INTERVIEW: Ange Has The ‘Antidote’ For Toxicity

Ange. Photo by Megan J Donnelly.

Barcelona-born, Sydney-based singer Ange has just released her new single, Antidote, and it’s a track about focusing on yourself. Ange is combining the sounds of neo-soul and R&B to create a fusion of sounds that’ll flow over you, much like rushing water. She worked with New Zealand producer Innusta on Antidote, and it’s a collaboration facilitated by the Internet.

I spoke to Ange about the track, as well as how she removes the bad influences from her life. I really enjoyed the chat, so give the track a listen and read on to learn how it came about!

Ben Madden: Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your music?

Ange: Hello! My name is Ange and I’m a singer, songwriter, visual creator and producer. I’m originally from Barcelona, and I’m currently living in Sydney. I make Latin-infused R&B/Pop music. I’m a workaholic and I love nachos.

You’ve just released your new single, Antidote – can you tell me a bit about the track’s inspiration?

Antidote emerged with such ease. I remember Tama (Innusta) emailed me the beat in the morning. As soon as I heard it, I improvised some melodies over it and emailed him back that same night. There was something special about that track that grabbed me and all my ideas flowed so easily.

The song talks about getting over a person who doesn’t have the same feelings for you. The story describes the emotional journey we go through and what we tell ourselves to get out of that loop of one-sided feelings. We wrote Antidote during the corona lockdown and I feel like a lot of people had to contain their feelings for someone or dreamt about someone secretly as an escape. It felt like a good time to write about focusing energy in yourself.

You sing in both English and Spanish, which isn’t something a lot of singers can do, communicate in 2 languages. When you’re writing a song, which comes to you first, and how do you decide when one language will suit a song over another?

Thank you! Funnily enough, I don’t consciously pick the language. My creative process is very intuitive so I usually improvise ideas. Sometimes words emerge in English and other times in Spanish. If I ever get stuck with one language I try changing to get new ideas to flow. Later I decide what to use or not depending on what the song calls for or needs.

The song was written with New Zealand’s Innusta over email. How did you find collaborating with someone over email, and is it a change from your usual process?

I like the space and how we both had time to explore ideas without time pressure, I really like that. Sometimes when you meet in person you feel like you have to connect and write something amazing straight away. I like exchanging ideas over email because it’s flexible and relaxed and it’s not something I do that often.

It’s a much more elastic process, but also one where you need to be invested to make sure you get to the end. It’s easy to forget or let a collaboration go if both people aren’t into it because of the distance. Both Tama and I loved the song so we really wanted to finish it and I’m very happy we did.

When you’re approaching a collaboration, whether it’s with a producer or another singer, how do you adapt to their style and how do you decide who’ll suit the track?

Great question! In terms of style, I like finding song references together of the sound we are trying to achieve. Then we start writing with that in mind. Most of the time in a collaboration, a new sound is created, mixing everyone’s influences and styles in one. I love that. It’s so enriching combining everyone’s strengths and uniqueness together.

In terms of who’ll suit the track, sometimes it’s decided before the session. Other times, if it’s not clear, the theme or the sound usually defines who the main artist will be. I generally like to write without thinking too much at the beginning. If ideas aren’t flowing though it’s good to pick a clear direction or end goal.

Your sound calls to mind artists like Jorja Smith, Mahalia and Rosalia. As someone who’s lived across continents, how does contemporary music influence your sound versus the Spanish music that you would have heard when you were younger?

I think my music is the result of everything I’ve heard in my lifetime. I believe it’s all inside of me somehow haha; including the Britney Spears hits I listened to when I was 8, the Spanish pop songs that played on the radio when I was a teen and my dad’s Soul, Funk, Latin and Rock vinyl… Everything is stored. However, we all go through phases. At the moment, I’m living in Australia and I listen to a lot of neo-soul music and local artists, which is likely influencing the music I’m writing now.

Ideally, I’d like to be able to combine all the sounds that make me who I am. It’s easy to do what is trendy but not so easy to do something original and new. Rosalía is such a great example of that. The originality and raw essence of each person is what I find fascinating and I want to dig deep and reconnect with some of my older inspirations to continue developing my sound

Antidote is a track about not investing time into someone that’s not worth it. What are three things you do when you’re looking to refocus your energy after removing someone toxic from your life?

I love this! Firstly, I focus on my body and mind. I prepare a morning smoothie, eat well, exercise and read or listen to podcasts that motivate me. I try to stick to a healthy and disciplined routine (it’s so hard but so good).

Secondly, I socialise. I make plans with friends and get out and about to have dinner or see live music; it always makes me happy and energised.

Finally, I take myself on a morning date to a café. I usually have some food while I write notes or goals I want to achieve in the coming weeks/months.

READ MORE: Lucy Sugerman Throws Haymakers At Her Ex On ‘Golden Boy’

Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?

I want to know how to separate my music from my personal life! Someone help please haha.

In the next few months, I’ll be spending most of my time writing, as I’m preparing to release a project next year. I feel like lately, I haven’t been able to dedicate full attention and energy into experimenting and creating new music, so I’m excited to do that.

I plan to fly to Europe next year if all goes well and do a few shows in Spain and in the UK. I’m very excited because I haven’t been back home in Barcelona for almost two years now. Really looking forward to eating ALL my grandmas’ food again and having a Rioja by the beach with friends and family.

 Follow Ange on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.