Judging by the heightened introspection and melancholic nuance that permeate her latest album, Alyssa Rees’ young age comes across almost as a surprise. Despite having lived on this earth for a mere 23 years, the talented UK-based songstress has unveiled a lyrical and sonic formula drenched in purpose and intimacy, favouring minimalism and evocative allure over flashy production and mainstream flavourings. It’s an ethos that we can stand behind, one that comes fully alive in ‘Hurting & Healing’, Rees’ recent long-length offering.
Packed with eleven malleable and nostalgic acoustic pieces, the record sees Alyssa laying her bare, passionate vocals over a tender and ghostly guitar. It’s a perfect match for Rees reflective and cathartic songwriting, as she unearths the painful memories of a failing relationship. Originally from Australia, Rees is gently signalling her presence to the music industry. It’s just a matter of time till the world takes notice.
Intrigued by Alyssa’s hypnotic character, we caught up with her to learn more about the project’s overall artistry and any future goals… Interview below!
Hey Alyssa, thanks for chatting with us! I have spent some time with ‘I Know Better’ and its wider album ‘Hurting & Healing’, and I am impressed by the intensely intimate and introspective nature of your music. I find it a record that makes you think; while your songwriting draws from your own personal experience, listeners are bound to relate to it in their peculiar ways.
I am interested in your philosophical take on songwriting as a whole; do you see it as cathartic personal expression? What motivates you to translate your internal emotions into sonic form?
Hey 🙂 Thank you so much for having me! I definitely see songwriting as a highly in-depth personal experience. It gives me a space to fully express and process emotions that can otherwise feel difficult to hold onto or understand. Growing up, music was something I constantly leaned on for emotional support, and I found many songs that helped me navigate my inner emotions.
Now, being able to write from my own experiences, my biggest hope is that listeners can find pieces of themselves within my songs, too. Helping them let go of any negative attachments they may carry, whether that’s heartbreak, anxiety, grief, healing or uncertainty. I want people to feel understood and heard.
Having struggled with the chaos of depression and anxiety myself, I find that music has a way of holding those ugly, angry, or painful emotions in an elegant form, almost like finding the beauty in the reckoning.
Was there a specific, real-life event behind ‘Hurting & Healing’? Could we consider the album a testimony of your first encounter with early adulthood?
Yes, there certainly was! The album is heavily inspired by my move from Melbourne, Australia, to Surrey in the UK and the relationship that deteriorated alongside that transition. Leaving home to build a completely new life on the other side of the world was both exciting and emotionally overwhelming. It was one of the first times in my life that I was truly forced to face adulthood, independence, love, anxiety and personal growth all at once.
Trying to maintain a long-distance relationship through that period added another layer to everything, and naturally, the songs became a reflection of that emotional journey I was living in. I think ‘Hurting & Healing’ really captures the confusion and intensity of being in your early twenties, learning when to hold on, when to let go, and how to find yourself somewhere in between.
Let’s dive deeper into the human behind Alyssa Rees. Is there anything or anyone that has been pivotal in your music education and artistry? How did you end up being the talented writer you are?
I have been a singer for as long as I can remember. I completed music performance in high school and spent years performing through my singing school back in Australia, but songwriting actually didn’t begin for me until June 2023.
Around that time, I was solo travelling through Thailand and Vietnam, and I honestly think that experience changed me creatively and emotionally. Being completely on my own, seeing new places, meeting new people, and experiencing life so intensely seemed to unlock something in me artistically.
Growing up, I always wanted to write songs, but I could only ever come up with a verse or chorus and never a complete song, so instead I used to write a lot of poetry. Then suddenly, while on my travels, something just clicked creatively, and I couldn’t stop writing. From that point on, it became song after song after song.
My biggest music inspirations have always been Billie Eilish and Adele. I’ve always admired how emotionally honest and human their music feels, and I think that naturally shaped the way I approach storytelling in my own songs.
