Alternative sister duo ALT BLK ERA talk songwriting, honesty and working with Wheatus

Before we move into what you have coming up in 2025, I just want to take a quick look back at 2024 as you had an absolutely massive year – I’m curious to know, what has been your biggest highlight of the last twelve months?

Chaya: For me I would say Download Festival, because I wasn’t expecting the tent to be so full! The performance was also one of my best - I had a lot of fun on stage.
Nyrobi: I think mine would probably be getting the album back, once it was mastered and everything. Just because we put so much…no blood, but lots of tears!
Chaya: …just tears! (laughs)
Nyrobi: Yeah, no blood or sweat, just straight tears! (laughs) So finally having it back after so much work was a really beautiful moment. Blasting it out on the speakers and it finally being in our hands! So yeah, that was my highlight.

You mention the debut album; it’s finally arriving this month! I watched a video on YouTube recently where you were reacting to your younger selves covering Rihanna’s Stay. I’m curious, did you ever think when you were making those cover videos that this would eventually lead to a full-time career in music? 

Nyrobi: Well, I think me specifically - because this was in lockdown - I was still planning on going back to school for sixth form. (To Chaya) How old were you then, eleven or twelve? 

Chaya: I was twelve, so I was doing it because…

Nyrobi: …She had time to do it! (pair laugh) So I guess I always wanted to do music, but it wasn’t realistic in terms of it progressing so quickly, because I was expecting that I would go back to school for another two years. Then September came and COVID was still really rampant, so we were just like, “We’re just not going back.” And then we never went back to school! So that was twelve and fifteen (years old) - off the grid!

I don’t think we ever expected that it would happen like this, but I’m so glad because I think, if COVID didn’t happen, I don’t think I’d be doing music with my sister, I’d be doing it solo - and that wouldn’t be as special.

The singles you’ve released so far for the project spotlight how much you’ve evolved in such a short space of time. Who did you work with on this debut and who were you inspired by when you were putting it together?

Nyrobi: Well, it all just started with me and Chaya, in a room or in a car. With My Drummer’s Girlfriend, we wrote that one in a car! Starting out with the title and building on the songs. 

It was an effortless process - me and Chaya don’t like to spend too much time chasing after the song – if we’re writing and it’s not flowing, we quit. I guess we’re efficient, we’re not people that are going to slave away at a song for hours and hours like “I’ve got to get it right!” As soon as we get stuck…hmmm next! So that’s how we work, it just keeps it always fun to create. (To Chaya) Who would you say inspired us?

Chaya: Errr… did anyone inspire us?
Nyrobi: …Not specifically really…
Chaya: No - we just really wanted this album to make us feel like other songs have made us feel. (To Nyrobi) What’s even the feeling?
Nyrobi: …I guess it’s just excitement.
Chaya: Yeah! If you think of other good songs – we want to make a good song basically! (laughs)
Nyrobi: When we first saw The Prodigy perform live – on YouTube, we didn’t see them in the flesh till years later – it was like, “Wow, if we can make someone else feel how we feel in this moment, about this band"… that’s kind of the goal for us with our music.

Every song told a different story and we didn’t try to force any genres or styles – we just wrote from our hearts. Then we went to the studio and worked with Nat [Webb, from RatCat Studios], and it was just translating all the melodies and trinketry bits we wanted in the songs.
Chaya: We’re pretty quick with our producer, just because he’s the first producer that we worked with – we’ve got a really tight relationship with him, we just bang out songs.
Nyrobi: I’m happy to hear what you said about the songwriting because me and Chay were discussing this the other day – we actually wrote that album as teenagers, nineteen and sixteen (years old). It’s coming out a week before my 21st birthday, so I’m glad I was able to write it at nineteen and it's still relevant and relatable for me at 21. Because if it was really immature, we’d all be embarrassed right now! (pair laugh)

I want to talk about Straight To Heart, which is of course a very personal track for you Nyrobi, bravely sharing your battles with chronic illness in recent years. Was writing that song a cathartic process for you?

Nyrobi: I think when we were writing the song, it felt really healing, just to acknowledge this is how I felt and that my feelings were valid… because you can start blaming yourself for things. And we’re not ‘outside people’, so not many people knew in the outside world - it was just me, my sister and my mum in the build-up to the release. 

I think on release day, it really hit me that the song was out. It was one thing to put it on Spotify and work on it within the comfort of my own home, but when it released, my heart kind of dropped. I was like, “Oh my gosh, it’s actually out and people are actually going to see a side of me that I’ve been hiding for so many years.” 

But I think now it's healing knowing that other people can connect with the song as well. Even now, fans will come up and speak to me like, “Oh I heard about your chronic illnesses, I also suffer with them.” So, I was shocked and in bits on release day, but I am glad it’s out now looking back. 

