Allie X, ‘Girl With No Face’

0:13Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly. I'm Fernando Augusto Pacheco, and for today's show, I speak with Toronto-born singer Ellie Axe. She's back with a new self-produced album full of icy 80s electro tracks. Here is my conversation with her.

0:45Say I never met a girl like you

0:56Like you

1:04Like you LAX, what a pleasure. Welcome to Monaco Radio to talk about your fantastic new album. I loved it. Girl with no face. But before we talk about some of the themes, about the music, is that the case? The album was self-produced. I mean, that's incredible. That's kind of the first time you did that, right? Oh, thank you very much, first of all, for the kind words. In terms of the self-production, it was the first time I attempted an entire body of work. I had dabbled before, so I'd done my song Bitch, actually, which is the song that I'm known for at this point. that was a self-produced and self-written song and then there's many songs on collection one two and super sunset that i had done additional production on meaning someone else had started the track and then they'd sent me the files and then i'd added my own thing to it also early songs like prime on collection one i made the demo for that and then passed it off so like i dabbled but But I'd never attempted a full record because I knew it would be a huge challenge and a huge learning curve.

2:14So this is the first time. And precisely because of that, would you say that this is perhaps your most personal album as well? I would say it's the most me. Yeah, I think when no one else is in the room to sort of influence your choices and your opinions, something that is more you comes out for sure. I was reading I think you said also I always need a bit of camp I love that because I agree wholeheartedly and one of my favorite singles of the album is Off With Her Tits I think I don't know yes I mean the beat is amazing the lyrics but what can you tell us a bit more and perhaps explain what do you mean when you say you always need a bit of camp I think it's in my personality very much and to be honest my best friends always have this quality as well where there's this real acknowledgement of the darkness and the pain of existing as a human on planet earth but there is a humor that is used to express it and my dad's from the UK and it's also a very British thing I think not taking anything that seriously always taking the piss out of everyone like I really relate to that style of humor and so off of their tits is I think it's very that

3:39I love it. It's definitely one of my favorites. And I have to be honest, that album, it's very danceable. I mean, you can see the 80s influence. It feels very hedonistic at the same time. Even compared with your previous album. What was your state of mind when you were making this album? Was that your intention? Because I love that. I mean, it's not an album for ballads. Let's be honest here. No, there's one sort of ballad on there. But yeah, it's an album that's pretty upbeat, more danceable than my last records. I'm not really hitting the BPMs that actually make it like a club album, but it is danceable.

4:16And it's indulgent. I keep saying that. I just allowed myself to indulge in all my favorite sounds and all my favorite genres and references. and I think the 80s definitely was a very hedonistic time and there was all this new equipment that was happening and all this experimentation and I think that was a time where people were really indulging and so just by virtue of me referencing the 80s and the late 70s I think that comes through as well.

4:58Cause it feels like I'm dancing in the rain Give me that beat, there's no need to hurt It's just a blind eye You always, your whole career, you had the goth influences as well. But this one I felt, as you mentioned, the 80s, a little bit of Human League here and there. Some Italo disco as well, you know, kind of that bass as well. I can definitely see that in the album. Yeah, for sure. that's my personal favorite time in music so I just let myself and I also I did something else at this album that I'd never tried fully before which is I kept it pretty much exclusively analog like I didn't use plugins really with a few minor exceptions but mostly I was programming MIDI and sending it to drum machines and synths.

5:50And that was super fun. And I think makes it sound pretty authentically of that time as well. No, it sounds incredible. And Ellie, if you don't mind me saying this on air as well, because you do have some sort of a connection with my home city, Sao Paulo. I love that. So I wonder if you can tell us a bit more. Actually, I actually didn't know that before I was chatting with you today. Yeah, well, I mean, I brought it up before the interview because I generally don't talk about my relationship, but I am with someone who's from Sao Paulo and we've been together quite a long time. And he's involved in this album too, actually, is the only co-writer.

6:28So yeah, that's the tie to Sao Paulo. Oh, that's fantastic. I feel happy hearing this. I want to talk about some of the other tracks I liked. For example, I loved John and Jonathan. And I'm a bit curious, actually, about this track. Who is John and Jonathan? Great beat as well. thank you that's actually the only track that i did a co-production on that beat was half done when it was sent to me originally from a french producer named le comte typical and i did a track named mistress violet with him for violet tchotchke which is great yes yeah and i was like oh you have a really cool style send me some stuff so he sent me that beat and then it became john and jonathan And the concept for John and Jonathan came from two fans that I met at a meet and greet.

7:19And they introduced themselves. They're like, I'm John and this is my boyfriend, Jonathan. And I said, wait, so you're John and Jonathan? And they're like, yeah. And I was like, I have to write a song called John and Jonathan. And then I did. But, you know, the qualities that I assigned to those two characters in the song and the story that I'm telling, it's not specific to those two people because I don't really know them. I'm just sort of projecting this idea of two very metropolitan gay men who have this sort of life that I imagine, you know, and then on the chorus, it's sort of, can I trust them?

