INTERVIEW: Allie Sherlock discusses life on tour and new single ‘I Do not Want Saving’

Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak to us whilst you’re presently on tour! How’s all of it going up to now? 

No worries! Yeah, it’s going nice. It’s been quite a lot of enjoyable. It’s quite a lot of work. I’m drained in the meanwhile, nevertheless it’s so value it, attending to go on the stage each evening. 

You’re presently in Europe however then you definitely’ve received the UK leg beginning subsequent week – what can your UK followers count on from these exhibits?

A good time hopefully! I’ve been engaged on quite a lot of new music so there’s going to be some launched unique music, songs which might be already out like my previous 4 singles, however then I’ve received some unreleased music that I wish to play as properly. Then you understand I all the time throw in just a few covers as a result of you understand, it’s my factor, I’ve all the time been doing covers however that is sort of a stepping stone into transitioning from completely covers to covers and originals, however attempting to concentrate on the unique music. 

Completely, I assume it’s only a good probability to have the ability to check out new songs and issues that followers haven’t heard but?

Yeah, undoubtedly. I all the time wish to check out new songs and see how folks react to them. If they’ve an excellent response, I launch them and in the event that they don’t then I’m identical to “yup, throw that one within the bin” haha.

Once you’re out on tour, what are a number of the comforts that you just want whilst you’re away from residence?

The principle factor for me is that I’ve some issues from residence, like easy issues. I wish to have my very own pillows and quilt and identical to my skincare and shampoo that I all the time use. In any other case, I simply really feel like… I don’t even know the phrase for it. I simply really feel horrible on a regular basis. I simply want one thing to provide me some consolation. That’s it actually. I’m actually not specific, like there’s nothing loopy on my rider. I simply need some glowing water and somewhat little bit of chocolate!

That is smart, particularly if you’ve been on the highway for lots of this yr! In addition to your personal tour, you’ve supported Tom Grennan and shared phases with the likes of The Script and Olly Murs. What would you say has been like your touring spotlight of 2025? 

It’s all been wonderful however I feel my greatest achievement was supporting Macklemore as a result of I had tickets to see him after which I received the e-mail asking to help him. I used to be like, that is loopy! I used to be nearly like, you understand, the genres don’t actually match, why do they need me? Is that this a joke? Is it a rip-off? Nevertheless it was actual and it was insane. I received to play in my very own metropolis, Cork and in Dublin. However even The Script and Tom Grennan had been wonderful. Tom Grennan is genuinely so candy and he was so good to us and I had the most effective time. They had been all wonderful!

You will have spoken a bit about releasing new music, and also you’ve simply launched your newest single, ‘I Don’t Want Saving’. Are you able to inform us somewhat bit about it and the inspiration behind it? 

I went into the studio that day and we had been attempting out so many various issues. Nothing was actually working. I used to be writing with Joey [Eighty] and Josh [Carruthers] and so they had been like, ‘inform me what’s been occurring recently’. I began speaking about this man and the way I’ve been [with him]. I’m a extremely cold and hot individual, like one minute I like you and the subsequent minute I would like nothing to do with you. And it’s genuinely so dangerous on my half, however I’m so cold and hot and it’s actually dangerous for me to do it to him.

So I used to be telling them this story, however then I used to be additionally saying that this man is, I wish to say love bombing…I don’t know if that’s the suitable approach to say it, however he was so on high of me and he was like, “oh, I would like you” and it was an excessive amount of for the way in need of a time it was. And I used to be like, ‘I’m not having any of that’. Within the refrain, it goes, “don’t inform me you like me, however don’t go away me”. It’s like I don’t need you to say that you just love me, however I additionally don’t need you to go. However then I would like you to go after which I don’t need you to go. So it’s very on and off. 

You mentioned that you just wrote the track with Josh Carruthers and Joey Eighty. Clearly you went into that exact course of and also you had been speaking about what’s occurring in your life in the meanwhile. Is that how your track writing course of tends to go? That you just simply attempt to base it on what’s occurring in the meanwhile? 

It adjustments on a regular basis, it relies upon [on the situation]. If I’m writing on my own, it may change, I may have had an concept already that’s sort of been going round in my head or I may have completely nothing in my thoughts and I’m going onto the piano or onto my guitar and I’ll simply mess around and see if I get something. So it adjustments each time.