It’s funny hearing you say you’re not ‘outside people’ and your latest single is Come On Outside…

Nyrobi: Yeah! (laughs) I guess that song is like a hand to say come on outside after Straight To Heart, because it is a concept album. And I feel Come On Outside is more broad (in its interpretation), but for us it was more just come outside your room. Because of my chronic sleep disorder, I was just in my room – 23 hours a day. So, when I made it out of that room, it was a big thing! To eventually be able to go outside and do shows and meet people like that – it’s been a journey. Next thing you know I’ll be travelling, climbing mountains – all that stuff we can look forward to!

And My Drummer’s Girlfriend has blown up a bit on TikTok – I saw another reaction video where you were playing the song to your actual drummer’s girlfriend which made for a funny watch! Was she quite understanding straight away or did it take a while to get her blessing?

Nyrobi: It was shocking at first, as it would be for anyone. You know the third line of the song… I think it just took a moment. If she didn’t like the song, that would’ve made it ten times worse – like not only have you written a song about me, but it’s a bad song! 

We played a show recently and everyone knew the words. Not just the chorus – the whole song! That was so surreal.

And you’ve since released a version of the song with the mighty Wheatus – how did that come about?

Chaya: It was at Download – after we performed they followed us on Twitter, and we thought it was just a fan account at first because quite a few celebrity fan accounts follow us! (laughs) We did some stalking and realised, “Oh no, this is their actual account!” So, we just texted them saying, “Thanks for the follow, we really love your songs and music…” and it just kind of went on from there. We were really scared to show them My Drummer’s Girlfriend…
Nyrobi: …because it was our first indie rock song and they’re indie rock legends! It was the ultimate test, them signing off on My Drummer’s Girlfriend.

We asked them if they would be interested in working on it – hands shaking typing that message! Then long story short, they literally came over from New York just to work with us on the song. We spent two days with them – they are gorgeous human beings. In the industry, you hear so much about gatekeepers or people of their status and history and them being horrible, but they are so lovely and so respectful of mine and Chay’s ideas, there was no ego in that room at all. So, they’ve set a real standard for us, especially as it was our first full collaboration where we’ve worked in the same room with them.

That’s been one of our most valuable experiences of the year, because we learnt so much from them. The lead singer Brendan (B. Brown) was helping me with my breath control on the microphone and that’s literally something I’m going to use for the rest of my career. 

You have your big album launch show coming up at Saltbox on 25 January. You gave local fans a bit of a preview with your Hockley Hustle set there back in October – what can fans expect from the night?

Nyrobi: I think it was really important for us to do a hometown show, just knowing that these people have been backing us from the very beginning. The people that were commenting on our Facebook posts and coming to the first shows, seeing the progression of us, our music and our live performances. So, a lot of people are going to know all the words, [even for] all the old songs! Most people found us with My Drummer’s Girlfriend, but the hometown show, these people have the 2022 receipts! So, if you’re new to ALT BLK ERA, I think just the community of that. It’s strange but it does almost feel like an extended family, and I think any new people joining will get that sense of familiarity.

Obviously, there will be the new music from the new album, where you’ve only got a day or two days to learn [the words] – it’s not long is it?! But you know, I’m convinced people are going to learn it.

Chaya: Yeah, I mean we’ve got some pretty catchy tunes!
Nyrobi: And the Nottingham base is dedicated. (To Chaya) Is it your favourite place to play?
Chaya: Yeah, because in new cities when we perform, I’m still pretty scared, because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But in Nottingham I’m like “YES!”(pair laugh)

It’s the comfort blanket isn’t it?

Chaya: It is!
Nyrobi: It really is - so yeah think it’s going to be a big show. The full ALT BLK ERA experience! The hometown shows are just always the best! 

I feel you’re one of the bands right at the forefront of this wave of great Nottingham artists getting national exposure at the moment. What would you say it is about the Nottingham music scene that has made it such a successful breeding ground for musicians in recent years?

Nyrobi: I guess I would say it’s the genuine love and support. I never grew up anywhere else so I can’t speak for other places, but there’s just something about Nottingham that feels genuine. Like people speaking to you after the show – it’s just so real.
Chaya: There’s a lot of festivals like Dot to Dot, Hockley Hustle, where you can catch new artists too…
Nyrobi: Yeah, I think it’s that exposure as well. Nottingham allows new artists to start out, grow and be seen regularly. You know with all the venues that we have here at different levels, you can always find someone, which I think is really important. I also just think the people here are nice!
Chaya: They genuinely are!

So you have the album release and the launch show at Saltbox – but what else is on the horizon for 2025?

Chaya: Well, we have a record store signing / acoustic set-up that we’re going to be doing across the UK. Then around April time we have a UK tour that I’m very excited about, which will be our first UK tour!
Nyrobi: A lot of collaborations coming up for 2025 – a lot of big ones as well, like huge! So loads more new music in 2025 – we’re not stopping. We’re not disappearing for three years, we’ll still be here dropping new music throughout 2025, mixed in with festivals. Then we’ll probably be getting ready for album two… but that’s another story!

ALT BLK ERA’s debut album Rave Immortal is released on 24 January 2025, followed by their big album release show at Saltbox on 25 January 2025.

@altblkera