A rapid rise to the Falls
MUSIC Whirlwind year includes gigs, airplay and a record deal
IT was a quick journey from producing music in her bedroom to performing at some of Australia’s biggest music festivals for former Geelong local Annika Schmarsel.
Her musical alter ego Alice Ivy will close a massive 2017 with a New Year’s Eve performance at the sold-out Lorne edition of Falls Festival, only three years into her career.
From regular spins on Triple J to a chance performance on the main stage at Groovin’ The Moo, Ivy is looking back on a pretty successful year.
“I was looking through my Instagram yesterday at all the posts from this year. It sounds a bit lame I know, but I was looking at photos of stuff I’ve done and thinking ‘Wow this is awesome’,” she said.
Ivy has knocked a number of items off her bucket list this year, from signing her record deal, to performing at renowned festivals Splendour in the Grass, Falls and Listen Out.
The producer garners much praise for her cleverly crafted beats and energetic live performances.
Solo work was not always her thing, though. Ivy had been playing in a band, but found organising multiple people with different levels of commitment to be a challenging task.
“When I was at uni and forced to learn how to produce using software called Ableton Live, I really was not keen on the software at first,” she said.
“As I got used to it, I began to enjoy it, especially realising that it gave me the freedom to make music in my bedroom by myself.”
While Ivy may have cracked into a challenging industry quicker than most, she does not take her success for granted.
When asked whether she feels any added pressure as a female artist in a male-dominated industry, she says action speaks louder than words.
In between musical commitments and part-time jobs, she teaches production to allfemale classes at the Arts Centre in Melbourne.
“I’ve had my head down and worked really god damn hard to improve my music, my performance and give back to my local community, rather than worry on any disadvantages, ” she said.
“There’s only so much you can do with words; it’s much better to respond with action, which is why I try really hard to do something like teach at the Arts Centre.”
Falls Festival is this year celebrating its 25th birthday with a line-up boasting musical heavyweights Liam Gallagher, Flume and The Kooks.
“Falls is such an iconic festival to play, especially growing up in the region,” Ivy said. “Having left school and attending the festival a few times as a punter and working it, it’s so surreal to be invited back as an artist.”
Her debut album I’m Dreaming is set for release on February 9.