stevie bill: “our purpose as artists is to explore”

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photo courtesy of the artist

words:
aggy kazlauskas

stevie bill discusses her sparkly new single, songwriting, and what's next

life takes unexpected turns sometimes, from falling back into old habits and getting a second wind to paving the way for new beginnings. almost like a giddy Merry-go-round where each ride spins you out of your orbit and straight into a lack of control you’ve not known before.

still, solace exists within that chaos. well, it might – the likelihood depends on how well you’ve mastered the art of acceptance. that’s exactly the notion, or rather impulse, that stevie bill contemplates in a glistering new single ‘shirt’.

penned alongside one of her best friends and main collaborator jacob geoffrey, ‘shirt’ is a cathartic return to the scene. it sees the musician revisit a time in her life that, once an intense learning curve, has since turned into an opportunity to let go of the things that weighed her down.

“i actually wrote this a couple of years ago,” stevie says, revealing that the original demo had been sitting in one of her dropbox folders before it saw the light of day. feeling encouraged by the teachings of Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being, which she was reading during the recording process of the song, the rising star found herself channelling the belief of letting every concept have its chance before it’s discarded.

and so, with practically no direction in the studio sessions, ‘shirt’ was perfected, leaving stevie with a memory of pure bliss. “this song feels like a moment where we captured us being completely free and not holding on to any rules that we made for ourselves,” she explains.

artists often find themselves stuck in a rut of blocks and limitations, even when it’s mostly a result of overthinking – a process that is so infuriating, yet so inherently human that it simply becomes an inseparable part of all creative journeys. fortunately for stevie, she’s now ready to shed all expectations and leave them behind. “I don’t want to live within those boundaries,” she affirms. “that’s why it just made sense to put out this song; it’s exactly how I’m feeling.”

‘shirt’ encompasses the liberty that can be found once you learn that life is not meant to be perfect. it might be scary and messy, but its imperfections also make it meaningful. all you can do is start anew each day, and whatever will be, will be.

that is exactly what this synth-forward single offers – a clean slate, even if it’s inside out (“Got a new shirt but it’s inside out / Doesn’t quite fit and it’s inside out,” stevie sings in the chorus).

“my songwriting works best when I’m in tune with myself and can really listen to my gut feeling,” stevie explains, insisting that music is a subconscious thing and knowing how to tap into your deepest emotions is of utmost importance.

“it’s so much easier to let inspiration come to you and be like, ‘I’m playing this and this sounds good’ and ‘let’s just go for it’ – I think that’s my songwriting process, it works the best in those moments,” the singer admits. “just sitting down with your instrument and playing stuff until something sparks, you know, always chasing that spark is where the best music comes from.”

once the conversation turns to artistic integrity in the music industry, which is notoriously difficult to navigate at times, stevie says that allowing yourself to experiment is always the way forward. “our purpose as artists is to explore,” she claims. “you don’t have to stick to something if it’s not interesting to you.”

“there are many different kinds of artists,” the musician concludes. “it’s all about what you want.”

stevie then opens up about how artists are taught to “be a brand all the time” and that she’s currently trying to find her way through that. “this industry can be weird,” she explains, hailing charli xcx as a great example of someone sticking by their art.

“I was watching the charli XCX documentary yesterday,” stevie mentions. “she has always followed that belief of not adhering to the rules that we’ve been taught, And that is so important.”

the amsterdam-born, nyc-based musician opened for stevie nicks at bst hyde park last year – a moment that the independent artist describes as “insane” in the best way possible. “My parents were there as well, And it was like a dream come true,” she continues.

“I get weirdly spiritual with these things,” stevie tells me, revealing that her parents drew inspiration from the legendary artist when choosing the name for their daughter; little did they know that it’d all result in successful manifestation years later. “it’s just one of those things that I can take with me for the rest of my life, no matter what happens,” stevie then adds.

speaking of performing, stevie doesn’t shy away from the fact that singing songs in front of a live audience has been somewhat of a work-in-progress. “to some people it’s like really natural and human; to me, it’s always been a little bit scary, but doing that ” she says. “getting over your fears can be really fulfilling, And being able to see the people that love your music face-to-face and interact with them is obviously the best thing about it.”

stevie’s got a gift for compelling narratives and highly relatable, deeply reflective lyrics – her debut ep, i was a platinum blonde, testifies to that.

from the soul-crushing ‘hurts to hold on’ to the electrifying indie anthem ‘hahaha’, the six-track project is laden with thoughtfulness. it offers a glimpse into the life of a twenty-something year-old and the lessons she has learnt – all in the backdrop of captivating production that blends a multitude of genres akin to glam rock, folk, and big pop.

those already familiar with the singer’s discography are in for a treat. “There’s definitely a project coming,” she reveals, pointing to ‘shirt’ as the start of a brand-new era alongside its catchy predecessor ‘going to mars’.

she also teases that this new project will contain hints of her old music: “like my old old stuff,” she specifies, alluding to the very first songs she put out a few years ago.

although the full details are under tight wraps, stevie mentions that her listeners can expect the forthcoming record to be out “pretty soon.”

and i, for one, am extremely excited to see what’s next.

‘shirt’ out now.