7:58Like this sort of idea of being an artist and how much you can really trust your fans sometimes. So lots of different sort of ideas in that song, but it's all a bit tongue in cheek, as is the whole album. Camp, right? As we were talking before. But I have a feeling that John and Jonathan will be delighted. Yeah, they really like it. I sent it to them. And it's interesting, I mean, you described this album as well as vulnerable. And I guess it's because of precisely what we said before, because you said that it's very you. So perhaps you put a lot of yourself in it. Yeah, I feel like now that it's finished, it feels it has this like cuntiness and this strength and confidence to it that as a body of work, I feel like it like Cape God is a body of work.

8:48My previous album, that that's a vulnerable listen. This one is more of a vulnerable process. the process of creating it was very vulnerable i just spent so much time doubting it and going insane and being isolated it took years and there's nobody else in the room to say oh yeah that's a good idea or try this or let me help with that or so it the process was kind of like a total breakdown of ego, I would say. It's very vulnerable just trusting that your ideas are good enough. So yes, in that way, in the process, it was extremely vulnerable. I thought I wasn't going to finish it many times. But at the same time, you must feel quite free as well doing that, because sometimes getting the opinion of everyone, I guess, producers or executive labels, that's also quite annoying in that sense.

9:47So it must be quite liberating. Yeah. One of the many reasons I did this was because I was very annoyed with, and still am, with the music industry and the process of writing commercial pop music and trying to fit in somewhere there. So I just wanted to step away. But it was just such a huge undertaking. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't realize quite how hard it would be. And you've told everyone, like I've told everyone on my team, I'm doing this. I'm taking the time to produce it myself. And then you're alone in this room, that I'm in right now. And you're spending three hours trying to figure out how to make a kick sit correctly.

10:26And you're just like, my God, have I bitten off more than I can chew here? Can I really do this? There's so many moments where I'm just pulling my hair out, trying to figure out all these technical problems. And yeah, it was crazy. And going back to the music industry, I thought it was so funny, something you posted on social media in the last days, I think, saying that now as a pop star, you need to be an expert on how to make short videos. I presume we're talking about TikTok. Because, you know, I have a friend as a musician, as I should mention the same thing, that there is this type of pressure.

11:01But I love that you're using humor, at least, to work with these new challenges in a way, right? Yeah, yeah. As if we didn't have enough to do already, you know, you have to do that as well. and we have to become a little dance or yeah good at dancing or good at explaining or whatever it is i'm trying to embrace it but that's been like sort of the new thing with this album because it's been years since i put out a record and at that time when keep god came out it was way more optional to partake in tiktok and reels and stuff and now it's not it's an act of rebellion if you're not going to do it and you have to just sacrifice a lot of engagement so it's been just a lot of extra hours spent doing that stuff it's been annoying I can imagine let's talk about some of your favorite tracks as well another one I love Stay in Power I think it's another excellent track but perhaps pick at least one track and tell me more why do you love it I actually do like Stay Power lyrically.

12:04I feel like if you really wanted like an insight into who I am on a very personal level, I feel like this might be the first album where I've written songs that deliver that, like where a good friend of mine would listen and be like, wow, she's really like that. And Seeing Power is one of those songs. Yeah, I guess it's a really dark lyric, but again, a bit of humor and delivers sort of like the essence of who I am on a core level. So I'm proud of that. And the beat is beats cool i think it's like a more simple sort of beat and then i think off of their tits is one of my favorites yeah that's fun yeah and galena's good yeah i guess i'm still so in it it's hard to have distance to really pick like my favorites i think i need a couple years away from it it's like now when i listen to cape god and i haven't listened to it in years i'm like oh that song's really good well that song could have been a little better or whatever you know like i I think I need that time with this one to really pick a favorite.

13:05And, you know, of course, you've released a few videos for the album already, but are you already thinking about a tour or what do you plan to do the album? I know you have some appearances, you know, record stores, but what next? What can you tell us about it? Yeah, I'm considering a tour. I can't say too much more than that. It's a part of the business that not a lot of artists talk about, but recently more artists have sort of made these announcements and tour cancellations because financially it's just, it's very difficult at a certain level to break a profit on tour. So I have that to think about.

13:48And then I have my health to think about, which I had to cancel a tour because of a health problem. And so, but on the flip side, I absolutely love touring. And when I'm in front of my fans singing my songs, it completes the circle, I would say. Like it feels like a necessary part to give the whole picture and the whole experience of what it is to promote an album, something that you put so much work into. So, yeah, I'm still figuring it out. Well, definitely keep an eye on that. Ellie X, what a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking to us.

14:27That was Ellie X. Her new album, Girl With No Face, is out on the 23rd of February. The Monaco Weekly was edited by Lily Austin. Thank you for listening.