In songwriting periods, often it begins with the opposite writers. If I haven’t written with them earlier than, they’ll be like, “oh, inform me about you. Like, what’s your story? Inform me what’s been occurring”. And we sort of go from there. They could have an concept that they’ve already put down, like some melody concepts, or we’ll simply begin utterly contemporary. ‘I Don’t Want Saving’ was only a model new, contemporary concept and it turned out fairly good I’d say. 

Completely. You’ve additionally received the music video popping out for it in collaboration with make-up artist Andrew Gallimore. Are you able to inform us about what we are able to count on from the video and the way the idea happened? 

I like the video. I feel it’s probably the most inventive factor ever. The staff that we labored with was unbelievable. Andrew genuinely is probably the most inventive man ever. Within the video they needed to get completely different concepts of individuals crying from completely different artworks. We had a movie noir look, a really 50s Marilyn Monroe, so it was very dramatic.

We began with what we known as pure Allie or unique Allie which is only a very pure look and it feels very contemporary and sort of susceptible. We then went into what we name the smudged Allie look and the storm look, which could be very dramatic and really emotional. We had a Man Ray look, which has diamonds sort of falling down like tears. We additionally had a Lichtenstein look, which could be very cartoon crying. It was very, very dramatic with a great deal of completely different sorts of crying seems which I like.

What I get from the video is, you understand you begin feeling very susceptible and uncooked, and as you undergo it, it will get dramatic and really emotional, then in direction of the top you are feeling healed. I feel it actually describes the track and the way I really feel in it. It simply actually comes collectively on the finish. 

I feel you’re like a extremely nice lyricist. Do you’ve got a favorite lyric that you just’ve ever penned? I feel like for me personally, I actually relate to 1 from ‘Injury Management’, which is “even once I’m lonely, I’ll be within the life and soul of the celebration”. 

Yeah, you understand what? I used to be considering of that lyric if you had been asking me that query. That lyric is so me. The entire track is about not speaking about your emotions, and I’m genuinely terrible for that. I’m all the time holding every part inside, which is so dangerous, and I shouldn’t be doing it. However I assume I get it out once I’m writing songs, so I’m high-quality haha. However even once I’m feeling down, I nonetheless really feel like I have to be the life and soul of the celebration. I really feel like I all the time have to be optimistic. I’ll all the time say, “no, I’m good. I’m nice. I’m not feeling dangerous in any respect”. So, yeah, that’s in all probability certainly one of my favorite lyrics. 

Quite a lot of your music is extremely private. What do you sort of hope that individuals will take away from it after they hearken to it? 

I hope that everyone can take one thing away from the songs. Each track has one thing completely different, like you may take so many various issues away from it. I assume I like all of my songs to be relatable and, you understand, they may very well be about something. Like should you’re breaking apart together with your boyfriend or going by way of a tough time with a buddy, it may very well be something.

I like once I can relate to songs that method so I all the time need folks to simply really feel one thing after they hearken to the track. Hopefully it’s optimistic emotions or even when it’s not even optimistic…they may very well be unhappy, however hopefully they don’t hate the track, that’s the one feeling I don’t need them to really feel! So long as they take one thing away from it and might relate to the lyrics one way or the other, that’s adequate for me. 

In addition to your wonderful unique materials, you’re identified in your unbelievable covers. Who would you say are a few of your present favourite artists or songs to sing?

Proper now, I like ‘Black Friday’ by Tom Odell. He genuinely is simply such an incredible songwriter and that track simply makes me really feel… I can relate to so most of the lyrics. I like him and Benson Boone and Alex Warren. There’s so many proper now. I hearken to quite a lot of completely different music that I wouldn’t actually sing, like utterly completely different genres. I like Eminem and typically I’ll pull out an Eminem track. The opposite day I used to be taking part in in Munich and I discussed one thing about how I pull out ‘Lose Your self’ by Eminem occasionally once I’m in a extremely good temper and everybody was like “sing it, sing it, sing it” so then my rap alter ego got here out and I rapped ‘Lose Your self’, it was a second. 

