Annika Schmarsel (born 8 July 1993) known by her stage name Alice Ivy, is an Australian electronic musician and producer. Alice Ivy was the winner of the 2016 Triple J Unearthed Listen Out competition. She has released two studio albums: '' I'm Dreaming'' (2018), and ''Don't Sleep'' (2020), which reached No. 77 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Early life

Annika Schmarsel was born in 1993 to West German immigrants who settled in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

in 1987. Annika also has a younger brother. At the age of twelve, on a family trip to Germany, Schmarsel's grandmother taught her guitar chords while her uncle taught her how to play " Smoke on the Water" by

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

. During high school a year later, she was a member of a 25-member soul big band and on-going music project, The Sweethearts. In 2014, Schmarsel moved to Melbourne to study for a music industry degree at RMIT University, and was introduced to the music software Ableton. She learnt about influential electronic producers including the late J Dilla.

Music career

2015–2018: Early years and ''I'm Dreaming''

On 3 January 2015, Annika Schmarsel under the alias 'Alice Ivy', released her debut single "Charlie". On 14 April, she released her next single "Mean Man's Bite" featuring guest vocals from Chloe Beckwith. On 26 June, Alice Ivy released her single "Paint Me Blue" again featuring vocals by Chloe Beckwith. On 13 November, Alice Ivy released the single "Walk On" featuring Indigo Fly. On 25 January 2016, Alice Ivy released her single "Touch" featuring guest vocals by Georgia van Etten, a music video was released on 8 February animated by James Thompson and Bill Presser. On 23 June, she released "Almost Here" featuring vocals by RaRa. The two singles quickly became her most popular, having collectively amassed over 3,000,000 streams on Spotify. Alice Ivy then performed a five-date tour to promote the two singles in July. On 2 September, Alice Ivy remixed "Float" by Thomston. In March 2017, she released her single "Get Me a Drink" featuring E^ST and Charlie Threads, it became her first track to be added to high rotation on Triple J. ''The Age'' placed the track at #8 in their "Best Songs Of 2017". On 21 April, she remixed "Beat the Keeper" by Taj Ralph. On 26 May, Alice Ivy remixed "Kate's Bed" by Huntly. In September, after signing a deal with Australian record label Dew Process she released "Be Friends" featuring guest vocals from Tim de Cotta and Caseaux O.S.L.O. On 22 September, Alice Ivy released a remix of "West" by Lakyn. On 10 November, Alice Ivy remixed the track "Life Goes On" by E^ST. On 12 December, a music video was released for her track "Be Friends". On 12 January 2018, she released the single "Chasing Stars" featuring ARIA award winning singer-songwriter,

Bertie Blackman Beatrice "Bertie" Blackman (born 1982) is an Independent Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album ''Headway,'' which came after years of prolific performances around Sydney's inner-city venues, wh ...

. Both "Be Friends", and "Chasing Stars" were also added to high rotation as well. Later that month, Alice Ivy signed onto Last Gang Records for international releases. In the middle of that year, "Chasing Stars" became the eleventh most played track on Triple J. On 9 February, her debut album '' I'm Dreaming'' was released. It contained most her previously released singles including "Charlie". To promote her debut album, Ivy performed an eight-date national headlining tour ranging from 16 February until 29 March and performing in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Panama Festival in Tasmania, The Hills are Alive in Victoria, and

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

. On 30 March, Alice Ivy covered Estelle's track " American Boy" with E^ST and Miss Blanks for Triple J's

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...

. On 6 April, Ivy remixed the track "Panopticon" by Cloud Control. On 13 April, Alice Ivy along with other remixers TOKiMONSTA, Maria Marcus, and Maya Jane Coles, all made their own remixes of "Lady Powers" by Vera Blue featuring Kodi Shane, released on ''Lady Powers , Power Ladies Remix EP''. On 8 August, she released a remix of "Clothes I Slept In" by

Luca Brasi Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'', as well as its 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he was portrayed by Lenny Montana, an ex-wrestler and former bodyguard and enforcer for the Colombo crime famil ...

. On 7 September, Alice Ivy remixed the track "Real Love" by Flint Eastwood.

2019–2020: ''Don't Sleep''

On 9 February 2019, rain damaged Alice Ivy's equipment and she was unable to play at the Tasmanian music festival Party In The Paddock the day after as planned. The rain damaged her laptop, guitar pedals and drum pad. Ivy stated she would play in Tasmania again as soon as she was able to. On 15 February, Alice Ivy released a remix of

Amwin Amanda Linnéa Cecilia Winberg (born 20 June 1996), performing as Amwin (stylized in uppercase), is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, model, and influencer who first came to prominence as runner-up of the eleventh season of '' Swedish Idol'' in 20 ...

