Philippine-born singer-songwriter Alfa Garcia, simply known as Alfa, made headlines last year when she won Grand Prize in the 2020 John Lennon Songwriting Contest with “Alindahaw,” a bossa nova acoustic number sung in her native Visayan language.
But even before that, Alfa has already been releasing original material dating back to 2009, with at least three albums, Second Skin, World Go Blue and Spark & Fury currently streaming in Spotify and other music platforms.
Recently Alfa signed up with AWOOO Records, the flourishing record label of actress Alessandra de Rossi and has released a new single called, “Every Word You Say,” a stunning bit of campfire-meets-coffeeshop synth ballad characterized by an equally painful lyrical theme.
In a recent interview with SoundStrip, Alfa talks about her musical odyssey, finding kindred spirits with Alessandra, her new single and performing before a live audience again. Excerpts:
Last year, you made headlines for winning the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. What was that episode of your life and how has that helped your career?
That one took me by surprise! I’d always known about the JLSC and had submitted songs in the past, but never with much expectation. There’s thousands of submissions from all over the world, so it’s safer not to hope too hard. But I was pleasantly surprised by the news, and it was a big honor to have gotten the World category with a Visayan-language song. The realization that “Alindahaw” beat out more widely-spoken languages was really cool. The contest is just a really great way to get people to hear your music, so it’s been nice to have a way to reach a new audience.
When did your passion for music begin? When and how did you decide that this is the career path you’d like to pursue?
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I remember. My whole family played music around the house when I was growing up – so much so that I thought it was normal and boring, and wanted to do something else: be a dentist! Ultimately, I’m happy I took the music route (no offense to dentists). I learned piano when I was 5, but got passionate about the violin when I was 8 and played in an orchestra for 10 years. In my teens, I started writing songs in my room. Eventually, I took up the guitar so that I had an instrument I could easily carry with me to performances. My grandfather gave me a chord book and I just taught myself from there. I’m not sure when I decided I wanted to pursue it more seriously; I feel like it was always important for me to create, release, and perform music since I was 15, so no matter what else was going on in my life – whether it was school or work – I was always making an album or project. In 2011, I decided to be more purposeful about learning the craft so I quit my dayjob to give music more of my time.
In your own words, how would you describe your music and how has it evolved over the years?
I think over the years I’ve tried a lot of approaches to my music, so it’s increasingly hard to describe it. Originally it was more pop/rock influenced, then veered into folk and country-esque territory, now it’s a bit more synthy and groove-driven. But the thread that ties my work together is I try to start from a place of authenticity, in both lyric and melody. If I sense that I’m imitating or trying too hard to get an idea across, I lose interest in the song I’m writing. The ones that make it through production and eventually into performances are songs that have genuinely stuck with me because they’re an honest snapshot of what I’m living through.
How and when did you meet Alessandra de Rossi? How did the two of you hit it off? What are the things that you both consider you have in common?
I was introduced to Alessandra via Clem Castro at Lilystars, who was working with my manager. She and I have never met in person, but shortly after being introduced on Zoom, she and I started chatting on Instagram. She’s 100% emotion and fire and I love that about her. She’s a less-reserved version of myself. And she’s hilarious. We can’t wait to finally meet in-person when traveling gets easier.
Tell us something about your song, “Every Word You Say.” How personal or special is it compared to your other songs?
The idea for it wasn’t actually personal at all. But it’s special for me as the first song I wrote that was inspired by another work. I had finished streaming Fleabag on Amazon and was so swept up with emotion that I found myself writing the song almost instantly. The vibe stood out to me first, and everything else just came around it. I wanted it to be simple and distilled, so that the emotion I felt could come through, and maybe evoke the same feeling in others. I think the process of producing a song that captured an emotion was a growth moment for me.
How were you able to weather the pandemic? Did staying mostly at home allow you to focus more on making new music?
I spent the pandemic being busy between tracking vocals, violins, and piano in my apartment, and doing a one-year teaching credential program. Most people chilled out during the worst of the pandemic – I made it very hard for myself. Before everything shut down I had been demo-ing these new songs with Carl Thomson, my drummer/producer. I had to figure out how to finish the recording at home. We just went back and forth via e-mail, sending tracks and making edits virtually.
How much do you miss performing before a live audience? Have you made any post-pandemic plans and are live shows a big part of that plan?
I played a show opening for Kawehi in Los Angeles last month and I realized just how much I missed being in front of an audience. As much as I love recording and writing, the real icing on the cake is being able to connect with people. I feel like myself when I’m performing. I hope that more live shows will come when the pandemic ends!