I like that. If roles had been reversed, should you may have every other artist cowl certainly one of your tracks, who wouldn’t it be and why? 

I feel quite a lot of my songs have fairly massive vocals in them. If I had been to get anyone to cowl it, I’d have somebody who had massive vocals. So once more, Benson Boone, Alex Warren, they’ve received these massive vocals. I really feel like a boy model of these songs can be sort of cool. But when I may choose a lady, Lauren Spencer-Smith. I feel she would actually do an excellent job on these songs. I feel she has such highly effective vocals. 

One of many issues that you just’re most identified for is busking and also you’ve gone viral many instances whereas busking in Grafton Road. Through the years, you’ve been joined by plenty of well-known faces but in addition strangers as properly. Do you’ve got a selected favorite reminiscence of one thing that’s occurred whilst you’ve been busking? 

I imply the largest factor that has occurred is when Tom Grennan joined me. He was strolling down the road and I used to be singing his Christmas track and he joined in! It was loopy. The road was so packed. It was insane. I used to be such an enormous fan of Tom Grennan for ages so when he joined, it was a lot enjoyable. He truly knew my track as properly, ‘How Love Works’ and we sang that collectively which was loopy. He heard it once I performed it on The Late Late Present in Eire! That’s my favorite second of busking ever, I feel. However there’s been so many… loopy good and dangerous issues have occurred on Grafton Road, however largely good!

You’ve clearly been pursuing music for a lot of years now. What would you say has been probably the most helpful piece of recommendation that you just’ve been given? 

That is all the time a tough query as a result of there’s a lot recommendation. However I feel if you wish to begin social media, my very first thing to say is ignore the feedback. Ignore any destructive feedback. I’d advise to not even take a look at any feedback. For years, my dad did all of my social media, and he would by no means, ever let me take a look at any feedback, and I feel that was the most effective factor he may have executed for me.

Now that I do extra of my social media, he nonetheless focuses on YouTube and Fb, and I’ll do TikTok and Instagram, I now will take a look at the feedback and I hate it. These destructive feedback… now there isn’t many destructive feedback, it’s largely optimistic, however you understand these destructive feedback will stand out so my recommendation to anyone beginning social media is don’t take a look at the feedback, simply don’t take a look at them! 

You’ve additionally been within the highlight because you had been 12 years outdated, which is such a younger age. How does it really feel to have grown up within the public eye? 

You understand, I’m very used to it now. It was undoubtedly bizarre firstly. It slowly progressed – it wasn’t like this one second that it simply went ‘increase’ and everybody was following. The entire taking photos with me factor, once I’m on the road and so they come up and ask for a photograph, was undoubtedly bizarre on the time. I’m like, you need a picture with me? You need me to take a photograph for you? After which they had been like, no, I need a picture with you. I used to be like, oh, OK. It was undoubtedly one thing to get used to. 

It was wonderful as properly, attending to do all of the issues that I did, like going to L.A. and writing with large writers and producers and assembly all these well-known folks and occurring the Ellen Present once I was 12, 13, 14. It was insane. It’s an insane factor to do at 12 years outdated. It’s wonderful, I imply I undoubtedly by no means anticipated something from beginning to go busking. It was simply one thing I needed to do for enjoyable and sooner or later anyone suggested my dad that he ought to publish this as much as Fb. Again then my dad nonetheless had a Nokia block telephone. He was very behind the instances together with his telephone so he then received a smartphone and took a video and put it as much as Fb after which moved on to YouTube, Instagram after which TikTok after which right here we’re right this moment. We by no means anticipated something from it. Something. So it was a loopy, loopy expertise. A curler coaster. 

I can think about. My closing query for you – with 2026 quick approaching, what are your targets or goals for the yr forward?

I assume my purpose in life is simply to launch music, have plenty of folks hearken to it, play exhibits, and hopefully the exhibits get larger and larger. That’s the purpose. I imply, my purpose is to play the three Area in Dublin. I supported Tom Grennan final month and I performed the three Area, however I wish to headline it. That’s the purpose. If not 2026, then 2027, 2028, one time, I consider it, I’ll do it. However yeah, I’m simply going to work arduous, launch the music, play the exhibits and might’t do greater than that. So we’ll see the way it goes from there!