's track "DeLorean". On 22 February, Alice Ivy released a new single entitled "Close to You" featuring Flint Eastwood. She also announced a "Close to You" tour starting in May with Miss Blanks, who previously collaborated with Alice Ivy for Triple J's

. The tour is slated to start in Adelaide, and then go on to Wollongong,

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Melbourne,

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. On 22 March, a remix of "Fooling Around" by Japanese Wallpaper was released. On 30 April, a music video for "Close to You" was released. The video featured Ivy's dog "Lexie". On 10 July, Ivy released the single "In My Mind" featuring Ecca Vandal alongside an accompanying music video. On 6 November, Alice Ivy released the single "Sunrise" featuring Cadence Weapon alongside an accompanying music video. On 1 April 2020, Alice Ivy released "Don't Sleep" the titular single of her upcoming second studio album ''Don't Sleep'', set to release on 17 July. The single featured Imbi the Girl and Boi. She also released an accompanying music video for the single. On 27 May, Alice Ivy released the fourth single from her then-forthcoming album titled "Better Man" featuring Safia frontman Benjamin Joseph. A music video was released alongside starring comedian and radio personality Alex Dyson. Her sophomore studio album was officially released on 18 July. The twelve-track album contained her four previously released singles, and seven other tracks featuring guest vocals. The track "Ticket to Heaven" featured Thelma Plum, "I'll Find It" featured Odette, "Sweetest Love" featured

Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...

and Bertie Blackman, "All Hit Radio" featured Teef and Tessa (vocalist for the band Tessa & the Typecast), "Money" featured

DijahSB DijahSB is a rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. They released their debut album ''2020 the Album'' in 2020, followed by their second album ''Head Above the Waters'' in 2021. Career Beginning rapping professionally in 2011, they previously releas ...

, "All In For You" featured Ngaiire, and "Gold" also featured Bertie Blackman. ''Don't Sleep'' peaked at number 77 on the ARIA charts.

2021–present: New singles

On 28 July 2021, Alice Ivy was featured on "Someone Stranger" by Georgia Maq the singer, songwriter and guitarist for Camp Cope. Alice Ivy begun teasing a new single from 8 October, collaborating with Brisbane-based pop artist

Sycco Sasha McLeod (born August 26th 2001), known professionally as Sycco (), is an Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter and producer from Brisbane. She was nominated for Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year in 2020, having released the pop singl ...

and American bassist Nick Movshon. Their single "Weakness" was released on 22 October with an accompanying music video directed by Dom Gould. The single and music video were recorded separately in Brisbane and Melbourne due to COVID-19 lock-down restrictions. Airlock Studios in Brisbane, and XO Studios in Melbourne.

Musical style

Alice Ivy lists her influences as

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

. Other influences include The Avalanches, J Dilla,

Onra Arnaud Antoine Rene Bernard, better known by his stage name Onra, is a French hip hop beatmaker based in Paris. His musical style is a "chopped up set of RnB laden beats and electronically produced experiments laced with influences spanning the ...

, Anderson Paak, Mark Ronson. Her sound has also been likened to Gramatik, L'Orange and Curtis Mayfield. She says that soul and

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

music inspired her to explore music production, and these influences particularly shine through on her 2020 single "Weakness."

Discography

Studio albums

Notes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Remixes

Notes

Videography

Music videos

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, "Weakness" (with

) , Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single , ,

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. Ivy has received 2 nominations. , - , rowspan="2",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, ''Don't Sleep'' ,

ARIA Award for Best Dance Release The ARIA Music Award for Best Dance Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indus ...

, , - , Alice Ivy for ''Don't Sleep'' , ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year , , -

Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. They commenced in 2005. , - , Australian Music Prize 2020 , '' Don't Sleep'' , Album of the Year ,

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. , - , rowspan="2",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, Alice Ivy , Diversity in Music Award , , - , Alice Ivy , Studio Production Award ,

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005. ! , - ! scope="row",

, '' Don't Sleep'' , Australian Album of the Year , ,

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. ! , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, Alice Ivy , Best Emerging Artist , , rowspan="3", , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Alice Ivy , Best Electronic Act , , - ,

, Alice Ivy , Best Producer , , - , rowspan="4",

, rowspan="3", Alice Ivy , Best Producer , , , - , Best Solo Artist , , rowspan="3", ] , - , Best Pop Act , , - , ''Don't Sleep'' , Best Victorian Album , , - , 2022 Music Victoria Awards, 2022 , Alice Ivy , Best Producer , , , -

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - , National Live Music Awards of 2018 , Alice Ivy , Live Electronic Act (or DJ) of the Year , , - , National Live Music Awards of 2020 , Alice Ivy , Victorian Live Act of the Year , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivy, Alice 1993 births Living people Australian people of German descent Australian musicians Dew Process artists Australian electronic musicians Musicians from Geelong 21st-century Australian musicians Australian record producers Remixers Musicians from Victoria (Australia) Australian women in electronic music