ALMA: "I've been through a lot, and I want to talk about it" | Dork
ALMA: "I've been through a lot, and I want to talk about it"
ALMA has kept us waiting, but her poptastic debut album has finally arrived.
If some of our favourites have taught us anything, it's that good things come to those who wait (looking at you, '75). Ever since Alma appeared with thunder banger 'Chasing Highs' back in the heady days of 2017, we've all been anticipating just when she would drop a full-length, and now that time has come - albeit a little later than planned.
It's this defiance that swept Alma and her neon green hair into the spotlight in the first place. Amidst the clattering, thunderous EDM rooted sounds came the image of someone who refuses to fall into line, who wants to do what they want and have fun with it.
While being swept away amongst the attention, fame, and feature requests, time kept on speeding by. But with all these candles being burned at all kinds of ends, the inevitability of a toll being taken was always there, which Alma recalls happening, "Maybe three years ago, after a long tour."
Finding herself resolutely in a corner, Alma knew that something was changing, and more importantly, became aware she "was going in the wrong direction," and needed to follow the natural course of growing up.
That innate quietness, pushing down whatever's been happening, comes from her homeland culture. "We're literally quiet until we just have to speak about our feelings," she explains. "And that definitely happened to me. I'm super proud of myself that I've managed to crack something inside of me and, be like, 'fuck it, let's be honest'."
Her work ethic is also due, in part, to Finland. Having said before that she feels like "a hockey game between our worst enemy, like Sweden, and [I'm] the only player," being one of Finland's biggest exports means the country is behind her, almost to the point of an overzealous soccer mom.
"I felt like my whole country was watching. Every time they made an article about me it was like, 'Our Finnish hope Alma did this or that and that', and I didn't understand. I was just laughing about it, but it was obviously effective.
It's this awareness that makes up the intricate DNA of her debut, 'Have U Seen Her?' Even the title echoes the sentiment that Alma felt at the point of breaking: "I had to do a reality check, like 'Who am I now?'"
Being a hard-partying, carefree type naturally brought with it it's own points of contention, the main of which was understanding just who Alma is. Therapy may have indeed helped this journey of understanding, but taking that knowledge and translating it into the real world was a mountain to climb of its own.
Growing up listening to "Lady Gaga and people that changed the world", it's this mindset that's fuelled 'Have U Seen Her?' Alma wanted to make records "that made me like happy cry, or sad cry," which has finally come to fruition.
Behind the fairytale of 'Have U Seen Her?' comes another figure, who, in a similar fashion to Alma, had to deal with going through being tarnished with the hard-partying brush. Having helped pen some tracks for two of Miley Cyrus' EPs, including the roaring 'Mothers Daughter' and heartbreaking 'Slide Away', it was in these sessions that Alma found some more helping words.
The single Miley was referring to was 'LA Money', perhaps the most hotly-anticipated track on the album. It's rumoured on deep pop forums that many acts including Dua Lipa were after it, but it wasn't leaving Alma's hands for love nor money. Just for that reason, it's Alma's personal experiences and belonged solely to her.
Miley wasn't the only misunderstood figurehead to make their way into Alma's life during this time. Most recently an Alma penned track was chosen as the comeback for the music career of Lindsay Lohan, who "actually just DM'd me on Instagram" after hearing the Miley tracks.
Helping in understanding who Alma is, these two interactions came from "people that are weird ones, but they're the cool ones for me," she says, "Miley and Lindsay, they both get criticised a lot, and I love that. I think that's why they're interesting, and that's why they're heroes for me."
When it comes to the musical growth Alma's gone through since those thunderous EDM days, well, it's all fed straight from those early influences since she's "kind of paranoid when it comes to new music."
It's safe to say that the Alma entering 2020 is one more confident with who she wants to be, how she wants to sound, and now knows the importance of looking after herself. All the way down to the words holding a mirror up to any past indiscretions.
"It was so important for me as a human because it was my first time thinking about, 'Hey, I've been an idiot in a relationship' or, you know, 'I'm in LA and I miss my mom... I'm gonna write a song about it'. They're so pure," she mentions of her newfound appreciation for life.
And ultimately, it's all down to shaking off any feelings of having to "make music for somebody else," she concludes. "When I basically stopped thinking about charts, and labels, and fans, I started to become me again."
Taken from the June issue of Dork. Alma's debut album 'Have U Seen Her?' is out now.
Words: Steven Loftin
Miley wasn't the only misunderstood figurehead to make their way into Alma's life during this time. Most recently an Alma penned track was chosen as the comeback for the music career of Lindsay Lohan, who "actually just DM'd me on Instagram" after hearing the Miley tracks.
Helping in understanding who Alma is, these two interactions came from "people that are weird ones, but they're the cool ones for me," she says, "Miley and Lindsay, they both get criticised a lot, and I love that. I think that's why they're interesting, and that's why they're heroes for me."
When it comes to the musical growth Alma's gone through since those thunderous EDM days, well, it's all fed straight from those early influences since she's "kind of paranoid when it comes to new music."
It's safe to say that the Alma entering 2020 is one more confident with who she wants to be, how she wants to sound, and now knows the importance of looking after herself. All the way down to the words holding a mirror up to any past indiscretions.
"It was so important for me as a human because it was my first time thinking about, 'Hey, I've been an idiot in a relationship' or, you know, 'I'm in LA and I miss my mom... I'm gonna write a song about it'. They're so pure," she mentions of her newfound appreciation for life.
And ultimately, it's all down to shaking off any feelings of having to "make music for somebody else," she concludes. "When I basically stopped thinking about charts, and labels, and fans, I started to become me again."
Taken from the June issue of Dork. Alma's debut album 'Have U Seen Her?' is out now.
