Cardiff-based newcomer Alice Low is someone you’re going to have to get to know. As someone who’s transitioned, she’s already had to show a bravery in accepting herself and displaying that true self to a world that can be cruel – to put it mildly. That fearlessness translates into her music career, as her debut single, “Ladydaddy”, stretches to nearly 14 minutes. She’s also performing a live stream tonight – which is her first ever gig.
Anyone releasing a 14-minute song is a crazy idea, let alone as a first single, but Alice just has so much to say and show. Introducing “Ladydaddy”, she says:
“I was moving house, and I was moving body, and I couldn’t sleep. Charged with a new name I was determined to access the diverse and confusing emotions that come with the relief from a lifelong repression. I felt free, happy, and light, but also afraid of what was to come, because outside the bubble of my small group of accepting friends and family was a world that hated people like me, and made it difficult for us to exude any power. If the world wasn’t going to give it to me, I was going to fake it“
“I am really excited for people to finally hear Ladydaddy. When I listen to it now, I feel truly reflected. I hope that despite it being drawn so directly from my own experience you can hear yourselves reflected in it too. Especially if you are someone who feels a lot of pain in their relationship to their body and expression. The forms we are expected to take are so restricting that it can heap down on our entire being with the weight of the planets. I feel liberated by rejecting that weight.“
While “Ladydaddy” may be one very long song, it’s more like a suite of different pop ideas strung together into a wild and untameable beast. Encompassing classic pop sounds of the 70s, future pop sounds of the modern day, and plenty of other sounds that live on the outskirts of popular music, “Ladydaddy” is a true sonic voyage. The thread that pulls these pieces together is Alice’s words and vocals, which are as characteristic and variable as the song’s tones, but give us a glimpse of a person who is a state of constant evolution. It’s baffling and hard to fathom, but she makes that work to her thrilling advantage.
The video for “Ladydaddy” will premiere at 7pm GMT (2pm EST) today, just as Alice is preparing to take the ‘stage’ for her livestream. For now listen to the song below or on your preferred platform.
Alice Lowe’s livestream ‘A Night Alone With Alice Low’ can be watched here.
