Allerga
Madison Drew | 30/06/24
Working with top DJs like Tiësto and having a charting single under your belt is unusual at 22, but Allegra has done it. Also, add getting a degree into the mix. From being in the industry since she was 14, Allegra has experienced its joys and challenges. Speaking for the first time about her recent break from music due to an incident that happened in her personal life, Allegra is now in the process of healing and falling back in love with her craft. Always speaking up for herself and other women and feeling more in control than ever with her music journey as she currently records her first ever EP. Allegra talks about staying true to her voice as a young woman in her artistry and why being picky in making songs should always be considered a good thing.
Alice: Did you say you just finished school?
Allegra: Yeah, university. One more year to go!
Alice: I don't think the Third year gets any harder. It just becomes a load more work. That's what I remember.
Allegra: Yeah, it'll all be fine
Alice: You'll be absolutely fine. Honestly, I wish I'd stressed a little less than I did and enjoyed it a bit more. But that's good, then. At least you're off for the summer now. So, you can focus on music, doing what you love, etc.
Let's start with your music. What's drawn you towards having multiple sounds? I feel like you are pretty genre-bending, and you've created your own sound and your own space in music.
Allegra: I signed when I was 14, and that's obviously very young. So obviously, you're going through your teens, and you're going through everything at the same time. And I think, because I'm so young, I wanted to explore many different genres and find my sounds, as artists do. As you can hear from some of my songs, I have gone more into dance clubs and remixes. And I've done that for a while. But now, I'm slightly shifting to do more of what I've wanted to do for a couple of years. It's really exciting.
Alice: It's tough because I think it's hard enough being young in the industry but trying to put your own identity into music can be quite difficult when you're torn and thrown out this way and that way.
Allegra: Yeah. Now that I'm a bit older, I know what I want to do. I feel like I have slightly more of a voice, not because I didn't have one but because my team guided me on the right thing to do. I know how it works now that I've been doing it for a while.
Alice: How did you manage it being so young when you started?
Allegra: Well, I'm lucky to have a good, supportive team around me. I think they protect me as much as they can in terms of not being directed in the wrong way. And, you know, I look at them now as my older brothers; I started when I was 14 And now, I'm 22, so it's quite a long time. There are moments when I did things that I look back like oh, I didn't want to do that. Why did I do that? I mean, nothing atrocious. But also, being a female in the industry is quite a lot because, weirdly, you're surrounded by many men behind the scenes. I think I'm now at an age where, especially in our generation, women are speaking up and being strong. So, that's kind of where I'm at.
Alice: That's wonderful that you found that strong voice. But I think it's also really nice that you've got these beautiful working relationships because I think that's so important people, young or old in the industry, that they have the right support.
Allegra: People don't have that. I'm very lucky that my managers and directors and everything like that are all like that.
Alice: but that's nice. And I think that's important. Something I love is that you broke out into more of the dance world. You have a song with Tiësto, 'Round & Round,' that went to, I think, number one on the Music Week commercial pop charts. How do you process that? Because that is a big deal.
Allegra: The funny thing is that whenever I get questions about all the numbers and kinds of success, it's funny. Obviously, It's great. I'm super happy. I'm lucky to have achieved all that. But I don't let it get to my head as much Because I'm always focused on the next thing if that makes sense. I mean, it's incredible. I'm lucky to have worked for someone as successful as Tiësto. For him to show belief in me, it's just incredible. And it makes me even more competent as an artist. But it's just funny because I've been lucky to work with all these amazing people. And reaching number one, you almost don't believe it. I don't think I'll ever really fully process it, to be honest.
Alice: I think that's super normal. In this world, we're taught to attach success to monetary or numerical values, or whatever it is. I think success, the older you get, becomes a different thing within you. For me, happiness revolves hugely around what success means to me and contentedness. So, I guess you're right. I love that you just kind of just take it as it is. And you're like, well, that's a wonderful addition. But it's not, going to change what I do and how I do it.
Allegra: I get a lot of questions before in other interviews. Is the goal to make loads of money, or do you want fame and money and stuff like that? And I said, I mean, to be honest, I just want to connect with my audience and people. I just want to help through music, and that's why whenever I release a song that I've written, I have to have written it. It's really important to me. I don't want to be given a song and just record it. It's important to me to believe in my own music so that others can believe it. That's how I want to connect. At the end of the day, I want to connect and help. Because music is almost therapy, I guess. That's how I look at it.
Alice: And I think it's really interesting because music has always affected people and created communities where people feel empowered. And I think that's something I've seen from your music, but also reading about you and researching that empowerment is important to you. I love that it's important in both ways: empowering others and yourself. I think that it's really lovely that you want to focus on a well-rounded picture of it and everything that goes with trying to find that empowerment for you and others.
Allegra: That is the most important thing. My team will know I'm quite nit-picky with everything, so it obviously means a lot to me. I don't just release a song for the sake of it. No matter how many people I have behind me supporting me, it's my name at the end of the day. If it is wrong, I'm the one to blame. I want people to be able to understand and just create a safe space.
Alice: But I think being picky isn’t always a bad thing. We're taught that being picky is not a good trait, especially as women and young girls. Actually, I feel a lot of respect for people when they are picky about art and want to be right.
Allegra: I'm working on an EP right now. And I'm so nit-picky, I mean, really.
Alice: Can you tell us a bit about the new EP?
Allegra: I've got a new song coming out soon. I'll be filming the music video in a couple of weeks, which is exciting. That's going to be the start of the release of my EP, which will be coming out, I think, at the end of summer. The whole idea of the EP is that. I'm probably telling you too much information, but I'm just so excited, to be honest. The idea is that it is going to be the storyline of the process of a breakup, so it's going to be two EPs, and you'll see the storyline move; you go from heartbreak, being angry, to going out, feeling empowered, to flirting with other people again. That's my idea.
