Author: David James Young

NME

The old adage goes that you have a lifetime to write your first album and three months to write your second. But Kita Alexander has never been one for convention. The Australian pop artist penned all of the songs on her debut album, ‘Young In Love’, over a cumulative four weeks. Given they were collectively forged in a whirlwind, it took Alexander a moment to assess exactly what she had created – and how to tie it all together with a single phrase.

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“I came out the other side of it going, ‘what did I just write?’,” she says. “I was going through these songs, because I really wanted to grab a couple of words from one of the songs to get a title. We came up with a lot of cool ones, but it just wasn’t encapsulating the body of work I’d created. When I found ‘young in love’ in ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’, it all fell into place.”

The title was perfect. After all, she’d forged a collection of songs that lyrically drew from the last decade of her life – in which the Brisbane native married retired pro surfer Owen Wright and became a mother of two before she turned 30. “I was creating this life outside of music that became my number one, and still is,” she says. “Everyone that knows me knows I will drop everything in a heartbeat to look after my family. By naming the album ‘Young In Love’, I basically mapped the whole thing out in reverse.”

With its broad sonic palette, Alexander describes ‘Young in Love’ as an album where “each song has its own little world”. From the brassy, confident pop of ‘Queen’ to the pensive bedroom-indie of ‘I Never Really Knew You’, the album impresses with its versatility – and its list of collaborators.

Former Evermore drummer turned pop producer/songwriter Dann Hume, with whom Alexander worked on her double-platinum 2017 single ‘Hotel’, gave her crucial advice. “He once told me that you’ve got to let songs be what they want to be,” she says. “You can try as hard as you want to make it something else, but then it loses its essence. There were definitely times on this record where I tried to change a handful of songs completely. Every single time, we ended up reverting back to the way it was.”

Alexander is not using the royal ‘we’, but referring to the village that raised ‘Young In Love’. Collaborators included Andy and Thom Mak, Konstantin Kersting and Shungudzo Kuyimba – whose collective CV spans some of the biggest names in pop, both in Australia and abroad. “I am all about collaborating,” says Alexander. “I used to really fight back against it. My idea was the best one, and that was that. Nowadays, there’s this beautiful ebb and flow.”

“If you want me on your song, fucking talk to me!”

Perhaps the most surprising name on the album’s list of collaborators is Morgan Evans – a Newcastle-born singer-songwriter who has lately become Australia’s biggest country music export. When Alexander’s A&R suggested he duet on her then-new song ‘Date Night’, however, she was blissfully unaware of his superstardom. “I definitely went in pretty naïve – I just kind of asked out of nowhere, not realising how big he was,” she recalls. “Thankfully, he was into it – and, as it turned out, he was a fan of Owen’s.”

‘Date Night’, which racked up millions of streams upon its release last July, isn’t the only collaborative Kita Alexander hit with an Owen Wright connection. He’d floated the idea that she work with his mate, the megastar DJ Fisher. “Fish said he was interested – but I just took that to mean he was being polite,” says Alexander. “I mean, I’m his mate’s wife, y’know?

“One time when he was over, I grilled him for about ten minutes about what kind of songs he wanted to make, what inspired him – stuff like that. He said that no-one had really asked him those questions before, and so when I sent him a bunch of top-lines for a new song I already had an idea which one he’d really like.”

“There’s ups and downs, but being young and in love are two things that coexist beautifully”

While in Bali, Fisher played the ‘Atmosphere’ demo to another Aussie mate – a bloke by the name of Chris Hemsworth, who deemed it a smash-hit on sight. (“I’ve never really name-dropped like that before,” Alexander laughs. “I don’t know if I should, but why not?”) Upon returning, Fisher asked Alexander to write a second verse. “I asked how big of a rush he was in,” she recalls. “Classic Fish: He says ‘oh, no rush – I just want to play it in my set at Coachella in a few weeks.’”

The rest, as they say, is history. Seventy-six million Spotify streams and counting, plus a further five million YouTube views, have made ‘Atmosphere’ one of the biggest songs in both artist’s repertoires. The cake was iced this past January when ‘Atmosphere’ charted at number 14 in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2023 – marking Alexander’s first time ever in the countdown.

An influx of producers, songwriters, beatmakers and DJs have flooded Alexander’s DMs since the success of ‘Atmosphere’. She has one request for these people: give her five minutes of your time. “That’s all I ask!” she says. “Get on a Zoom with me. Let me ask you a couple of questions. That way, I can know what you want – whether it’s a sad dance song, or a party song or whatever. If you want me on your song, fucking talk to me!”

It’s not a surprising ask from a creative who is crystal-clear about her place in the driver’s seat. “It all starts with me,” Alexander says. “I come into each session pulling on these immediate feelings and my own immediate experiences. Because I know what I want, it makes the entire creative process so much easier – what guitars to use, what synths to use, what concepts to build up, what elements to emphasise.”

Though she’s made an album that is specifically personal, Alexander is putting ‘Young In Love’ out into the world hoping that everyone can find something within it to connect with. “Everybody is young and in love at least once in their lives,” she reasons.

“It’s never easy, and it’s never a fairytale. There’s ups and downs, but being young and in love are two things that coexist beautifully. Whether it works out or it doesn’t, everyone goes through it. There’s all these fireworks and butterflies and big emotions, but there’s also these creeping doubts and insecurities. You’re still figuring out who you are. These are songs you can learn and grow with.”

Kita Alexander’s ‘Young In Love’ is out now via Warner Music Australia

The post Kita Alexander: “Everybody is young and in love at least once in their lives” appeared first on NME.

