Apollo debuts "jukebox" of covers, My Mixtape Brings All The Boys To The Yard, on Best Fit

For those who've not heard you or your music before, can you briefly sum up your origin story?

I started songwriting at 15. I was training as an actor, singer and a dancer but felt restricted by performing other people’s material. I just assumed that I could never be a recording artist because I’m queer and fairly femme. But then a friend introduced me to Patrick Wolf’s song “The Childcatcher” which completely blasted my brain to bits. Not only compositionally - because it is incredible - but because it’s wilfully and obviously queer (my interpretation of it is anyway), and angry too. After that I was hooked on the idea of being a recording artist and it consumed me. It made sense to incorporate baroque or orchestral elements into my music because I’m a classically trained violinist and singer. I ended up studying music at university and I’ve been slogging away at it ever since.

What led you to the point of creating this mixtape?

I released my first EP in 2013 and then immediately set to work on EP number two but I was so depressed and miserable in my shitty call centre job that everything I came up with sounded wrong to me - too try-hard and abrasive. Then I joined a band - The Irrepressibles - and was so busy touring and performing that I just stopped writing my own music altogether. Eventually I left the band to look after my mental health, got a dayjob, and realised I still had writer’s block. I thought working on covers for fun might lead to me rediscovering my creative mojo. As it happened, it did, so I’m glad I focused my energy on it.

What's the mixtape about?

There’s no narrative. It’s not a mixtape in the sense you might expect - it’s not a DJ mix of other people’s songs and it’s not a hip hop-style mixtape where you create your own material with samples and beats by other people. It’s 10 covers (and an intro and outro). Some of them sample other songs but they’re all covers. I called it a 'mixtape' because the idea was that each song was a slightly different genre or style. My own work is so serious and baroque and overblown and quite cohesive stylistically, so I wanted to play around with genres and styles I don’t normally even consider, and make it sound like a cassette tape mix of songs by different people you might listen to on a road trip in the '90s. I remember listening to songs taped from the radio on my friend’s walkman on the bus to school as a kid, so I guess I wanted to recapture that feel of an almost-jukebox type assorted mix.

What's your favourite moment on the tape?

I can’t pick a favourite but the “Wuthering Heights” cover seems to have gone down the best. That was a challenge to myself. I adore Kate Bush and the original song, but I was testing myself to see if I could make it sound… ‘cool’, or at least contemporary in some sense.

Did you manage to use 'real'/live instruments as opposed to samples?

Unfortunately not. The harpsichord in the intro is actually sampled from a track on Susanne Sundfør’s latest album. I’m a penniless freelance violinist working and recording in my own flat, so almost everything is a synthesized midi instrument. Except the violins on the Kate Bush, Tori Amos and FKA twigs covers. Obviously those are live.

Was it a happy accident or deliberate choice to only tackle works by female artists? Why?

Totally a happy accident. I didn’t set out with that in mind. Most of my favourite artists are female, but I don’t refuse to listen to men it’s just an unconscious decision. I think I relate to the emotional openness and willingness to alternate between fragile and brutal that is more common in female artists. Having said that I’m a massive Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright and Patrick Wolf fan.

What do these songs mean to you? Why these tracks in particular?

None of them are particularly close to my heart. I did that on purpose. I didn’t want to choose my favourite songs to cover because when you’re arranging, recording, producing, programming and mixing a cover you end up hearing the song a million times and it almost ruins the magic of the original for you. So I chose songs that I love but none of them are my absolute favourites... except maybe “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry. That’s a song that I wish I’d written. I wish I’d come up with that. It’s completely perfect.

If you would the lead singer of a supergroup, who would be in the rest of the band?

Oh god I really don’t know. That’s an excellent question but I have no idea. I’m tempted to list my idols but I think I’d probably have an anxiety attack and start ugly crying if I was in their presence let alone if we were collaborating musically. Producer-wise I desperately want to work with Arca but then so does everybody, and I don’t think I’m cool or interesting enough.

If you could play anywhere/when on Earth (or not), what location/time would you pick and why?

I’d love to perform in an abandoned structure, maybe that amazing looking abandoned theme park outside Berlin at twilight. I sneaked into an abandoned cement factory to shoot one of my music videos and it was the biggest thrill. I’d love to do that again. I don’t perform my own stuff live at the moment for various reasons but when I do I want to make it a theatrical and immersive experience, not just standing in front of a mic playing the songs like they are on the album.

Do any of these work their way into live sets?

Not yet. I definitely want to do my version of “Wuthering Heights” live. That’s in the pipeline. I did actually perform a cover of Arcade Fire’s “No Cars Go” live accompanied by my violin and loop pedal once, and no one walked out or started throwing things so that was a good sign.

What are you working on next?

I’m actually working on a second mixtape of covers. I wasn’t planning to, I don’t want to be the kind of artist more known for their covers than their original material, but it turned out I still had loads more ideas still in me so I’ll release that on soundcloud for free at some point too. I’m also finally working on my 2nd EP. Inspiration finally struck the other day and I wrote the best song I think I’ve ever written. I have complex mental health problems which can really affect how I work so I haven’t felt this inspired in literal years. I’m excited. I want to release the EP in August around my birthday. My friend Alicia Jane Turner who also plays violin is coming to help me with production and vocal recording soon and then it’ll be done. So that’s really exciting.

Stream the mixtape below. Apollo's debut EP is available now on Bandcamp.

Image courtesy of Jamie Brett.