Allie X Interview
By Marjorie Huot
There’s no stopping to Allie X’s routine even in the middle of a pandemic. “I just put my makeup on before this”. We both agreed that the ritual of putting on makeup during these days of self-isolation gives us some normalcy back in our routines. She sweetly explained her interest in being able to fiddle with her look now and then. From her bleached eyebrows (which I adore) to her recent appearances at the front row for Fashion Week. Allie explained that her looks are something she can “control”. Recalling how growing up she’s “never been the prettiest” but she found that being able to dress and make herself up as she pleased, was a way for her to control how she’s being perceived.
Her most recent release, Cape God, is different, more subdued from the poppy-synth sounds of her previous albums. Having asked about the alter egos we’ve seen prior in throughout her career, I couldn’t help but ask if Cape God had inspired any, “Have you listened to Super Duper Party People?” which I had. Allie continued to cite her own lyric about “Little Miss Bliss” being a fun alter ego she wouldn’t mind exploring in the future. Cape God also includes a collaboration with Troye Sivan, an artist that Allie had worked closely throughout his blossoming pop career. “I had written about 4 or 5 songs that made it onto [Troye Sivan’s debut album Blue Neighborhood]”, Allie had also contributed to his sophomore album Bloom. This would mark the first time Allie and Troye would be singing together, opposed to writing together. Explaining that Love Me Wrong was originally written for Troye but the song ultimately didn’t make the cut. A song that she loved so much couldn’t help but want to have it for her own album. It was a no-brainer for her to ask Troye to sing on the track.
“I was a bit late on the Mitski train”, Allie couldn’t help but hype up the fellow artist as she acknowledged her talents as an artist. A simple DM is what led Allie and Mitski writing together. “Susie Save Your Love'“ was a song co-written by both Allie and Mitski that almost didn’t have Mitski singing on the track. Allie recalled Mitski being hesitant about singing on the track. Suggesting that someone else would suit the track better since she hadn’t done features. Allie was ecstatic when Mitski gave her the call asking, “do you still want me to sing? [on “Susie Save Your Love”].
Self-aware and humble, Allie is aware that more people know about her music nowadays than when she first started. “Being written [about] in Time Magazine”, a career highlight thanks to her single “Catch” which she said changed everything for her. A self-gratifying moment for the singer-songwriter since she had been working for her break for years. The Canadian native and I had briefly talked about another single of hers, “Not So Bad in LA”, kindly correcting me that even though there are some things in LA that makes it not bad such as “fresh produce” which Allie was quick to mention. The song touches on the audacious and outlandishness of the city. The lyrics clearly point out these instances that are inconvenient. But we both agreed that as an artist, she has more freedom than actresses. Again, relating to the idea of control. Allie can’t help but want to be able to tell her story the way she wants to. When asked about if she had any crazy music video pitches given to her, she exclaimed, “Girl, I don’t get pitched video treatments!” The music videos we’ve seen by Allie are pitched by Allie to directors she found. “I think most music videos are bad.” Allie’s critique came in the defense of being able to put out a visual representation of her music that she is proud of rather than something she couldn’t stand behind. Noting that being able to pitch and find the directors herself is something she’s content about having control about.
Allie was about to start her tour, supporting her album Cape God prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Allie described touring as the equivalent of a high but being able to step back and say no is something that keeps her sane. Allie does not want to let anyone down but understands that taking on too much when she can’t is much worse than agreeing to work, she knows she can’t do it successfully. When it came to preventing burnout on tour? Allie said, “I’ll get back to you on that one”.