INTERVIEW: Wallice Chats All Things Music and Life at Riverstage
Matcha and a pair of cowboy boots are a girls best friend, it would seem to indie-pop’s newest it girl, Wallice. It’s an hour before her set and here she is, running her fingers through the grass of the riverstage amphitheatre, a frog plushy hanging from her lanyard and keeping her company through the itinerary of a long but highly anticipated tour with British group The 1975. While only having been releasing music since 2020, the self-proclaimed Jazz School Dropout has come a long way, having her work flown out of the nook of LA she calls home and projected over Asia, Europe and now for the first time Australia.
Our local gig-head Emma Newbury caught up with the legend in the flesh before her Meanjin/Brisbane set and spoke all things music and life:
Emma: Hi Wallice! Thanks for being with us today. How are you going right now? How’s your day been?
Wallice: Good! My main goal in Australia, other than to play large shows opening for The 1975, was to see a koala and kangaroo and I finally did that today! So I’m feeling really good.
E: It’s good you still get to see them even though you weren’t allowed to hold them (Wallice and I had a chat earlier about how the koala photoshoots were sold out today).
W: Yeah! It took me a second to get over that but next time I’ll be more prepared.
E: Yes yes, no more school public holidays next time.
E: So, would you be able to explain your look today?
W: Oh, I’m not ready yet. Right now this is my koala viewing look - green carhartt pants and a white tank top - but tonight I’m gonna wear this set from WithJean. It’s like a blue pinstripe skirt and matching top. I wore it once for a show. I usually have not reworn outfits but I ran out of clothes so *laughs* we’re starting to rewear outfits.
E: You had a Tiktok on your account where you curated a wishlist of things you would but if you weren’t on a spending ban. Are you still on that spending ban?
W: No, I did that in like January and February. Definitely not, I have been buying a lot of things.
E: Yes, love that. Have you done any thrifting in Australia as well?
W: I went to a couple places in Melbourne, but I was really strong and I didn’t buy anything. I didn’t buy anything because we were flying Jetstar in between all these Australian cities and everyday they’re yelling at us like “you’re overweight!”. They always let us on but they’re very mean about it.
E: I think you can pay like a tonne extra as well sometimes it’s so ridiculous.
W: Well we had the US tour last month and then we ended in New York and I had to fly to Thailand and then here from New York, and it’s really cold in the Winter in the middle of America so I had to bring my stuff and I just have like a big suitcase.
E: And you’ve got to wear a different outfit every night.
W: Exactly! And that’s like 2 outfits a day; one for a show and one for the day.
E: And you can’t recycle cuz they’ll know!
W: Yeah! That’s what I’m saying!
E: Gotta impress the fans, gotta keep the fits fresh. I reckon Melbourne would have really good thrift stores too. Brisbane’s thrift stores… they’re not as good as what I’d imagine America’s to be like.
W: We only flew into Brisbane this morning, and then we fly out tomorrow morning so I don’t get too much time in Brisbane, but it seems really lovely right now.
E: Yeah. So you went to Lone Pine today. Was that all you did today?
W: Yeah we got in at like 11am, and then we checked into our hotel and laid down for an hour because we had to get up at 7am today, and then went to Lone Pine and came here.
E: Heck yea. And it’s been Bangkok…
W: .. Perth, Adelaide, 2 Melbourne shows, a Sydney show then here, and then back to Sydney tomorrow.
E: Oh my gosh that’s hectic, and how’s it been with the 1975 as well touring with them?
W: It’s really cool other than last night because I was reeeally sleepy. I’ve been watching The 1975’s show every night, except last night I watched it on the screen inside the greenroom. It’s really cool to see them every night and their whole crew is extremely nice which isn’t always the case as an opener, and, yeah, it’s a dream job!!
E: Yeah, and there’s so many people lined up outside which is awesome because they’re all gonna get to see Wallice if they don’t already know Wallice, and there’s probably heaps that already know Wallice. That’s so exciting!
E: I have another good question. So your Tiktok name, your Spotify about info AND your merch all say “Jazz School Dropout”. Would you care to elaborate on that for your newer fans?
W: I went to a music highschool and I ended up liking Jazz so I went to university for a year as a Vocal Jazz Major, but it’s like you cannot get a job with a degree in that and it’s so expensive so I dropped out after a year.
E: And I saw in another interview as well you were saying they were just teaching a lot of stuff that you already knew and it was just like a revision course.
