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.
Red
Alice Phoebe Lou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw him tread, one step more
Gets out of bed, he feels me dread
His dreams are dead, money makes him poor
He's been mislead
Life's flown overhead
Overhead
There's a bird trapped in his head but he ignores it instead
And his spirit has long fled and now he is hard to the core
She could have lead him to the rich sky
Wonders why she's not around anymore
He's been mislead
Life's flown overhead
Overhead
Overhead, oh
He said I can lead you to the red sky
If you just stop asking why
If you just stop asking why
If you just stop asking why
Why
And I said I will reach deep down inside
And stare with you ahead and give you all my red
And put it in your head and in your heart
And I will part and you will stay
But I will still dream of one day
Might not be so far away
Might not be so far away
(So far away)
In "Red", Alice Phoebe Lou paints a vivid picture of a man who is trapped in the monotony of his day-to-day life. The opening line, "The sky was red, he stared ahead," sets the scene for a sense of unease as she observes the man's presence. The color red is often associated with intense emotions like anger, passion, or danger; in this case, it creates a sense of foreboding. As the song progresses, Alice delves into the emotions and thoughts of the man, describing how he feels dread about his routine and how he has been misled by the promises of money. His dreams are dead, and he has become hard to the core. Meanwhile, a bird is trapped in his head, representing his thoughts and feelings that he ignores.
Despite his struggles, the man offers to lead Alice to the "red sky," which may symbolize reaching his dreams or goals. However, Alice responds that she will give him all of her "red," her passion and creativity, and will dream of one day achieving her own goals. This response suggests that while the man has been misled and has lost his spirit, Alice still has hope that she can find her own way to the red sky.
Overall, "Red" is a poignant and evocative song that speaks to the struggles many people face in modern society. It highlights the importance of pursuing one's passions and remaining connected to a sense of purpose and meaning, even when faced with adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
The sky was red, he stared ahead
He looked ahead at the red sky
I saw him tread, one step more
I saw him take one more step
Gets out of bed, he feels me dread
He gets out of bed and I feel fearful
His dreams are dead, money makes him poor
He has given up on his dreams and money has made him poor
He's been mislead
He has been led astray
Life's flown overhead
Life has passed him by
Overhead
Above him
Overhead, oh
Above him, oh
There's a bird trapped in his head but he ignores it instead
He has a creative idea in his head but chooses to ignore it
And his spirit has long fled and now he is hard to the core
He has lost his spirit and become emotionally hardened
She could have lead him to the rich sky
She could have helped him reach his potential
Wonders why she's not around anymore
He wonders why she is no longer in his life
He said I can lead you to the red sky
He promised to take her to the beautiful sky
If you just stop asking why
If she stops questioning him
And I said I will reach deep down inside
She promised to help him find his true self
And stare with you ahead and give you all my red
She will share her passion and creativity with him
And put it in your head and in your heart
She will help him find inspiration and emotional fulfillment
And I will part and you will stay
She will leave, but he will stay with her support
But I will still dream of one day
She will continue to dream of a better future
Might not be so far away
It may be closer than they think
Might not be so far away
It may be closer than they think
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Alice Phoebe Lou
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?