NME

Ruby Marshall – the singer-songwriter behind alternative Melbourne project ENOLA – is going through what they describe as “waves of emotions”. It’s commonplace, they say, whenever an artist is staring down the barrel of a new release – in Marshall’s case, the debut EP from ENOLA. Titled ‘All is Forgiven’, the EP pairs the project’s first two singles from 2022 – the propulsive ‘Strange Comfort’ and the writhing ‘Metal Body’ – with new material that continues ENOLA’s explorations of the post-punk, alt-rock and the spaces between.

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“There’s obviously an excitement there, but also the anxiety that comes from the unknown of how it will be received,” Marshall tells NME. “You really get a mixed bag of feelings when you’re expanding your body of work. I’m really excited by it more than anything, though – for a long time we only had those two songs out, so I’m really ready to show some other sides to the project that people haven’t heard before.”

The release of ‘All Is Forgiven’ will serve as the final stop on an exceptionally busy 2023 for Marshall. Starting the year with a spot on the NME 100, they’ve spent it fortifying the project with a joining them both on-stage and in the studio – guitarist Josh Pendergrast, bassist Maya Alexandra and drummer James Tyrrell – as well as building a reputation as one of the country’s new must-watch live acts. Front and centre, Marshall is unmissable, unencumbered by an instrument and singing passionately and directly into spectators’ faces. This live reputation has led ENOLA to major support slots for acts like Sleaford Mods, Jen Cloher and RVG, as well as appearances at festivals like Hobart’s Dark Mofo and Sydney’s inaugural edition of SXSW.

For Marshall, ‘All Is Forgiven’ marks not only a new chapter, but a fresh start. Read on for NME’s interview with ENOLA.

This is ENOLA’s first EP, but not yours. You previously made music as Enola Gay – can you explain where that ended and ENOLA began?

“That was more of an electronic project – I was working with Ableton, mostly because I didn’t have anyone to play music with. I was a little shy at the time, and I had a lot of self-doubt – I genuinely wasn’t sure if I had the skill set to play with other musicians, so I felt like this was a way I could make stuff without having to be too vulnerable. It took me a long time to feel comfortable even with my own singing voice – I used to process it a lot and put it further back in the mix, which is definitely part of that Enola Gay EP.

“Two key things happened to begin that transition into ENOLA. The first was that, for one reason or another, every time I played solo something would go wrong. There’d be some sort of technical issue, or something would cut out, and it led me to be less reliant on laptops and gave me the courage to start performing with others. The second was seeing the rise of bands like IDLES and Shame, and really getting into their sound. When I’d see them perform live, I really felt like they had something to say – and that maybe I did, too. Slowly but surely, the music started taking more of a grunge and post-punk direction and I began enjoying the process of playing with a band way more than playing with myself. At that point, transitioning from Enola Gay to ENOLA just made sense.”

“You have to have a world of self-belief. It can be extremely challenging to be an independent artist”

How did you go about capturing this newfound live electricity when it came to recording ‘All Is Forgiven’?

“It was a real balancing act. When you’re playing shows, you’re building momentum as a group and there’s a certain energy that can’t be fully recreated when you’re not necessarily in a room with all of them at the same time. Our producer, Bonnie [Knight], did an amazing job in helping me to feel really comfortable in the studio. We’ve worked together a few times now, and they really know how to relax you into it. Capturing the live energy in that environment is a difficult task, but it’s something I really wanted to be an element of this EP – to me, it’s such a big part of the sound.”

There’s a curious contrast in the lyrical subject matter of ‘All Is Forgiven’ – with its stark, vulnerable themes – and how it’s delivered in your loud, emboldened vocal style. Was having that juxtaposition an important part of the EP?

“Yeah, absolutely. I really love artists like PJ Harvey, who did the same thing a lot especially on her early albums. The way I see it, each song carries its own sense of urgency and deserves its own unique way of being delivered. There’s a track called ‘Miss You’ on it, and it’s probably the most intimate ENOLA song thus far. There’s also songs like ‘Metal Body’ and ‘Waves’, which carry a certain heaviness and a weight to how I’m singing them. In both instances, I feel like I’m just trying to be heard. These are intimate, personal subjects, and they still feel really raw. I’m trying to find a connection, and I try to follow whatever connection that is for the song.”

“When I’d see bands like IDLES and Shame perform live, I really felt like they had something to say – and that maybe I did, too”

Lastly: no doubt you saw the recent triple j Unearthed study in which 48 percent of the musicians surveyed said they’d considered quitting the music industry in the last year. Did you have any thoughts on those findings?

“I would definitely be a part of that percentage. It’s a regular thought – not because I don’t love it, but because it doesn’t feel sustainable. The back-end business of the industry is so tough, and everything costs money – even when you have these big opportunities in front of you. It not only costs financially, but it’s physically and emotionally demanding. You have to have a world of self-belief. It can be extremely challenging to be an independent artist.”

What has made you want to continue?

“A few years ago, I sat myself down to make a very conscious choice. I change careers, go for something stable that would have income and security… or I do something that I truly love, which doesn’t have those things. I chose music, ultimately, because life felt too fleeting. Making music is how I want to contribute with the time I have here. I love to express myself. It’s joyful, and it’s meaningful. Whenever I’m feeling ground down by the process and the industry, I remind myself of that very choice.”

ENOLA’s ‘All Is Forgiven’ is out now via Hell Beach/Onelove. They tour Australia in January

The post ENOLA: “I chose music because life felt too fleeting” appeared first on NME.