In the lead up to her second Groovin the Moo appearance Alison Wonderland gave the Bunbury Mail the opportunity and see what it takes to produce and write the music that bought her to international attention.
It goes down the rabbit hole of her mind and into a place where her music and creativity reign unchecked in a self described “primal place”.
While Alison has only done a few regional tours, for her, the amount of people she’s performing to in an audience doesn’t affect the level of intensity or passion she uses to connect with her fans.
“Most important is the energy and the art, I couldn’t f**king live with myself if my music came from any other place,” she said.
“You can’t analyse a piece of work before it’s finished, it’s the same when you’re writing a story, it all has to come from a primal place deep inside, it’s what speaks to people.
“For me I started making music as cheap therapy and out of fun, I never sought out the success I’ve experienced.”
While she may not have gone looking for success, musical success seems to be engrained in the fibre of Alison’s body as she’s a classically trained cellist and The Beatles was even played to Alison’s mother’s belly during pregnancy.
At two years old, she cried when The Beatles popular song Let It Be was played to her.
When Alison sets out to write music she often finds herself losing time and forgetting to eat, and getting lost in her own mind.
“When I’m really into something nothing else matters, I forget about time and food,” she said.
“When you’re really into your own head and thinking about the music you can get lost and even obsessed.”
“Some people hate it but the only time it gets to me is when people question whether I’m playing on stage or if I’m just pushing the play button.”
Being questioned about whether she’s truly performing on stage or not is a particular peeve of Alison’s and while she said in Australia it’s not so much of a problem, her performances in America often bear the brunt of criticism she finds unfounded.
“I don’t let criticism or fear stick in my mind because you never grow if fear is a constraint,” she said.
“If you think you’ve reached a point where you’re the best you can and you’re happy with your work you’ll become complacent.
For Alison, growth is a journey that doesn’t have an end.
In fact Alison said an end to her journey would be her biggest downfall.
Alison Wonderland will be appearing at Groovin the Moo in Bunbury on May 7.
