Interview: Allysha Joy on New Album making of silk, Self-Producing and Touring

As promised last week, just a few days after Allysha Joy released her lush, multi-dimensional experience the making of silk, we had the pleasure to catch up with her in-between live shows and talk about the album, her inspirations, self-producing and touring in 2024.

feature photo credit - Dan Adhami

Find the making of silk on

Hi Allysha, congrats on the new record. Something we’ve all been excited about! The creation (making) of silk is a delicate and fascinating process. How would you describe everything that led to the release of your new album?

Similar to the making of silk really, a lot of struggle, pain, suffering, trauma, therapy healing... you know the foundation for most good art as Marina Abramović would say. Art for me has always been about processing how I experience the world and this is my most personal work to date so it’s been an incredible journey of healing and learning in a variety of ways.  

The album is entirely self-produced and written despite your proximity and connection to so many talented producers and multi-instrumentalists. Was this something you decided to do before the beginning of the process or happen naturally? How does it differ from the recording of Acadie : Raw and Torn : Tonic?

You know less than 5 percent of music is produced by non-men?! So I’m going to add at least a little percentile to that horrific statistic because I can. And because I want to know what music sounds like when women and non-binary people produce it, when it resonates with the frequency of our bodies when there is nothing in between the vision and the sound. I also am just so sick of men (and capitalism) thinking that art is objective and that there is a right way or wrong way to make music. This is art. I produced Torn : Tonic entirely myself also, I also produce for 30/70 and Totek, so it’s part of my practice. I sat in on every session for the making of my debut album and the following EP, Light it Again produced by Clever Austin. I have been so blessed to learn from incredible producers! 

If you could choose the perfect setting for listening to the making of silk, what/where would that be?

Curled up alone on your bed with soft warm lighting, some incense burning, and a light little evening breeze blowing through an open window. 

I love the aesthetic of the record, the red/orange direction - who was involved with all the design/creative parts of making the album? Is there a parallel to Koryusai’s work which you mention as inspiration of the album?

Mmmm, thank you. A lot of the art direction is me too and God of course. I just ask the music what it wants to be and follow that. The photos are by a beautiful photographer from back home, Jess Brohier, and my friend Jack Ralph brought the album to life with his direction on the film clip for "Stay".

The album touches on themes of impermanence and aloneness. How do you balance these heavier topics with the message of resilient love that runs through your work?

Such a hard thing to do but I think this comes back to existing in a body with a uterus, experiencing a cycle of life and death that occurs within me every month, which makes that movement within the music necessary and natural. There is balance in this and everything, it’s equally uplifting as it is deep and challenging and I think we are all surrounded by the duality of joy and pain at all times, I just choose to face it and speak to it. I love music like Marvin Gaye or Meshell Ndegeocello for instance that is so brutal lyrically but also always funky .. and that’s soul music right?! It’s all coming from black music. 

What did you listen to / was inspired by while recording the making of silk?

Again Meshell is a huge inspiration, Brian Jackson, Gil Scott Heron, a lot of gospel music that I grew up listening to like the Clark Sisters or Mahalia Jackson. Lots of classic Jazz and Soul and also just the natural environments back home on Wurundjeri country and Boonwurrung country, the spaciousness, the water, the spirit there, and artists back home like Izy, Sampology, Tiana Khasi, Karate Boogaloo, all inspired this work. 

order the making of silk on vinyl via Allysha's Bandcamp page

For someone who lives in Europe and is physically very far from Australia, it does feel that the alt r&b/soul scene is flourishing over there. Is this a correct assumption and what’s your observation on everything that has been happening in recent years?

Yeah, the scene back home is amazing and I feel so blessed to be a part of it and I think like any movement, it takes time for people to catch on... but what’s been happening out there has been happening for decades. Incredible musicians like The Cactus Chanel, Julien Wilson, The Bamboos, Renee Geyer, Kylie Auldist, then to Hiatus Kaiyote, Mandarin Dreams, Kaiit, and 30/70. It’s been brewing for a long time. 

You are about to embark on a world tour. Congrats! In a day and age when touring (especially overseas) has become progressively harder for artists, AND declining reach on social media, how did all happen and do you consider this a must-do in order to reach more people?

Very real question! Thank you for asking this cause yeh it is financially so tough and definitely not necessary for all artists. I am a live musician, my music was recorded live. I feel like everything I do makes more sense when you see me live and performing is what I live for so it’s important to me. I've always worked from the ground up, building networks and community while I tour, making friends in new cities and trying to get a real experience of a place while I’m there not just bumping in and out. So for me touring is about so much more than just the gig, it’s always served me well not only in my career but most definitely in my musicality as an artist and as a human being. It’s damn expensive but I tour in a very different way to others, I live on the road and tour slowly, I sacrifice a lot of stability for the music cause I just love playing and connecting, I do things on a tight budget, I’m very flexible and I often play with local musicians to save money on travel. I’ve also gradually moved from small rooms playing solo to now touring with a band and that helps. 

Do you have your own definition of success when it comes to making music?

Success for me is getting my values aligned in the music and movements and process within all that I do, which is just all about learning and listening and gaining greater stability to take better care of myself and the people around me. I want longevity and sustainability in music to foster healthy long artistic careers for myself and the people around me. Sustainability in every way is a success to me! 

You work with First Word Records and Legere Recordings for the release of the making of silk. In times when artists have the freedom to do almost everything on their own, what do (great) labels bring to the table, and how do they add value to the whole experience from the artist’s point of view?

First Word are like family and that’s the most important thing for me with anyone I’m working with we have to feel connected in the music and energetically. As a solo artist especially, it is so valuable to have a label that can offer emotional support and to bounce ideas off and it’s been cool this year getting the additional support of folks like Légère in Europe and P-Vine in Japan - expanding the family. 

photo credit - Jess Brohier

Which is the last book that made an impact on you?

I’m always reading. I just finished Parable of the Sower, it’s wild, hard, and beautiful. 

Do you already think of what’s after the tour?

Yeah, more music! I’ve already laid down the beds for the next album, we recorded it at Abbey Road earlier this year! And I’m so excited about it. Plus a book of poetry! And relaxing! I want to relax on the beach in Lutruwita with my love. 

Who should we check out next? Any new bands we should be paying attention to?

Check all the incredible people involved in this record, most of them have their own projects - Finn Rees, douniah, Annalisa  Fernandez, Oscar Jerome, Karate Boogaloo, Totek, Xpress Point, ZFEX. 

Lastly, can you tell us 1) An artist/band you’d love to have a D.M.C (deep meaningful conversation) with, 2) An artist you think would be rad to party with, 3) An artist you would love to spend a week with in the studio?

1. Sun Ra 
2. dreamcastmoe 
3. Meshell Ndegeocello