W: Yeah, it was like an expensive review course *laughs*
E: So fair, yeah. How would you say your Jazz background has influenced your current music?
W: It’s funny, the 3 people in my band are all Jazz musicians, which makes them like really talented. *laughs* Way better than me. *laughs* But I just feel like, when you study Jazz you learn a lot of music theory and that can help with writing or just problem solving in writing, and learning music faster.
E: I see you’ve opened for quite a few people. You’ve done Wallows; you’ve done Still Woozy, Beabadoobee and The 1975 now. Is there like a dream person that you’d love to open for or have open for you?
W: It was The 1975 for a bit *chuckles*, and now I’ve got to do that which is crazy,
E: You’re crushing it.
W: Oh, MGMT would be really cool; Big Thief, Vampire Weekend. Big Thief would never have me open, I’m not mysterious enough. They’re the most crazy mysterious people.
W’s manager: I just got a cool email from her manager.
W responding to her manager: Interesting.
E: You just have to drop like a folky album just so you can open for Big Thief.
W: *Jokes* Yeah! That’s what I’m aiming for my first album to be, just like a Big Thief rip-off in hopes to open for them.
E: I saw on your Tiktok as well in your 2022 recap that you played 3 tours last year, and you did 47 shows which is crazy, and you played in 7 different countries. How did you fit that all in?!
W: Well, usually on tours, like I did the Still Woozy tour and it was about six and a half weeks with 30-something shows, so each month you have maybe like 20 shows. It usually ends up being that. So, I feel like I wasn’t gone too much last year. I’m gonna be gone a lot more this year, like I feel like I haven’t been home in 6 weeks and it’s still like 3 more weeks before I do go home.
E: And do you miss Baby?
W: Yes! I miss my Babyyyy! My mum’s watching my dog, and I Facetime her everyday and she’s like “look at Baby!” and they’re just always laying in bed lounging.
E: I feel like it would be so rewarding when you get home and she goes nuts for you.
W: Yeah, I’m so excited to see her, and to be in my own bed.
I: Do you find it difficult being on the road for months at a time?
W: Well this is the longest tour I’ve done so far. It is hard, but its also my dream so its very rewarding, and it goes by really quickly. Two months sounds like a long time but it goes by really quick.
E: Yeah, and you get so many new fans from new places who find out that they love you.
W: Yeah, I hope so *laughs*
E: I’ve heard through the grapevine as well that you’ve got an EP on the way “Mr Big Shot”. Can you give anything away about that yet?
W: We just announced it with my first single on April 4th which is called “Best Friend”. This next EP has 6 songs and is a little more alternative rock-y. Before I was considered very indie-pop or indie-rock, and it’s still indie-rock I would say, although alternative pop. It’s, like, so hard to determine the genre.
E: They all just kind of blend together don’t they?
W: Yeah *laughs*, but I’m very excited for it. You’ll hear “Best Friend” and two new ones at the show tonight.
E: Tonight ooo. I’m so excited.
W: Yeah, we’ve been playing these new ones at our Australia shows.
E: Is there a sort of theme to the new EP?
W: I’ve been kinda describing as like the first two EPs were still very authentic to me but also a little more character-driven. This one I think is like a peak into my real feelings and self, rather than a character such as on 90s American Superstar.
E: Yeah, because I remember you saying in another interview that you try and squeeze a lot of comical things in songs, like little jokes and anecdotes and stuff.
W: Yeah! I think that’s always going to be in there like little jokes and stuff, because I always say I don’t take myself too seriously or try not to. I don’t think it’s fun if you do, and this (EP) still definitely has that element but it’s more of a peak into my
E: More of just letting fans in a bit more; letting them see more of you.
W: Yeah, exactly!
E: And to end the interview on a high-note, what’s your favourite thing that you’ve had the chance to do in your career so far?
W: It sounds like I’m kissing up but literally opening for The 1975. I think doing that in Thailand was very cool, Australia is very exciting as well.
E: And Thailand was in an arena as well wasn’t it?
W: Yeah! That was the biggest show I’ve played, other than tomorrow which is gonna be the biggest….
W’s manager: I think Manila is the biggest place.
W: …And then we play the Phillipines the beginning of next month, but being able to travel the world, I mean in general even in tiny shows, like I had a capped show in London of my own last year and even that is really cool to think that people all over the world listen to my music.
E: I love it! Thanks for talking with us today we look forward to seeing your set tonight and good luck with the rest of the tour. I’m sure it’ll be great.
W: Thank you!