Singaporean Indie Artist Alicia DC on Crafting Her Experimental Sound

Hot on the heels of her latest collaboration with Filipino instrumentalist Gabba, we caught up with up-and-coming singer and producer Alicia Diva Chandra — more popularly known by her stage name, Alicia DC.
The Singaporean artist began releasing music in 2022 and has since carved out a name for herself with her unique brand of “experimental pop.” True to the label, her discography defies neat categorization. Yet, whether through glitchy beats, lush arrangements, or delicate vocals, there’s something in her soundscape for everyone to enjoy.
But Alicia’s relationship with music stretches far beyond her recent releases. A lifelong student of the craft, she spent six years at the School of The Arts Singapore before pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, where she graduated with Honors. This rigorous training shaped her versatility as an artist, giving her the ability to compose and arrange across multiple mediums, including for orchestra, ensemble groups, and electronic productions.
The Beat Singapore sat down with Alicia DC to dive deeper into her world, discuss her music, her creative process, and what lies ahead for one of Singapore’s most promising rising talents.
Hi Alicia! Can you tell us about your earliest memory of music — what made you fall in love with it?
My earliest memory of music was when I was listening to this song called “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin. I was probably two years old. My eyes were completely glued to the computer screen showing the music video for “She Bangs” while dancing in my seat to the song. When I was a small kid, I think generally I would become super attentive to the music present in any room. My ears would just focus on the music and cancel everything else out.
But I never really had the thought that “I truly fell in love with music” until I was playing percussion instruments in a chamber ensemble group with my classmates when I was 14 years old, and studying music at the School of the Arts Singapore. I loved playing the Chinese drums.
Which artists or genres have shaped your musical identity over the years?
When I first started out, I was influenced by classical music, like Hiatus Kaiyote and Jacob Collier, simply because I was trying so hard to stand out from the crowd. I was trying to make the most experimental music in the world of songwriting. This is evident in my 1st EP, “Maybe."
After a while, I started listening to a bit of everything. I would listen to UMI, Tennyson, Fujii Kaze, JD Beck and Domi, Pinkpantheress, Alfa Mist, and classical music. And the crazy thing is, I don’t think listening to any of that influenced my writing for a while, because while producing my second EP, “LOVERGIRL,” I was trying to create a trap pop EP, which is far from what I was currently listening to.
During the time in which I created the singles “bodyclock,” “Circles,” “If Only I Could,” I was not listening to music at all. Due to personal reasons, I was too overwhelmed by listening to music on a daily basis. In fact, I could only listen to meditative music at that time.
Over the years, I think my musical identity has been shaped by my habit of listening to a huge variety of music genres. I think that’s what makes my music sound experimental to some extent, regardless of what genre it’s written in. However, these days I am being more intentional with my listening, and I think my future music projects will be influenced by my listening to Drum and Bass (DnB) and Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
You’ve always composed and produced your own music. Can you tell us about the first song you’ve ever written?
I wrote this song about there being “Two Types of People” in this world, which I never put out. It’s a song where I compare extroverts with introverts, outdoorsy people with homebodies, people who value face-to-face social interaction versus people who are glued to their phones.
The chord progression made the song sound like a Jason Mraz song. I also wrote it using a ukulele, which I taught myself to play at that time. I think I was around 14 [years old] or younger.
What’s your creative process like? Do you start with lyrics or melodies?
Most of the time, I start with lyrics first. I draw inspiration from my personal life, my family life, and, as a last resort, my imagination.
When I first started out as a songwriter, almost all my songs were developed from entries in my diary. I would try my best to keep the words from the diary entry the same, and build on top of it, musically. If one of the lines exceeded the length of a 4/4 bar, I would change the length of the bar to fit that line of text. That’s one of the ways in which my music becomes a bit “experimental.”

From all the songs you’ve written, were there any that were easier or more challenging to compose than the others?
I think “bodyclock” was the easiest song to compose. I woke up too early in the morning and couldn’t sleep, and I wrote the lyrics for that song in one sitting. I then recorded the demo in just 30 minutes.
The most challenging song to compose was my collaboration with Taiwanese artist June Pan. The song is called “You Up?” and while I enjoyed writing this song with her, in hindsight, it did not feel like me, and it felt a bit unnatural to write and sing in such a bright and tonal song.
Speaking of challenges, as a rising indie artist, what are some of the difficulties you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?
Personally, my main challenge as an independent artist is maintaining a healthy mindset despite the fluctuation in stats, streams, and numbers — to have blind faith in myself even when I feel like no one is watching or listening to my music.
I was and still am my biggest enemy as an independent artist. When I first debuted, I had so many negative thought spirals every time I put a song out. I would constantly feel like I wasn’t enough, and I would feel very jealous of other artists’ success. I overcame these thoughts by shifting my focus from comparing myself to others to focusing 100% on myself and my own journey. It was not easy; it took me years to get to where I am mentally, but I was able to overcome these thoughts by picking myself up again and again after every spiral.
Another thing was I struggled to ask for help in the past, considering it a sign of inadequacy. I overcame this by slowly letting more people into my life, and trusting more people to help me with my work. I do think my music sounds a lot better now as a result.
What’s something that you want to achieve as an artist and producer?
I want to be able to have a distinct style of producing one day. I want to be recognized as a producer and be confident enough to produce for other artists one day.
Do you have any dream collaborations?
I’m not sure if my sound would work with theirs but Yves, Pinkpantheress, Jordan Ward, JD Beck, and Domi.
You’ve done some collaborative work in the past. Was there one you’d consider the most memorable or you’re particularly proud of?
I think I am proud of my most recent collaboration with Gabba for the song “Fall.” I think this song is the best song I have ever made in collaboration with another artist.
I also felt I felt like this collab was easier to do. Even though there were challenges, it felt more effortless, and it made more sense because our sounds do work well together.


So, what’s next for Alicia DC?
I will be putting out a new single towards the end of this year! It will be the beginning of an era that solidifies my aesthetic and sound as “ALICIA DC.”
Don’t miss her upcoming release by following her on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
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