Singer-songwriter Alice Pisano knew she wanted to become a musician at a young age. It began when her father brought home a piano when she was 7 years old and she started taking classical piano lessons. Alice would go on to study singing and at age 19 start playing the guitar, which led to writing her own songs.

Born and raised in Ferrara, Northern Italy, Alice continued to write original songs with Down The Rabbit Hole, a pop-folk band formed in her last year of high school. The band would go on to compete all over Italy, winning competitions and performing in the Pistoria Blues Festival in 2014. Down The Rabbit Hole dissolved sometime later and Alice decided it was time to start her solo project.

She then moved to London from Italy with a guitar, a keyboard, and a lot of ambition. She attended the Academy of Contemporary Music to study songwriting while there. Alice fell in love with London and decided to make it her home. The feelings of isolation she gets from the vast urban expanse are a focal point for her songwriting.

In 2015, she self-produced her first EP, Something Good. The 6 track acoustic pop/folk EP was recorded and produced at home. Alice promoted Something Good by performing it in at music venues and festivals in Italy and in London at Ronnie Scott’s and the iconic Troubadour.  Alice was also the opening act for Hayward Williams on his tour of Italy and had the opportunity to duet with the American singer-songwriter on some of his songs.

 In January 2019, “Celebrate Life” had been streamed over 1 million times on Spotify and Alice released a new single, “Lost You In The Crowd”. She plans to tour this spring and is currently working on a new EP.

I interviewed Alice via email about her “Celebrate Life”, her music background, Down The Rabbit Hole, Jane Eyre, plans for 2019 and more.

Congratulations on your new single release, “Celebrate Life”. What is the concept/theme? How did you come up with it?

I wrote it at a point when I was feeling pretty low and discouraged with life in general, Celebrate Life is about letting go of fear and having the courage of loving life even when it hurts. Writing it was cathartic for me and I hope it can help other people as well.

Why did you also release a stripped down vocal and piano version of the song?

That’s how the song came out, I wrote it on piano and it’s about lyrics and honesty so it felt right to strip it back to just that.

“Celebrate Life” is the first track from your upcoming EP produced by Ian Barter (Dermot Kennedy, Izzy Bizu). What was it like to work with him?

It was awesome, Ian is a great producer and we get on very well, we’ve been working together for a while now so we really understand each other.

Explain your production process.

I’ll write a song and then take it to Ian who’ll arrange/produce it, he’s always played a crucial part in helping me figure out the right sound/vibe.

You released a wonderful music video for “Celebrate Life” as well. It incorporates clips of celebratory moments in people’s lives including a couple of scenes from a classic movie. Who are the people shown in the video? Are these actual videos from their lives?

Apart from the movie ones, the rest is all actual videos from people’s lives, some vintage, and some contemporary ones.

What is the concept of the music video and how did you come up with it?

The idea I had for this video is that different people celebrate life in different ways, there’s no right or wrong way to do it.

How involved were you in the making of the music video?

We filmed my scenes in Milan, the rest is post-production by awesome director Stefano Poletti, we chose the footage together.

What do you want the audience to come away with after seeing the video for and/or listening to  “Celebrate Life”?

I hope the song and the video can be warming to people and give hope.

You have said you wanted to be a musician at the age of 7 when your father brought home a piano and you started taking classical piano lessons.  Why did you not pursue a career as a classical pianist?

As much as I love classical piano it was singing and pop music I was most passionate about.

At age 19 you started playing guitar and writing songs. What was it about the guitar that made you want to play?  What did you enjoy about writing songs on guitar versus the piano?

I was given a guitar for my birthday and loved it straight away, the fact that I could take it everywhere with me and play it late at night very quietly in my room. I’ve always written songs both on piano and guitar and I love alternating them.

Starting out in classical music, why and when did you decide to write pop-folk songs?

I’ve always listened to lots of different genres from pop, indie, rock, and folk. I started writing songs in a band in high school and moved on to my solo project later on.

How did your band, Down The Rabbit Hole, form? Why that name?

We formed during my last year of high school, the name comes from the fact that I’m Alice (in Wonderland)… 🙂

You wrote original songs for the band also. What genre of songs did you write? Where did you get your inspiration from?

The genre was pop-folk, in the vein of Mumford and Sons, Passenger, Of Monsters and Men…

After the band won several competitions throughout Italy and performed in the Pistoia Blues Festival in 2014, you decided to leave the band to take up a project of original pop-folk songs which you performed by yourself on guitar and piano. What made you decide to pursue this new path when the band had been successful?

The band split up and that’s when I decided to move to London and start my solo project, I also discovered I prefer writing my own songs and lyrics, I have more freedom and more of a connection to them.

You moved to London from Italy to attend the Academy of Contemporary Music but fell in love with London and decided to stay. However, you mention the isolation of the urban expanse is what drives your songwriting. Can you expound on that? What made you fall in love with London originally and do you still feel that way?    

London is a vibrant city but it’s easy to feel isolated sometimes, as distances are so long and friends are sometimes two hours away on the other side of town. But

In 2015 you released your first self-produced acoustic pop/folk EP, Something Good. It was recorded and produced at home.  What did you learn about recording and producing from this experience?

That was a bit on an experiment, I just made a few physical copies to sell at shows but didn’t release it properly on digital stores. It was some of the first songs I had ever written and home-produced very simply.

You went on to promote Something Good with performances in several music venues and festivals in Italy and in London including Ronnie Scott’s and the iconic Troubador. What were those experiences like? Any favorite memories?

I was still finding my feet as a solo performer, it was a great experience and fun. My performance at The Troubadour was only two days after I had moved to London so quite scary!

Also in 2015, you were the opening act for American singer-songwriter Hayward Williams when he was on his Italian tour. You also dueted with him on some of his songs. How did that opportunity come about? What did you most enjoy about it?

He did a couple of dates near my hometown so we met then, it was fun learning his songs and playing with him, he’s an amazing musician. The best one was in a sold out little theatre near Bologna, it was magical.

Your original song My Only Home (Jane’s Longing) was inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s classic book, ‘Jane Eyre’.  In what ways did her book inspire the song?

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books of all time and the Bronte sisters are among my favorite authors, it’s such a fascinating and romantic story. “Wherever you are is my home” is such a touching phrase and I wanted to put it in a song.

You have covered a couple of Bob Dylan songs, “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right; and “Girl From North Country”.  What draws you to his music?

I listened to his stuff a lot growing up, also other classic songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Carole King. I love the storytelling and great imagery.

Who are your musical influences and how do they specifically influence you?

I think everything I’ve always listened to influences me in some way and I go through musical phases as well. I’m a huge Coldplay fan, lately, I’ve been listening to Lana del Rey, London Grammar, Gavin James…

How do you think women can be better supported in indie music?

I think they should simply be treated in the same way as men.

What advice do you have for women who are thinking about or actively pursuing a career in music?

Don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, stay true to yourself and your personality…and women should support each other! Which from what I’ve seen is already the case, I’ve come across lots of lovely girls in the music industry so far who’ve been very kind and helpful.

What are your tour/show plans for 2019?

I’ll be releasing a new single in January and will have some shows in the spring.

What projects aside from your EP, are you working on for 2019?

I’m working on lots of new songs and already thinking about the following EP 🙂

Thank you, Alice, for the opportunity to interview you.

Follow Alice on Social Media:

Instagram: @alicepisanomusic

Facebook: alicepisanomusic

YouTube Channel: Alice Pisano 

Spotify Artist Channel: Alice Pisano

Website: https://www.alicepisano.com/

Official Video:  Alice Pisano – “Celebrate Life”