Feature: Alice Ivy – Do What Makes You Happy
A time capsule of some of Annika Schmarsel pka Alice Ivy’s most challenging and rewarding moments as a creative, Do What Makes You Happy dances across genre and expectation.
Guided by and dedicated to the craft itself, the album is a coming home of sorts for Annika, who was drawn to analogue sounds and began collecting old hardware while also returning to formative instruments like the guitar and bass. Motivated by the gratitude she and each artist brought into the studio following a universally insular and isolating moment in time, Alice Ivy bottles their enthusiasm and deep desire to connect throughout.
Rounding out recent features with Josh Teskey (Do I Need To Know What Love Is?) joins Kah-Lo and BJ The Chicago Kid (‘Criminal‘), Låpsley (‘Popstar‘), Mallrat and Jelani Blackman (‘Broke My Heart‘), and Mayer Hawthorne (‘Howlin’ At The New Moon‘); Alice Ivy’s band of collaborators extends to Sam Austins on the charged and anthemic ‘Do What Makes You Happy’, and chlothegod on the ebullient ‘Smile’.
Elsewhere Elohim charges up confidence on the wistful ‘All In My Head’ while Sam Sparro doubles in swashbuckling nostalgia on ‘Sticky Situations’. Culminating in Gangs of Kin’s closer with a harken warning of pointless pursuit. Through and through, Alice Ivy’s recognised reputation for unparalleled curation binds deeper, by partnering with voices as unpredictable as ever.
Honing in on the album’s focus track, ‘Smile‘ featuring chlothegod, Alice Ivy reveals,
“Smile was the last song to be added to the record. I was playing some shows in the States in late 2022 and I tacked some writing sessions in LA onto the end of my trip. I thought I had the record finished at that point, but I did this amazing session with Chlothegod one morning, and as soon as she rocked up to the session I knew it was gonna be so much fun. She had so much energy, and she was vibing the instrumentals I played to her. I had the biggest smile on my face all the way through the vocal takes.”
Speaking to the album’s creation, Alice Ivy shares,
“Do What Makes You Happy was written at a time when we were finally allowed to create music in the room with each other again. You can just feel the emotion and energy, because we were all so grateful to be back doing what we love. I feel like I’ve come full circle on what genuinely excites me about making music; live instrumentation, analogue sounds and music written outside of the box. Most of the vocal recordings on the album were tracked on the first day of writing. The music that inspires me, Motown and soul music, was generally done in a few takes and everything feels so raw and warm, that’s how I like to describe sonically, Do What Makes You Happy. I like to think of every layer of this record as art in its purest and most natural form.”
With a deep respect for the art form that continues to challenge those at the centre of the industry itself, she shares,
“It took a few years of releasing music for people to recognise that I was a music producer, they would always assume I was just the singer. I’ve dealt with my fair share of gaslighting and discrimination as a female producer over the years, but I’ve definitely grown more confident in dealing with those situations. The best thing about being Alice Ivy is being able to travel the world and work from the most incredible studios with phenomenal artists and make records. Music has taken me to some pretty incredible places. 8 years into my career now, 3 albums deep and still going strong, I want to be known for making timeless records and for paving the way for future female and GNC producers to feel like they have a place in the world.”
Pushing her ethos for consistent experimentation further than before, while unwavering in her commitment to diversifying the studio space by every means possible, Do What Makes You Happy further cements Alice Ivy’s globally recognised status as one of Australia’s most innovative and consistent songwriters, producers, and engineers.
Do What Makes You Happy LP is out now via Alice Ivy Pty Ltd/Kewpie Mayo Records.
