Alison Wonderland’s second album Awake will be out the first week of April and it’s a confident record full of big tunes.
The first single Happy Place was a EDM banger, but the follow up Church was a far more personal reflection on a relationship, with the singer wishing her partner treated her with more respect.
Creating the new album began with the musician accessing where she was in life and making some major changes.
“At the time I was writing I was going through something. The first song I wrote was Church and before that I didn’t realise how bad a situation I was in.
“When your writing your subconscious will come out and let you know what is going on, and that’s what happened to me. It spurred me to take action in my real life, to fix myself, make some changes and be in a better place.” Wonderland said when she chatted to OUTinPerth.
The musician said she went into making the record with no expectations about what it would sound like or what the songs would be about.
“I wrote a lot of songs, and some of them nobody is ever going to hear, but I was writing about situations honestly, and chronologically and very directly. I just wanted to learn and challenge myself.”
“That’s always the goal for any artist, its always important to keep moving and to keep learning, it’s good for your own creativity and your own brain function. I really went in deep.”
Alison Wonderland is one of the few DJs who are female to make DJ magazine’s Top 100 list. Coming in at number 84, Wonderland is just one of four female performers to make the industry’s hot list, but while gender equality is definitely ‘out of whack’ in her industry Wonderland said she’s just focussed on being the best she can.
“I’m just trying to create world where if I’m interviewed gender never gets brought up. For me I’m just doing my best, and I’ve never really tried to make it about my sex, but at the same time I think it is really important for women to set an example to other women, to get the confidence to put themselves out there like that.”
The new record features 14 tracks which see Wonderland collaborating with Trippie Redd, Chief Keef and Buddy as well as teaming up with producers King Henry, ESKE, and Lido, who worked on Halsey’s most recent record, and Joel Little, best known for his work with Lorde.
Wonderland said when it comes to choosing collaborators, for her, it’s all about the personal connections.
“For me its really important to have an organic relationship with the people, you got to be able to be open. I don’t really like hanging out with anyone with ego. It’s really important that I’m able to vibe with someone on a personal level and have conversations, then if the chemistry is right in the studio as well then I collaborate with them.
“The worst thing to do is to plan it, if it happens it happens, if we do not vibe then that’s fine, I just never want ti to be just because they’re a big name.” Wonderland said her goal with every collaboration is to get the best product.
Wonderland shared that life on the road as a touring DJ can be hard, you can go from playing a set in a room filled with thousands of people to being alone in your hotel room.
“It’s a life that has some extreme highs, but there’s always going to be stuff to balance that out. You have to come up with strategies on how to tackle that so you don’t go crazy. It’s a challenge I felt for a while, but I think I’m almost getting it.
“I keep good people around me, and eat very well when I’m on the road, and I make sure I’m expressing myself if I start to feel a bit crazy.”
“It’s very hard and lonely, but nothing beats the upside of that, so I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, but its not normal for the human brain to have all this energy and then go to somewhere there is no energy within a few hours.”
Awake is out on 6th April.
Graeme Watson
