Q&A: A Collection of Memories and Moments: Angie Gets Vulnerable With Debut Album ‘Some Things Get Left Behind’
WHAT THINGS HAVE YOU LEFT BEHIND? — Australian singer-songwriter Angie is here to tell us about her experience with holding on and letting go.
Born and raised in New South Wales, she introduces herself as a “Sydney-based singer-songwriter who loves pop music,” a genre that allows her the flexibility to experiment with her art. At 16, she moved to the city and enrolled in a performing arts school, determined to realize her lifelong dream of releasing an album someday — a goal that became a reality this year with her debut, Some Things Get Left Behind.
“When I first started recording, I had no idea about the process or what it would entail,” Angie recalls. So she turned to her producer, who asked her which instruments she was planning on working with. “I just wanted to make pop music,” she told him.
“When I was about 10,” she continues remembering, “I got a Tina Arena album for Christmas and loved it so much I thought ‘I want to do that.’” And that’s how it all started.
Although she tries not to be too influenced by other music while composing, in addition to Arena, some artists she most looks up to are Vanessa Carlton, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Avril Lavigne, Katy Rose, Ellie Goulding, Garbage, and Carly Rae Jepson.
She describes how, if given the opportunity, she would love to work with Charli XCX and The Kid Laroi, who would add contrast to Angie’s style and complement it at the same time.
Since then, Angie has learned a lot about the process of making music, the layers and all the intricate details that go into it, which helped her better articulate what she wanted. Once she had these elements figured out, she went back to make changes to her earlier songs.
Produced by Stephen Kiely, whom Angie met thanks to the songwriting community Songs Alive Australia, Some Things Get Left Behind began when Angie performed “Gentleman” at a Christmas party organized by the organization’s CEO, Roxanne, who happened to be Kiely’s wife. When the soon-to-be producer expressed how much he and his wife loved her performance, Angie was inspired to ask him to produce her first album.
“When I wrote the song ‘Some Things Get Left Behind,’” Angie writes, “I knew instantly it would be the title of my album if I ever made one. The album is a collection of memories and moments throughout my life.”
Starting with 40 songs, she progressively selected those that would better fulfill this intention. While some were the result of experimentations, others were already conceived in the artist’s mind with a specific sound identity, such as “Within Your Reach,” a delicate piano-driven ballad with a hypnotizing melody.
“I’ve been told I have a very distinct and recognizable lyrical style, which I suppose comes from writing what I know rather than trying to write about what I think others want to hear,” she shares.
Among the songs that hold a special place in her heart, “Never Have I Seen” stands among them, exploring the feeling of wanting to experience first love and heartbreak, and subsequently going on that journey.
The track has an interesting backstory, which draws back to when she first joined the above-mentioned Songs Alive Australia. “I couldn’t play an instrument at all,” she recalls. “One of my friends there showed me how to play four chords on the guitar and challenged me to write a song to those four chords by the next workshop.”
“I Don’t Know,” in which Angie sings about pride getting in the way of hope, begins with an acoustic guitar and slowly builds into a full-blown pop production. The last addition to her album, “All In,” details drifting apart from people she thought would always be part of her life.
For now, Angie does her best to balance her day job at a non-profit while finding time for music, which she usually ends up working on in the evenings and on weekends.
“I gave up a lot of weekends making this album but had a lot of fun doing it, so it was worth the time and effort,” she says.
You can sometimes catch her performing at open mic nights around Sydney until her first tour manifests in the future.
Among all these variables, however, Angie is sure of one thing: “No matter where life takes me, I know songwriting and music will always be a part of my life, and [I] can’t wait to see what happens next,” she claims enthusiastically.
Angie has two new singles, “Justify It” and “Overdue Fees,” out recently, co-written and produced by Ben Tennison (aka Roxley). A change of production sets the songs apart from those featured on Some Things Get Left Behind.
No matter who she decides to bring on board, however, there’s always going to be a constant in Angie’s music.
“I think I’ll always be making pop music, but [it] won’t be tied to one style or sound,” she concludes.