About your move from Australia to the UK, did you notice any differences in the way society treats music? I know that Melbourne has a thriving cultural scene, as well as London, so I am sure you were able to absorb influences from both continents and nations…
100%. Both Melbourne and London have incredible creative cultures, but I think the UK music scene feels far more centred around live music and community, especially within the open mic scene.
I began attending open mics in June 2025, and it has honestly been one of the most important experiences for my confidence and growth as an artist. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to become part of such a supportive music community.
Melbourne absolutely has beautiful creative spaces too, but here in the UK, there seems to be an endless amount of opportunities to perform, collaborate, and connect with other musicians. I think being surrounded by that has really encouraged me to take my music more seriously.
From a production standpoint, ‘Hurting & Healing’ has been crafted solely by you. First of all, I would like to extend my praise to you. To me, the album is both minimalist and expansive: it thrives on just a few little elements, but it also feels large and liquid thanks to its hazy textures and long reverbs. Also, there’s nothing wrong with it; it feels genuine and authentic. Did you have any particular influence in mind when recording the EP?
Thank you so very much! Honestly, no, there wasn’t a specific production influence in mind. Everything that I created and learned whilst recording and mixing was purely from experimentation, trial and error, and a lot of happy accidents! Each song comes from its own emotional standpoint, and as I would immerse myself in the emotions of a song, I would just follow whatever naturally felt right rather than trying to replicate a certain sound.
For example, in ‘I Know Better’ there were a few happy accidents that occurred to get the song where it is today. Throughout the entire song, there are ‘ooo’ harmonies layered in the background. Those actually came after I performed the song at an open mic event, where some other performers in the crowd began harmonising whilst I was singing. Luckily, a friend recorded that performance, so I went back home afterwards and recreated those harmonies in the track!
Another accidental moment happened while recording the electric guitar. I was trying to create some slide parts, but became frustrated because nothing felt like it fit. At one point, I tapped the end of the fretboard out of frustration, and it created this beautiful piano-like note that immediately caught my attention. I then started tapping across different strings and gradually formed a little melody from it, which ended up becoming part of the emotional rise towards the end of the song.
Moments like that are some of my favourites creatively, because they feel completely unplanned but somehow end up fitting the emotion of the song perfectly.
For all the nerds out there, can you take us through your creative workflow? What software do you use when recording and mixing?
Of course! I purchased Logic Pro in October after learning the basics on GarageBand for about 5 months. Similarly to my recording approach, everything mixing/mastering related was learned from simple trial and error, along with a little help from a singer-songwriter/producer friend whenever I got stuck. I typically begin my recording with acoustic guitar, then vocals, then I will play around with my electric guitar, finding space for accent notes/slides.
A lot of my sound design comes from experimenting rather than traditional techniques.
For example, I sometimes use the low end of my guitar and EQ it to get a ‘bass-like’ sound, as heard in ‘Last Night’. In ‘Are we moving on’, the kick is actually just me hitting my foot against a chair leg!! Also, most of my songs include synth-like textures that I created by sampling guitar voicings or vocal notes, using sample Alchemy, and then processing them with EQ to shape new sounds 🙂
In particular, this synth creation is one of my favourite things to do. I love finding hidden resonances to create new sounds, which will always happily fit with the song as it comes from the song itself!
Is your music career something you are willing to take seriously? Are you eager to record new material and expand your catalogue?
Yes, absolutely. Music is something I hope to pursue for the rest of my life. Since beginning songwriting, it has completely consumed me creatively in the best possible way! I’ve already started working on my next releases, and currently have a list of 41 songs to complete.
Something really important to me is releasing the songs in the order they were written, because each one captures a very specific emotional moment in time. Together, they almost work like diary entries, documenting my growth and emotional narrative.
Lastly, if there were an overall message that listeners should take away from ‘Hurting & Healing’, what would that be?
More than anything, I sincerely hope my album makes people feel less alone. ‘Hurting & Healing’ is about heartbreak, anxiety, growth, love, distance, self-worth and learning how to let go of people while still holding onto yourself. If listeners are able to find comfort, understanding, or even just a moment of emotional release within the songs, then I feel like I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
I think healing is rarely a linear process, and I wanted the album to reflect that honestly.