Getting to know North London singer-songwriter Alicia Clifford
Blessed with a stunning voice that stands out in the indie folk scene, Alicia Clifford first caught our attention at our open mic late last year. Since then, she’s become a well-liked member of our creative community—genuine, easy to connect with and full of talent.
Her music effortlessly blends soft indie sounds with folk, creating something that feels personal and honest. Online, she’s been gaining a lot of fans through a series of viral acoustic TikTok performances—even catching the eye of some of the most emerging artists around.
DNü: How long have you been making music?
AC: I have been singing and surrounded by music for as long as I can remember but for a long time I never thought of myself as much of a songwriter. It just didn’t seem like a possibility for me. But in my teens I experienced huge losses and leaned on music more than ever. So I picked up the guitar and started to teach myself while I was in college, surrounded by other musicians when I was 16/17 years old. From there I kind of fell into my genre after struggling with finding a direction for my music. For the first time it felt like something just unlocked and I never stopped writing. I am truly proud of that progress and performing my original music is my favoUrite thing in the world! There were a few knock backs and restarts along the way but I have three singles out currently and an EP coming later this year (which was such a joy to record and I’m so proud and excited to share it) with many more songs written!
DNü: Describe your music in 3 words.
AC: My music in three words, ooo that’s hard, but I would probably say, Folky, melodic and emotive.
DNü: Who are you currently listening to at the moment?
AC: It changes all the time. My music taste is so varied and sometimes not what you would expect when you hear my own music. But currently I’m listening to a lot of Wolf Alice. It’s a Wolf Alice Summer and I’m just obsessed with them. Fellow North Londoners. I’m also loving the pop girls at the moment, which isn’t always my vibe, but loving it right now. Lots of CMAT, Charli xcx, Chappell Roan and surprisingly Addison Rae’s new album! But I always come back to the staples of Sam Fender, Lizzy McApline, Adrianne Lenker, Inhaler, Oasis, Wunderhorse and Lana Del Rey. All of those artists are always in my playlist all year round!
DNü: How does it feel going viral multiple times on TikTok?
AC: Well getting any level of recognition on social media as a small artist always feels really cool and gratifying because as I’m sure many other independent artists can relate to, it does sometimes feel like you are screaming into the void and stuck in that famous 200 view jail. I never post with any expectation, so when something like that happens I’m always blown away. People’s responses have been so kind and it’s super overwhelming! It’s been especially mind-blowing to have those covers reach the artist and have support from people that you admire! To have people like Sam Fender, Gigi Perez, Nieve Ella and Katie Gregson-MacLeod like, comment or repost your videos is so surreal. I remember being at work and going on my break to see that Sam Fender had commented and reposted my video and just thinking WTF! Then I had to go back on the shop floor and be normal again haha, life of a small artist eh. I’ve recently had my most viewed video ever covering “House Song” by Searows, it’s currently at nearly 600k views. It’s literally just me sitting in my living room singing as I always do. I couldn’t even imagine those numbers when I first started posting in 2020. It is exciting because it does open up possibilities for new audiences to discover you and your music too which I am extremely grateful for and it does give you that bit of hope and motivation to keep pushing!
DNü: The creative process behind “Smokescreen”.
AC: I always tell this little story when I perform live. But my grandad often comes in and tells me that he has some lyrics for me. Most of them go nowhere, but some of the time, they stick and this was one of those times. He gave me the first line of the song; “Take me with you take me with you, let me fly”, along with a little melody and something sparked inspiration instantly. I picked up the guitar and the rest of the lyrics came easily. I’d been struggling with writer’s block and feeling a bit uninspired so this was a welcome change! I had a tiny idea for the chorus and when I put it all together it spiralled quickly. Moving away from what was probably intended to be more of a love song, to something that reflected heartache and confusion. (Definitely not personal experience haha) It is a song that has seemed to resonate strongly with the listener as I think people can relate to the feeling of being blindsided and loving someone that you never really knew. The smoke and mirrors of it all I suppose. I was lucky enough to go and record a beautiful live space at the beginning of the year and brought the song to life. I knew that I wanted the track to really build and paint a picture with those lyrics and instrumental; creating something you can really immerse yourself in when you listen. From there it became what it is today with my signature layered harmonies and strings!
Catch Alicia Clifford performing at our debut indoor festival this September. Tickets are on sale here.