Musikfreitag

Die Sängerin & Songwriterin Alice Phoebe Lou veröffentlicht mit dem Musikvideo zu ihrer aktuellen Single „Skin Crawl“ ein wichtiges Statement über sexuelle Belästigung und Übergriffe.

Auch wenn man eigentlich denkt, dass man in einer aufgeklärten, modernen Gesellschaft lebt, gibt es immer noch Probleme mit sexuellen Übergriffen und Belästigungen, die manchmal ganz unerwartet kommen. So erging es auch der Sängerin & Songwriterin Alice Phoebe Lou, die nach einem Konzertbesuch in einer Bar mit KO-Tropfen betäubt wurde, was zum Glück noch glimpflich ausging, aber sie zum Nachdenken brachte über all die Erlebnisse in ihrem Leben als sie ungewollt angefasst wurde, unangebrachte Kommentare zu hören bekam oder ungewollt unter Druck gesetzt gesetzt wurde, so dass sie sich das alles einmal von der Seele schreiben musste, um es zu verarbeiten, was sie nun mit der Single „Skin Crawl“ getan hat. An dieser Stelle ist auch zu erwähnen, dass sie mit diesem Lied nicht alle Männer über einen Kamm scheren will, denn sowohl in ihrer Band als auch in ihrem Umfeld hat sie wundervolle Männer um sich, bei denen sich geborgen fühlt und die sich sogar dafür bereit erklärt haben, in einem provokativ-frechen Musikvideo mitzuspielen, in dem sie als Objekte von Alice benutzt werden:

Hier ist noch das ausführliche Statement von Alice Phoebe Lou , warum sie „Why I wrote Skin Crawl“ geschrieben hat:

„I was in the heart of Manhattan after taking myself on a solo date to watch Angel Olsen & I was feeling elated. I ended up at a bar, drinking a few drinks with strangers. I felt dizzy and left to call a cab. The last thing I remember, I was standing on a corner, unable to comprehend how my phone worked, feeling as though my world was upside down, panicking. A few hours are then lost and I never got them back. Then I’m suddenly in brooklyn and it’s 4am, I’m barely able to walk, with a man I’ve never seen & he’s taking me somewhere. I remember thinking that he must be taking me to safety, cause I was falling over & clearly needed to be in a safe place. Something kicked in & I realised I was in danger. I dropped my jacket & ran as fast as I could. Running & falling & crying & pissing my pants. I’ve never been that afraid. Kind strangers brought me to safety. The next day I was a wreck. Trying to rack my brain & understand how someone slipped something into my drink. But I was lucky. Many people aren’t.

It took me days to feel ok again. Physically & in my mind. But I realised how important it was for me to not let that moment define me & change something that was so important to me ; the independence of going out alone. So I did it again. Only a few days later. Trying to release the fear & not let it control me. I went to a Fela Kuti night and danced my feet off. But I remember being so acutely aware of the men around me on the dance floor ; how often I was touched in places I didn’t want to be, how many times I was grabbed, told to smile, rubbed up against, you name it. I felt like I had to fend men off like it was some sort of sick game & the circumstances made it so difficult for me to just enjoy myself. I got home full of fire, ready to turn it all on its head, write a song from my perspective about what pisses me off, to get it off my chest, & then set fire to it in my mind so it has no hold on me. It’s about the little things ; the words, the comments, the feeling that ripples through your skin

every time you’re told you’re a bitch because you don’t want to give him your number. Because for me, it’s the little things that are the starting point of a broader culture of non consent & sexual aggression. And I guess I needed to write a song that was straight to the point. I find that when dealing with ‚heavy‘ subject matter that is important to you it can be a tricky balance trying to get the message across while keeping up the poetry. I usually use humour as a tool to get the message across while letting people know that I don’t take myself too seriously & that we can all have a laugh at the end.

Feminism and my personal experience as a woman are themes that I am writing more about, because they are relevant to me & my human experience. I went through a lot as a teenager & young woman, experiencing a range of extremely negative & traumatic incidences at the hands of men. This is not to say that I paint men with a single brush. I am lucky to have an incredible community of supportive, sensitive & wonderful men around me, in my band & social life and I am so grateful for them. These are the same men that appear in my music video for ‚Skin Crawl‘, close friends who were happy to play a role in a video where I could use them as my objects & my furniture in order to turn things on their head & have a humorous way of telling this story visually. The video was a joy to make; a DIY, low budget, full of love day, with a lot of laughs & so much effort. The song’s intention is to ask that we all work towards a world / community / club environment where we strive to make each other feel comfortable & safe at all times. Cause that’s the dream really. Cosy & safe & equal.“

„Skin Crawl“ ist die zweite Single aus Alice Phoebe Lous nächstem Album „Paper Castles“, das am 08.03.2019 veröffentlicht wird. Wer darüber auf dem Laufenden gehalten werden möchte,  kann entweder ihre offizielle Website besuchen oder ihr ei Facebook,  YouTube oder Spotify folgen.