ALICIA BLUE
dialogue with treehouse artists
Who are you and what made you that?
My name is Alicia Blue and I’m a singer and songwriter. What made me that is having an obsession with words and then later, falling into putting them to three minutes of what we call song.
Were you writing other things before?
I wanted to be a writer. I was pretty obsessed with the likes of Jack Kerouac and all the beats. That’s what I wanted to do. I got into music extremely late and songs seemed like the perfect way to tell the stories that I felt that I needed to tell.
What have you been working on recently?
An album with a single that’s coming out on February 6th, premiering on KCRW.
I’ve also been writing new songs that I’ll probably get into the studio again and start recording.
What self-resistance do you run into as an artist?
I would say, one thing I discovered recently was thinking and being very tired of thinking instead of just doing. I had to do quite a lot of thinking to get to this point. The self-resistance is overthinking- judging what I’m doing as a performer and writer.
Why do you make music? What’s the point?
The point is to get out these things that are buried deep within me. You could call them truths or stories. I think it’s incredible to illuminate what’s been brewing inside of you, sometimes, for your whole life. The sum of your experiences- maybe it’s useful for somebody. It’s definitely useful for me.
What role does art have in society?
I think it should do all the things but I really get turned on when I become enlightened and turned on when something deep and buried gets illuminated because it’s making society think. The artist, when they take that position, it’s at the cost of not being popular. I can’t think of anything more sexy than that.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you and did you use it drive your art?
Well, I definitely did use it. I’m still using it. It may sound silly but I was in a relationship with someone ten years younger than me and they dumped me because of my age. They said that when I would be 40 and he would be 30, that he wasn’t sure if he’d find me attractive or valuable. I remember being crushed and mortified for about 24 hours but realizing quickly, because I started music quite late, I felt like I drew in that relationship to learn how to conquer that fear of being a late bloomer - having a late start.
What about the best thing?
I would say that was the worst and best thing because I got closer to myself and that’s all I ever wanted.
I think that’s all anyone ever wants.
Is there some specific that you’re passionate about regarding this new release?
Part of finding myself was knowing how I wanted to sound and being honest about who I was. That was going back to a really old tradition which was my first love- old folk- the world of Dylan, Joan Baez. Every song on this album is led by an acoustic guitar and storytelling.
There are two songs, specifically, that I recorded Eduardo Rivera - what’s so special is on that earlier question- why do I make art- is tied into those two songs.
One is called “Magma”. I had the lyrics and the poetics of it for four years. I tried writing that song for four years. I never could. Bu then, magically it popped out one day in three minutes. That song is about our generation. Millennials, I guess. We’re also called the Scorpio generation. Not too many people have said the nicest things about us.
There’s been so much change and so much good that’s come with this age.
I wanted to create some sort of capsule with love and admiration for my generation.
There are a bunch of babies running around doing the best they can with these powers and tools. I think whatever the situation is, if you’re going to call out the bad, you have to call out the good.
“Magma” is such a vivid image. Volcanos are petrifying and formidable. I had a friend who lives near a volcano in Italy. Everyone freaks out and leaves when it’s about to erupt. Once it has erupted and calmed down, the ground becomes so fertile. All the people that had run away come rushing back to grow their crops.
I’ve had this image and feeling of my peers and I having this glow and fertility but looked at, from the outside, as chaotic and destructive.
So, it’s incredible to release this song out of a vision that was born four years ago. This is us.
It’s honor that you’re also helping me do that.