriction or disguise.
Overall, the lyrics of "Amsterdam" convey a sense of rebellion against societal norms and the desire for freedom of expression. The singer celebrates a way of life that is unconcerned with what others think or expect of them. At the same time, they acknowledge that there may be consequences to their choices, but they do not believe in fate or predestination.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen the dreadlocked man
I've encountered a man with dreadlocks
Sit by the magic tree
He was sitting close to a famous landmark known as the magic tree
Singing songs of the wise and the free
He was singing some captivating tunes about freedom and wisdom
And the bike slipped from beneath my drunken weight
I lost control of my bike due to my intoxication
And my body it became the tar's evening bait
I was at risk of getting hit by a car
But none of this is fate
However, I don't believe everything happens for a reason
And I've crawled through the bushes and spiders and thorns
I've made my way through a difficult path
To delve beyond the barrier of the celebration core
To break free from the mainstream way of celebrating
I'm just an innocent outlaw
I don't intend to cause harm; I just don't abide by the societal systems in place
But I know that it's good that I'm doing this for
Nonetheless, I believe me doing things differently is good for me
It's all lies
I do not believe in the status quo
And my limbs have danced for the Amsterdam sunrise
I've celebrated life in the morning after a night out
With not one restriction and not one disguise
Harmless and authentic
Monotony is what I despise
I can't stand routine
Integration to society would be my demise
I don't want to conform to societal norms by any means necessary
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joaquim António Gonzaga
on Orbit
One foot on the pavement and one foot in the milky way
And I’m soaring
Soaring
My branches scrape the sea of stars
My roots dig deep into this world of ours
And I’m grounded
Grounded
My reality is what I perceive
What I attract into my orbit
Worries fade into the haze
The air feels different this time round
Different this time round
Let’s set sail
Start a fire
Learn to live a little higher
Let’s pick the lock
Grab the reigns
Forget there ever were chains
Cause there never were chains
Days move on and times they change
In a blink of an eye things rearrange
We’re moving
Moving
We’re sucked in and we’re spat out
On the other side of the rabbit hole
But we find our way
Find our way
Do you want to be just a machine in this crazy society?
Pick the lock
Grab the reigns
Forget there ever were chains
Cause there never were chains
Eva Magro
on Deep Blue Sea
Where are the lyrics of this song? PLEAAAASSEEEE :)
Gretchen Jansen
on Berlin Blues
Heat ruffled up my feathers
and it barked on up my tree
when suddenly it seemed
all the fingers were pointing on up at me
and the footsteps in the sand
were all getting washed up by the sea
to leave me, in stitches,
bursting at the seams, bursting at the seams
when the sun came out to greet me
I only saw the wools from my dreams
this is my Berlin blues song
sometimes life can get a little wrong
but it won't be long
cause it just makes me strong
and there is a place where we one day will dwell
where there's no more walking on egg shells
where ideas are for free
oh it's the place to be
oh great minds no longer the minority
and I'll see you there with your hands in the air
where the canvas is bare and there's no more despair
and your third eye will stare
nothing can compare
where there's not one care
and I'll see you there
I'll see you there
I'll see you there
I'll see you there
I'll see you there
This is my Berlin blues song
sometimes life can get a little wrong
but it won't be long
cause it just makes me strong
and there is a place where we one day will dwell
where there's no more walking on egg shells
where ideas are for free
oh it's the place to be
oh great minds no longer the minority
and I'll see you there with your hands in the air
where the canvas is bare and there's no more despair
and your third eye will stare
nothing can compare
where there's not one care
and I'll see you there
I'll see you there
I'll see you there
I'll see you there
This is my Berlin blues song
sometimes life can get a little wrong
but it won't be long
cause it just makes me strong
Gabs Pasten
on Grey
Calm the fuck down
and unclenge your fist
I cant see you through the mist
How did it come to this?
Whipe the tears from inside your head
your eyes are looking dead
Was it something i said?
Take back those words Im not as strong as I look
its my soul that you shook
and my heart that you took
Leave me in my misery,
hopefully i'll forget you some day
I cant stay, I have to stop my soul's decay
You've taken all my dignity
its clear to me that this aint child's play
I'll be on my way
Before my world turns gray
Hey, hey you, yes you standing there
Is this is pain, would you give me care?
Hey, hey you, yes you with the smile
Would you take me under your wing for a while?