Alice: I love that. I think it's healthy. I've started writing about a topic in similar way but a different one; I think it's really important to look at the process and things that aren't linear. And especially with emotions, you go from being one emotion to feeling like you've gotten to grips with it, and then you're sad, angry, and in love again. And I think I love that. It's kind of a mix of everything, like realistic expectations.
Allegra: Yeah, exactly. So that's exciting. And it will be my first time putting out a body of work. I hope people will see a new side and be surprised because I'll be releasing songs that are very different from what I'm doing now.
Alice: People get nervous about changing where they've been sat and the position they've been put in, but I think a lot of the time, it's received really, really well, and people welcome it. I think if you love someone in their music, you welcome the different stages.
Allegra: Yeah, Fingers crossed!
Alice: How have you managed the pressures of the industry since starting when you were 14?
Allegra: When I was 14, I was taught to record, write, and learn. I'm very lucky that my family are very close. They've always supported me in everything I've done. If there was ever a time when I was getting a bit overwhelmed by everything, they were there, so that was really good.
I guess there will be a time when I speak up more. But I personally have been going through a lot mentally. Something happened to me as a woman, which has only made me feel stronger in terms of my music, message and what I want to put across. There were moments where, it was this time last year or the year before that I can't quite remember, I was quiet for a while. It was quite hard because, in the music industry, it's always [portrayed as] "good, good, good!' and the same on social media. I really struggled because it was a really tough time. I didn't want to be fake, posting on my Instagram like, guys! I'm great! So, it was quite hard for my team because I was quiet, and not everyone understood that. But I knew that it was important for me to take my time. Because otherwise, I would explode if I'd carried on.
People don't understand why I was quiet for moments, even people on the team. Now, I know who I am, and my experience has made me even stronger. It was really hard because music has always been my first love. I've loved music my whole life, and this was one time in my life when music, I thought in my mind, couldn't even help me. Saying that out loud now; it's so sad. That's just how helpless [I was]. I felt lost.
Alice: I think that's normal. I mean, my experience going through something seven years ago now, at the time I stopped writing, I couldn't write music. For some reason, I had this weird block. Until about six months ago when suddenly, I could start writing again out of nowhere. I'm glad you took the time you needed. I'm glad you looked after yourself. Because I think it's really common for people just to please others and try and crack on. And you know, I think it's really important to heal. And whenever you want to discuss that in depth is fine. But you don't owe anyone any explanation or apology. It's always down to you when, if and when you want to discuss it.
Allegra: To be honest, you're the first person I've spoken out about it because I heard you on set talking about your mental health, so you make me feel like I'm in a safe space.
Alice: Well, I'm glad you feel that because you are. I think it's so complex and I think people should be in control of their own narrative.
Allegra: Yeah. And that's why I'm kind of excited about my EP because I am in control of my narrative. I've written songs that are very emotional to me.
Alice: I think it's really beautiful that you're trying to create spaces for people. I think it's selfless because I don't think it's easy.
Allegra: Even with my friendship group, sadly, you know, every girl has an example of what they've gone through as a woman. And I do speak up. I'm quite headstrong. I'm quite open about everything. I don't mind talking to people. I am voicing what has happened to me and fighting it, actually. Girls look at me and think wow, that's amazing. Because people are scared to speak up and tell people they're in the wrong. I think that's where I get my strength, also in my music. I want girls to know they're not alone and don't have to be silent. They can say no. I think that's what's important. And that's why I want to have a strong message.
Alice: I think it's incredibly brave, because it's not easy. I think whatever you choose to do and when it’s right for you will bring you a lot of peace. I think it's great that you're following your lead. You don't owe anyone anything. Anything you give is more than they should have. And I think that's a really wonderful way that you're trying to do it. So props to you.
Allegra: Music is like my superpower. So that's why I like to write my own songs and not just record songs that are given or anything. It's important that I believe in [my music] and that others can believe, too!
Alice: If you don't have faith, how can anyone else have faith? I mean, sometimes you need someone to give you blind faith. To give you that support, you need to move forward. But I think I've been a big believer in finding faith. It's all we have in life. My mom said to me years ago was, okay, yes, you want a glass ball, which will tell you the future, but she was like, once you know that future, then you no longer have any hope or faith in what's going to happen. She said there's no way to live without either.
Allegra: I grew up religious because my parents are religious. Sometimes, you can get angry, asking why I am being put through all this. If you look another way of being like, okay, I've gone through this, but maybe I'll become much stronger because of it. Sadly, you wouldn't have had to go through that experience. But, you know, my eyes now see the world differently, and I feel a lot stronger. Maybe before, I would let people walk all over me, but now I speak my mind, and maybe too much.
Alice: It's never too much. Personally, I love that. Something we asked people at the end of interviews is this idea of joy, so what's yours?
Allegra: I don't know if you can tell but I'm an extrovert. My thing is, I love making people happy. I love bringing my friends over. I love making cute little dinner parties. I'm known out of my friend groups as the one who gathers people and organises things. Doing little parties brings me a lot of joy and also the preparation for it. I'm one of the girls who blasts the music, and makeup is absolutely everywhere. Everyone else's is clear. I think that just brings me a lot of joy. My friends and family mean a lot to me, and that everyone is happy and in a good headspace.
Love You Right Back' by Allegra is out now. New music is coming soon.
Photography Betty Oxlade-Martin
Styling Lois Jenner
Hair & MUA Kristina Pavlov