“The whole last year has been amazing! It changed my life, really,” Phoebe Go tells me during a recent phone interview, going on to admit, “It’s been so important for my growth as a person and understanding myself.” Last October, the Melbourne-based alt-pop singer/songwriter released single “Something You Were Trying,” the follow-up to 2022 EP Player, her solo debut. “It’s kind of a breakup song so there’s a fair bit of hurt in there, but it’s about the joyous stuff too. It’s about coming to grips with what’s there and laying down the armor,” she previously stated of the track, which epitomizes what it is to be “bittersweet.” During our chat, she tells me, “I think it’s an evolution. I think the EP was true to the time… But with this song, it’s all forward facing and a little more lighthearted; I wanted to go more in that direction.”
“Something You Were Trying” was produced by ARIA nominated Simon Lam, known for his work with Allday, Juice Webster, and PHILTHY phavorites Cub Sport, in addition to being one-half of electro-pop duo Kllo. Lam has been collaborating with Phoebe Go for a while now, contributing writing, production, and mixing to Player. “I feel like we’ll be working together a long time,” Phoebe says of the partnership, before going on to explain, “There’s a lot of trust between us, because we really respect each other as writers and creators.” She tells me that that’s especially important for her, considering that this is her first time working as a solo artist.
From 2010 until 2014 Phoebe Go (then Phoebe Lou) was a vocalist and synth player in Australian indie pop group Snakadaktal, when she was just a teen. “I was a baby then,” she jokes of those early years in the industry. She later went on to perform as part of Two People, before emerging as a solo act. However, she tells me that, as far as the music goes, her approach hasn’t really changed in her transition to solo work: “When it comes to songwriting, it still comes from the same place.” But she does admit that being a solo artist puts her in a very different position: “There’s really nobody to hide behind when it’s solo. It’s a lot scarier to do it solo, but it’s liberating, too! I find it easier to connect that way.” And she tells me that she has already gotten a lot of great feedback on her solo output: “It’s been so moving to hear people say a song has helped them through a hard time or something. That’s what means the most to me.”
This Thursday Phoebe Go kicks off her first-ever US tour, as support for Briston Maroney, which will have her opening a sold-out gig for the Knoxville singer/songwriter this coming Monday, January 29th, at Union Transfer. “I’m so excited to do this tour. I’m just stoked that they asked me to come along! The entire tour is gonna be such an adventure,” she says, adding that many dates are in places she’s never been before. And while she tells me that this show is going to be something a little different from her usual live performances, it’s something she’s really excited about.
“I’m touring solo. Sometimes I play with a band, too, but I couldn’t bring them along. I’ve worked on the set to be old school: guitar and myself singing, of course. And I’ve worked in a really cute drum machine to be part of this, which I’ve never done before. I was working on it in my house yesterday.”
While there’s no current release date for a full-length from Phoebe Go, she does tell me that it’s coming in the near future, and she’s hoping to spend a lot of time spreading her upcoming sounds around the world: “I’ll put out an album this year, and that’s gonna be my entire life this year!” She also tells me that fans can expect additional singles to drop between now and the LP. But, for now, she’s just focused on her upcoming dates, which will have her leaving summer in Australia for our coldest winter in some time, but she tells me she’s certainly not mad about that: “Let’s get chilly in Philly!”
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