“Girl With No Face” delves head first into questions on identity. Photo courtesy of MassLive.
EMMA MCLEAN | CULTURE CO-EDITOR | emclean@butler.edu
Canadian-born indie-pop singer Allie X has captivated audiences since the mid-2000s with her eclectic, genre-blending sound and bold artistic vision. Known for her meld of dark pop, electronic influences and cinematic storytelling, Allie X has evolved from a Toronto-based songwriter to an internationally recognized artist.
With critically acclaimed past projects such as “CollXtion I”, “Super Sunset” and “Cape God”, she has earned a reputation for pushing musical boundaries. On Feb. 23, Allie X released her newest album, “Girl With No Face” with the deluxe version following on Oct. 31. Allie X’s “Weird World Tour” visits The Vogue in Indianapolis on Nov. 18.
Ahead of her show, Allie X spoke with The Butler Collegian about the art of performing and trusting the process.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN: Your newest album, “Girl With No Face”, is in the limelight on this tour. How does it feel to be performing your new music to fans around the world?
ALLIE X: It feels like live shows really complete the circle of an album. It’s almost like you don’t really know what a song is until you put it out into the world and perform it live. It becomes something you share with your fans. On this tour I’ve been singing my song “Fresh Laundry”, which is the first time I’ve shared it with an audience since it came out … It’s amazing singing it with the fans.
TBC: Do you still get nervous before performances?
AX: Always at least a little bit. My tummy always gets sore before I go on stage. That anxiety usually leans toward excitement once I’m [performing].
TBC: Is there a particular song from your discography that stands out to you as a turning point in your career?
AX: My song “Bitch”. It was the third song I released as Allie X. It was largely misunderstood [and] not very popular when it was released in 2014. It was the first song I wrote and produced myself that I released, and over the last 10 years, has become my most popular and “viral” [song]. It’s a good reminder of not chasing hits and just trusting in my instincts.
TBC: You have a wildly impressive and dynamic voice, and you’ve used it to explore a variety of musical styles. Is there a genre or sound you’re still eager to explore in the future that you haven’t yet?
AX: Probably something more low-key, and maybe something more soulful at some point. But neither comes naturally to me, so [it] would depend on collaborators.
TBC: Any dream collaborations?
AX: It’s mostly producers that I want to work with. Maybe the French band, Air.
TBC: How do you take an idea or feeling and funnel it into a full song?
AX: For my process, it’s important to let a song breathe, to let it write itself and [to] trust in the divine side of things — wait for the muse, as it were. That being said, you also need plenty of discipline. It’s the combination of the two that really works for me. On this record, which I wrote almost completely by myself, it was necessary to walk away from things and sometimes leave months or even years to finish the songs when I reached a block in the writing process.
TBC: A lot of your music has a very cinematic quality. Do you think in terms of visuals and imagery when you’re creating music, or do those elements come later in the process?
AX: I do usually think of visuals at maybe the 50% point [in making] the music. I like to start to conceptualize and make references at that point — it always informs musical decisions too.
TBC: You’re in part known for your bold, eclectic sense of style. How much does that aspect feed into your artistic expression?
AX: Fashion is fun and like armor for me. It is protective and seems to attract the right people and repel the wrong people.
TBC: On your “Weird World Tour”, you’ll be visiting Indianapolis on Nov. 18. Have you ever performed in Indianapolis before?
AX: I’ve never performed in Indianapolis before. I stayed overnight there once! If I’m being honest, unless I have a day off, I don’t really see or explore any cities. It’s straight to the venue, to the hotel to try to sleep.
TBC: Is there anything else you would like to tell our Indianapolis readership?
AX: I live for the gays.
