In Conversation – God’s Choir

After making waves on the Liverpool music scene two years ago as part of the DIY synth duo Lady and the Dies, Alex, one half of the group, has embarked on a new musical journey with her solo project, God’s Choir. While Lady and the Dies captured audiences with their dark synth-pop sound and unique DIY ethos, the band has since come to an end, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

In this interview, we catch up with Alex to reflect on her journey with Lady and the Dies, what she’s been up to since, and what listeners can expect from God’s Choir—a project that promises to bring a fresh, experimental approach to her already distinct sound.

Liverpool Noise: Hi Alex! It’s been over two years since your debut with Lady and the Dies, and we think your new solo project deserves a re-introduction to the Liverpool Noise readers. Tell us about your journey to God’s Choir and what you’ve been up to so far.

Alex: Thank you for having me back! Lady and The Dies ended when I moved to London for uni, that’s what I was up to for a while before I decided that I hated it and uni was not for me. I wasn’t making any music of my own because all my time was taken up making music I had no interest in for the course. Moving back to Liverpool was the best decision I ever made. Going to London made me realise I didn’t hate Liverpool, I was just bored of it and coming back I also realised that Liverpool is the best city on earth. When I returned and got my life together to some degree I knew it was time to start releasing again because at the end of the day, that is probably what I was put on this earth to do because I definitely cannot dance or act.

Liverpool Noise: We recall you did some work with local theatre company All Things Considered. What was that like? How did it feel to work on that type of project when you were quite early on in your career?

Alex: It was extremely exciting, I sadly never got to see the play but I heard it was amazing. Everyone from All Things Considered was so lovely to us and I’m eternally grateful. The brief was to write a song about lads who basically need to be taken down a peg and safe to say I’m extremely experienced with them so it was perfect lol. I’d love to do something like that again. Gift is actually being used in a short film soon which is cool – I’d love to soundtrack a film or something in the future. I’ve always been obsessed with films and the music in them (I feel like people might guess that from the music I make) so that would be right up my street.

Liverpool Noise: You released your first single as God’s Choir, called Gift, in August this year. The dark synth pop sound we know you for is definitely still present in this new track. Tell us about your influences, your style and how we can expect it to evolve with your future releases. 

Alex: Relating to what I said before, I try to make songs that sound like they could be the main track from a film, films I have directed in my head, of course. My main influences are people like Suicide, Fuck Buttons, John Maus and even Joy Division in a way. I’m a firm believer that your music doesn’t have to sound like the people who you cite as influences, people get influenced in many different ways. I thought I was the ‘OG’ of my personal style once upon a time until indie sleaze started trending and I realised I wasn’t the only messy bleach blonde girl with a leopard print coat. Who’d have thought! My musical style has definitely evolved which everyone will see with my future releases. Gift is a very tame song for me because you can’t scare everyone off on your first release of course.

Liverpool Noise: You told us you’re still DIYing through this journey, writing, producing and recording in your bedroom. Would you say this is an important part of your musical identity? 

Alex: Absolutely, I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to my music because it needs to sound exactly how I’m hearing it in my brain, otherwise it’s not happening. I get people reaching out to me asking to produce a song for me, but that is my job. I think it was Grimes who said in an interview the same thing and compared it to “I wouldn’t reach out to you guys and ask to interview someone for you” and I really relate to that. I wouldn’t pass down massive opportunities obviously, I’m not that proud, but yeah, I do feel a huge part of my musical identity is being an all rounder.

Liverpool Noise: Has your creative process changed at all now that you’re working as a solo artist with God’s Choir? Would you like to collaborate with other artists in the future?

Alex: No, my creative process is the same because I was essentially a solo artist before. I wrote, produced and recorded everything solo; it was just the vocals that were a joint effort. I’m not afraid of collabing with other artists, I think it would be cool to feature on someone’s track. Dev Hynes, if you’re reading this, I’m available whenever you want me.

Liverpool Noise: What did you get up to creatively in the time you weren’t releasing music? Do you have any other creative interests?

Alex: Well as I mentioned before, I was at uni in London doing music production and it did not satisfy my creative needs whatsoever. I honestly don’t have any other creative interests. I tried to learn how to yo-yo once for a whole month and I didnt get any better, which is crazy because if you do something every day for a month you think you would gain some sort of skill, however I did not. Maybe one day though.

Liverpool Noise: Do you have any live shows on the horizon? What can we expect from a God’s Choir live show?

Alex: Oh for sure. When my next song comes out hopefully in late October/early November I’m going to start doing shows around Liverpool and Manchester. Expect my keytar, probably some technical difficulties and definitely no yo-yoing. I’m so excited to start doing shows. I haven’t performed live in a hot minute. I’m nervous but it’s like riding a bike so I’ll be ok.

Liverpool Noise: What does the future have in store for God’s Choir? Where do you see the project two years from now?

Alex: The goal is to make a living off of solely just making music. I suppose that’s the goal for most musicians but I really am hopeful. I think I have a lot to offer and if I really go for it then something will surely come of it – I’ve got a Liverpool Noise interview so you could say I’ve already succeeded!

Liverpool Noise: Thanks for chatting to us about your new venture! Let our readers know how we can keep up with God’s Choir.

Alex: Thank you so much! You can follow me on instagram (@godschoirr) to see me try to be funny on my Instagram story and, more importantly, know what’s going on with my music and future shows. I’m thrilled at the support I’ve gotten from releasing Gift, it’s only the beginning and I couldn’t be happier.

Rach Hankin