Alicia DC: “We could always innovate pop a bit more”
With a buttery, jazz-inflected voice and a playful, genre-agnostic approach, singer-songwriter Alicia DC’s quietly made a name over the past couple of years with her intricate brand of quirky, whimsical pop. Emerging last year with the EP ‘Maybe’, and now a family member of R&B label PK Records, the singer-songwriter from Yong Siew Toh is looking to shake things up more, with their February release ‘Lovergirl’ expanding her already genre-agnostic horizons. A previous performer at our B-4 performance series, and having recently joining the likes of the New Mongrels imprint alongside artists including CURB, Benny’s, 730Bedside and more, Big Duck sat down with her earlier this year to find out a little about the record, self-growth, and future plans.
Words by Nadra Ahmad
Photos by Wen Wen Lynn (@headnospace)
It’s been a long time since my last interview – knowing how sharp pop personalities go, I load up the Google call from the other side of the world, mentally prepping for the worst. But before I know it, the encounter feels easy; every day and familiar in the best way possible. Like her music, Alicia DC is a breath of fresh air, all while being strikingly warm and down-to-earth. “I don’t have that many crazy experiences that I have to release cathartically in the form of music,” she notes with a slight smile. “I’m lucky enough to not have to deal with people who are like, big red flags or something.”
Despite the assurance of normalcy, Alicia’s music is far from mundane: beginning her career in 2020 and recently emerging with a couple of EPs, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter has slowly made a name for herself with an eclectic, playful brand of pop music. Perhaps listeners can attribute the polish to her conservatory training – she currently pursues classical composition at NUS’ Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, with a background in piano and voice – but the singer-songwriter is quick to describe herself as being beyond her roots.
“I enjoy learning from multiple fields,” she explains – and a quick listen to her quirky pop cuts reveals her wide array of influences, intricately weaving genres and styles while retaining a distinct earwormy sensibility. Produced as part of a mentorship with veterans weish and Isa Ong, her debut last year, Maybe, presented her R&B crooning together with glistening electronic production and a jazz-tinged sensibility, from the astute upright bass on tracks like ‘bbb’ to graceful piano solos on ‘Get Out’.
On her February EP, Lovergirl, she continues that playful streak, all while broadening her capabilities as a songwriter and producer. Compared to the jazz-pop she brought to the table on Maybe, its brief 13-minute successor delivers a funkier synthpop edge, injecting her existing R&B with a potent dose of nocturnal atmosphere. From the bouncy bass of 00s-inspired '“Always”, to the melancholy fuzz of dream pop closer “Be Mine”, Lovergirl sees Alicia working with a broader range of sounds.
“I guess there’s been a shift in my way of writing, and it’s obvious both in and out of school,” she says. “In school, I used to start out with really technical things – not that what I’m doing isn’t technical – but I’m more focused on things like colours rather than rhythms, or how complex it is. I went from small to big picture.” Lovergirl’s sound design reflects that newfound emphasis on mood, teeming with glistening synths and well-engineered reverbs.
Those sonic characteristics are marks of her newfound engagement with production, with the EP being her first entirely self-produced endeavour. “I produced the first EP by myself, but once I put it in the hands of my mentors, it was more like 50% was my own production and 50% was Isa putting his new spin on it. weish would give me some tips on how to sing certain parts better,” she explains. “But this EP was fully produced by me. Instead of recording live instruments, I would program the drums myself.”
Alongside production matters, Alicia’s grown lyrically too since her last record. If Maybe was a portrait of the young musician’s coming-of-age, then Lovergirl is a diverse collage of sensations and experiences, lovingly cut from the lives of the people around her. Looking outside herself and moving beyond introversion, Alicia’s songwriting process has become a form of connection and understanding. “Personally, there’s only one topic in my life right now, and that’s self-growth. So sometimes when I want to write about topics I don’t relate to, I interview people about their lives,” she says.
Opener “I’m No Angel” is a daring example, its dangerous flighty edge standing as far as Alicia’s understated demeanour as one could imagine. There, DC matches her whispery vocals with a sensual combo of lush synths, metallic brass stabs, and plucky snaps: “Hop into your race car / Yeah I wanna take a joyride,” she sings breathily. When asked if the song was an attempt to embody a new self, she laughs in reply.
“Okay, okay, it wasn’t me,” Alicia giggles.“I was actually embodying the persona of someone in my life. There are people who are there for you… and there are people who are the complete opposite. I had to think, what sort of person is this person who would just fly away at any moment? And I would list down a few things: travel, racecar, pick-up lines, hookups – like, a very free and confident character. And then I describe various scenarios before translating them to a lyrical format,” she elaborates.
Her gift at elevating the mundane rears its head across the EP. Working in the spirit of her 2022 track “Get Out”, the track “Always” condenses her “exasperation with her social circle” into two minutes of groovy funk fun. “I was just thinking like, man, I just want friends who are there for me,” she confesses with a sigh. “I do have friends who are there for me, it’s just sometimes they’re not always there. Which is a very normal happening, I just wanted to try dramatising it in a songwriting format.”
But although much of Alicia’s music-making process involves her scribbling lyrics on a notepad or adjusting EQs on a laptop, she has no interest in being behind the scenes. Performing in choir and bands throughout her formative years, the singer-songwriter’s dedication to live music has grown with time: with community, connection, and mutual exchange becoming as much a part of the music as personal expression. Recently becoming affiliated with R&B-focused label and collective PK Records, Alicia’s begun performing live with a full band, bringing a fuller version of her music to life beyond her solo performances.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to perform with a few bands. Performing with a band is really cool, because you always hear your song reimagined,” she reminisces. “Especially when you just give them the lead sheet. When I get to hear people being really good with arrangements and being able to improvise over what I give them, it transforms a song completely. It’s always a very fun and enlightening experience for me.”
With this view forward in mind, I present her with one last question as our conversation finishes.
“What do you hope to bring to pop music?,” I ask.
She ponders for a moment, before giving an answer tentatively. “I would like to bring new pop music to the scene, if that makes sense. Conventional pop music sounds really good – it can sound very good when performed by people with absolutely beautiful voices but, you know. We could always innovate a bit more,” she elaborates, steadily growing more resolute. “There are so many kinds of music out there.”