Phoebe Green

What’s Going on With...? Phoebe Green

Fresh from the release of glitchy new track ‘Make It Easy’, we catch up with the Manchester singer to discover her ambitious next moves. Words: Sarah Jamieson. Photo: Lewis Vorn.

Throughout the early years of her career, Phoebe Green has never shied away from making a bold statement. Whether through her speak-sing rumination on people-pleasing in ‘Reinvent’ or her examination of youth in last year’s ‘So Grown Up’, her offerings so far have seen her carve out an intriguing and engaging niché for herself as an artist. It’s with the arrival of latest single ‘Make It Easy’, however, that she’s decided to shift into another gear altogether. “I really had this feeling that I was moving away from a guitar-y indie sound,” the Manchester singer explains today. “I had begun to stop listening to that kind of music and I was like, ‘You know what, I love that but I don’t really wanna keep making it just because I feel like I have to’. I really wanted to push myself. I was like, ‘Do you know what? I wanna be a pop star now!’” Written with friend and collaborator Dave McCracken, the track itself is a slinky offering, led by glitchy beats and Phoebe’s aching vocals; what’s even more remarkable is that it came together in just over half an hour. “It just literally happened so fast and when it did, it felt so fun!” she laughs. “I feel like - as far away as it is from my usual stuff - it felt more me in that moment than a lot of my music has before.” Releasing new music isn’t all Phoebe’s been up to recently either. When DIY catches up with the singer, she’s in the middle of a break from a recent run supporting Self Esteem, with the final shows taking

“I was like, ‘Do you know what? I wanna be a pop star now!’”

would happily watch the Self Esteem show every single night and still feel as much as I felt the first time I saw it.”

It’s not only Self Esteem’s live show that’s been inspiring; being out on the road with a mostly female crew has been just as rewarding. “It feels like a dream,” she nods. “I did a little Twitter talk about this stuff because I’ve mostly been on tours with indie boy bands. They’re incredible and I love them, but I’ve never felt as safe and empathised with as I do on this tour. It just feels like such a safe environment to express things that I’ve never really felt comfortable expressing before. It’s sad that it feels like a very isolated experience because it feels so good, but it’s very rare that in this industry you’re in a femaledominated environment.”

As for what’s next on the agenda, Phoebe’s got more live shows booked in alongside Baby Queen and Everything Everything - plus a spot at our very own DIY Alive - before she gears up to reveal the next taste of her forthcoming debut album. “Oh my god, the next single…” she says, before beginning to giggle. “I had no idea it was gonna be a single! It’s easily one of my favourite tracks on the album, but I just didn’t think it’d be a single because the structure of it is so ridiculous! I wrote it with Dave again and our initial inspiration was old Kanye…” she teases, stopping herself before she reveals too much. “So yeah, I am so excited for it!”

Phoebe Green plays DIY Alive, which takes place in London on 23rd and 24th April.

Head to diyalive.com for details. DIY

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