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We’ve been counting down the days until Alex Amor’s debut album and the day is finally here! The Scottish-born, Brighton based singer songwriter has drawn comparisons to Clairo, Kacey Musgraves, even Cigarettes After Sex, and yet she crafts a sound all her own. Amor sat down to talk with us all about her album, Heavenly Bodies, playing All Points East, and what goes into creating an Alex Amor music video. 

OnesToWatch: Easy question to start: Who is Alex Amor?

Alex Amor: My goodness! Easy or hard? Alex Amor is a Scottish lassie who makes cosmic Americana and loves to write songs. 

We’re here to talk about your debut album! How does it feel?

It feels amazing to have a record. I’ve had it for a long time and it feels nice to be an album artist. Now that I’m here I just want to put out records for the rest of my life and continue to put out albums. I;ve got the album bug. 

I’m sure it’s equally exciting for fans. I know the excitement of an artist I like finally putting out their debut album.

Yeah it feels legit. Like a statement of how you want to go on, how you want to be perceived in the world. Quite often I feel like an album, as an artist, I don’t want to say who has figured themself out because it’s a continual process but, it’s like their artist statement or their mission statement.  

Where did the title Heavenly Bodies come from?

Honestly I can’t even remember the moment that I conceptualized it. I had a collection of songs, maybe 6, and with my creative process I kind of just let the process unravel and I let the songs tell me where to go next. A lot of the songs had this cosmic imagery, and I was dealing with existential questions, and the circle of life, and the sun and the moon and the stars featured heavily. I was thinking what's an interesting way of talking about the unseen or the sun and the moon or a higher power that you worship, whether that’s the elements or God. And then I just thought “Heavenly body, doesn't that just mean the sun and the moon and the stars?” and I thought it sounded really delicious. It's a beautiful phrase with a lot of different meanings for people that like to have different meanings. Then I googled it to see if anyone else had used it and then I saw the Met Gala had used it as a theme. Once I got the title so many other songs flowed from having the title. I feel like once you have a title it’s a lovely container to write the rest of the songs, one of them being “As Above, So Below.”

It's cool that the title came in the middle of the process and then more songs came from the title. 

I tend to create like a child, edit like a scientist. I think it’s quite strange if I’m being honest, to know exactly what you’re going to make and then execute it. I prefer to blindly create and let the process tell me where I need to go next. It’s a lot more fun and exciting that way. The project shows up and you’re like “Huh! It was there all along!”

I want to talk about “Aquamarine,” which was born from an encounter with an oracle reader. Was this a sort of an impromptu thing or are you someone that likes that sort of thing, oracle readers, tarot card readings, astrology, etc?

I think with anything it’s in moderation and I think that’s why it was such a crazy experience because I don't really do that very often, almost rarely. I kind of believe that everyone has free will and the ability to shape their own life, but I do think it’s quite fun. I’m more of a believer of tapping into your own intuition but on that occasion it was free in a hotel I was like “Why not?” and he was right. 

He was right! I was watching the music video for “Inside” and someone commented that your new music feels more personal to which you replied “yes! More vulnerable for sure.” Was it a conscious decision that your debut album would be more vulnerable or did it just sort of happen?

That was actually really intentional from the start. I always wanted to make more vulnerable music but I could never pull it off in the way that I wanted. The music that seemed to put its best foot forward was the music that was more simplistic for previous EPs. I was going through a really hard time before writing the album, dealing with grief and loss and change. I was not in the mood to write “It’s always time to smile,” which is one of my songs, because it’s not when you’re going through a difficult time. I just suddenly was not resonating with some of my earlier music and I needed to make a shift and I had a lot to say. When you get to your mid-20s a light just turns on in your brain. I felt like I was able to communicate how I was feeling in a more confessional and vulnerable way and be more descriptive and specific. I’m really, really pleased that the dads in the comments of YouTube agree. I’ve been loving the YouTube comments.

The dads in the YouTube comments love you! I want to stay on music videos for a moment. You’ve put out music videos for all the singles leading up to Heavenly Bodies. They’re all clearly from the world of Heavenly Bodies but still manage to fit their individual songs so well and have their own feel. How does an Alex Amor music video come together?

Pinterest boards. Because I’m assigned to an independent label I have to conceptualize, style, do my own hair and makeup, buy props, source locations, just do it all. It’s really fun, really really fun, I’m such a visual person. For instance, the “Avalanche” music video, my partner said it would be cool to go down a space age route, because of the 70s vibe and also there’s a lot of witchy imagery and medieval imagery in zeitgeist at the moment so I thought how ca I do something a little bit different. I sourced this incredible location that looked like an Austin Powers set, it’s so sick. On the day we had to shoot loads of visualizers and the album cover, and my friend Paul came and I bought this weird alien mask and I asked him to put it on and dance around. The sentiment behind it was you’re just having a really good time completely unaware while I’m feeling ignored, and he’s having a great time. That was cool because it reflected the sentiment of the song. I wanted to tell a story and narrative through the clothes and set and have it be super thought out, vintage but still modern. I really enjoy doing the visuals. 

They all turned out so beautifully and you can really tell that a lot of care went into them.

I worked with one videographer for all of it, who’s my good friend Henry Croston. He embraced the trials and tribulations, like walking the wrong way to the beach, and the chaos of music video production. He’s been an absolute trooper doing this with me. It’s really nice to work with one person, it makes it have continuity. 

The album comes out on August 21st and then the next day you’re playing All Points East. How are you preparing for what is sure to be a whirlwind 48 hours?

It’s not hit me yet, not sure when all of this is going to hit me. I’ve got a lot of content to make and prepare for the album coming out. I want to take it all in and be present. I’ve got an album listening party and yeah just singing and trying to process being at All Points East because it came through very last minute. When I was 16 I did a talent show and I sang “Royals” with two friends in three part harmony and I was obsessed with the Pure Heroine album. It’s such a full circle moment because I love so many artists so I’m just going to have the best day. 

Shortly after All Points East you're playing an intimate show at Rough Trade in London. What’s the plan for that show? Is this going to be an opportunity to play the album top to bottom for the first time?

Actually quite a few of my band will be away for All Points Easy, so I’m going to do a more acoustic set. I love doing an acoustic show, if not more than a full band. There’s less distractions, it's just you and the audience. I think for the Rough Trade show I’ll do the album top to bottom. And maybe a new song because I cannot stop writing. 

Who are your OnesToWatch?

There’s this guy called Linus Hablot, I think he’s just as good as Cameron Winter. He has a sog called “Say Yes” which is really fantastic. I did a gig alongside Gia Ford and she’s amazing, blown away by her voice. One of my good friends, Alex Apolline. She’s Scottish as well, we have the same name, we’re soul sisters. Opal Mag as well is another artist I met this year, she’s a fellow Britonian, she makes Mazzy Star-esque music. Another Brighton band called Die Twice, the lead singer has got the most incredible voice. Alice Costelloe, she recently put out an album. 

Listen to Heavenly Bodies below: