Australian pop artist Phebe Starr has just released Alphabet Soup, her second single from her upcoming debut album, Heavy Metal Flower Petal. It’s a track that is as delicate as it is beautiful, and speaks to the strength and power that can be held in the fragile. 2020 hasn’t turned out to be anything like society would have imagined celebrating New Year’s Eve, but Phebe has used the time this year to prepare to release her debut album.

I spoke to Phebe about Alphabet Soup, including the track’s video which she filmed in her hometown of Valla Beach, as well as how she wants people to use her music to soundtrack the mundane. Phebe hopes her music transforms these moments into something magical, making the ordinary, extraordinary.

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

Phebe Starr: Hello, I am Phebe. Nice to meet you.

You’re gearing up to release your debut album, Heavy Metal Flower Petal, how has your vision of the album changed/adjusted given everything that’s going on in 2020?

Nothing much has changed on the album to what I originally planned. Being a musician I'm used to everything going to shit and having to learn to adjust to the chaos so in some ways I feel more peace because the rest of the world is freaking out and I am like 'Oh, know this feeling, it will pass and come again'.

The timeline of releases has changed because it's taking a while for art and mixes to get finished. I'm very much looking forward to it coming out, and it's my hope it brings some peace amongst all this chaos.

Talking about Alphabet Soup, you say it’s important to find the “beauty in the mundane.” Can you talk to me a bit more about what this means to you, and how it translates in your music?

Humans need beauty, we crave it. We need little moments throughout our days to encourage us to feel meaning, purpose, and connection with one another. Too often we are so busy or think what we are doing is so important, that we forget to breathe. We forget that we are small and just one part of the world and its ecosystem. 

I think we need more of these moments of beauty, whether in art, poetry, simple designs, architecture, or public spaces. When things are not functional or beautiful they cause disconnection. I think beauty is practical and now more than ever we need space in our lives to be considerate in our actions, in how we connect with our spaces, and how we connect with each other.

It's my desire that people listen to my music in the mundane moments of everyday life, such as over dinner, in their cars or homes, and find the beauty that will transport them into feeling something magical about the world around them.

The video for Alphabet Soup was shot in your hometown, Valla Beach – has it helped your music being able to be back in your hometown while the events of 2020 unfold?

Oh, it's been so delightful. Growing up in a secluded town surrounded by nature certainly made the current isolation experience familiar. It reminded me of my creative process and forced me to create things simplistically again. I've enjoyed directing and making everything myself. So often I doubt my DIY process but this whole experience has shown me that I find immense pleasure in working on all the elements myself. In a way, it's made me more confident and excited about being self-sufficient.

When comparing the first single for the album, Daffodils, to Alphabet Soup ­– what do you think both demonstrate to fans about the direction you’re taking with the album? 

I just hope that it brings them joy. I can't determine their experience and how they will react to my art, but from the messages I've seen so far, I think we are on the same page. I tend to write music as an outlet for my own healing but I also want it to take people on a journey. I want them to experience that same transcendence I have through music. There is a lot of pain and suffering in the world, and I see it and feel it. I want to acknowledge it all and move through the pain to a new place of beauty.

Writing the album, were there any instruments/techniques you tried for the first time that you’re excited for fans to hear?

In a way, I have started reintroducing the instruments and techniques that I explored as a child. Growing up, I didn't have much access to technology so I used the shittest instruments that were broken and untuned. When I became a professional musician I explored the commercial side of the industry a lot and worked with producers who had a more clean and polished way of making music. I realized in the last few years that whilst I enjoyed exploring those techniques, they don't align with my values.

I like things that are flawed, broken, and quirky so I've tried to use more real elements and acoustic sounds lately. I've started recording to tape more frequently and doing live performances rather than perfecting every line and sound. I have been producing a lot of the tracks myself which has been nice too. I think I could have always done this but I lacked the confidence, but now I'm starting to find more joy in putting out music that connects to emotions rather than perfection. 

If you had to pick an overarching phrase/motto for the album, and what the mindset you were in while writing it, what would that be?

Heavy Metal Flower Petal. It's the album title, which only took me 10 years to think of because I find that a lot of my ideas are complex and are hard to simplify. It takes a lot of effort to make an idea seem simple but that's what I'm trying to do. Objective truth has contradictions, and I hope the album is a sensory experience of this complex beauty. 

Finally, throwing forward to this time next year, what do you think you’ll be doing?

I have no. idea. Which is kind of exciting!

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You can follow Phebe on her social platforms below:

Spotify; https://open.spotify.com/artist/5buTK...
Instagram: http://instagram.com/phebestarr
Facebook: https://facebook.com/phebestarrmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/phebestarr
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/phebestarr