Introducing: Phoebe Green
At just 19 years old, Phoebe Green isn’t your average teenager. She’s a vocal, woke-as-fuck intersectional feminist pursuing her dreams of being a successful musician by doing what she loves. And she’s doing a bloody good job of it. Hailing from Manchester in the UK, Phoebe is a singer/songwriter who plays purposeful pop, with undertones of alt-folk and soft shoegaze vibes. Last year, she released her debut EP, 2:00 AM, after years of bedroom performances which led to school concerts which led to the present; playing her first gig last December at The Wonder Inn in Manchester and an upcoming show at Gullivers in a matter of days. It’s an exciting time to be Phoebe Green.
An active musical performer in her school life, Phoebe always knew that music was her path. She looks back, “When I was little I was a massive attention-seeker, and so I think I was just destined to be a performer. There are so many videos of me singing Atomic Kitten tunes through a tiny karaoke machine I got one Christmas. I think I just used my voice as a way of making people pay attention to me and then it progressed into something much more! I started properly taking it seriously when I was about 13, I wrote a lot of songs and recorded them on my family computer webcam.”
She has the talent, that’s for sure. But choosing such a lucrative career choice isn’t easy without support, especially at home considering her age. Thankfully that wasn’t an issue, Phoebe says “I honestly could not have more supportive parents, they are willing to sacrifice anything for my career because they know it's all I've ever wanted. My mates just can't believe how fast things have started happening, one minute I'm playing school talent shows and the next I'm on radio one, it's so mad! But yeah my best friend Isobel has been with me through everything, we listened to the final mix of the album together before I released it and we just cried. She's so so supportive and has so much faith in me as an artist.”
Speaking about her own influences, Phoebe steers away from her own genre. Quite significantly. “The Jonas Brothers! They were the first band I'd heard where their lyrics actually hit me, their Disney stuff was obviously a load of bollocks and even at the age of about ten it was too cheesy for my taste, but their self-titled album was so intense, I absolutely loved it. I played it every night before I went to sleep!”
After officially breaking into the scene last year, Phoebe talks about the negatives that came alongside, especially those that arose from being young and female. She says “People underestimate me massively. I think loads of people presume I'm pretty shy and reserved, but when they meet me they're greeted with this dead outspoken, takes-no-shit kid that is probably a lot more eloquent and business-minded than people presume. I think success for females is linked massively to looks and the way we carry ourselves, and so I try to challenge peoples' perspectives by turning up to meetings bare-faced and wearing mad outfits; in a way I think I'm just so scared of maybe getting signed for being "pretty" that I try so hard to not fall into that category in case they are more focused on what I look like than the music I make.”
She also touches on identity, and the differences between feminism and femininity. Phoebe states “I don't at ALL think femininity is a weakness by any means, I just don't think I really am all that feminine a lot of the time; I'm just against presenting myself in a way that isn't actually me at all, and worried about people taking a liking to that person and regretting their decision when they see what I'm actually like! I just think that being a girl in the industry people want you to be sexy and cute and marketable, and sure I could be that, but I'd much rather challenge it and make being a female musician about the music and the different perspectives we have than this hyper-sexualised product we see a lot of these days. I want to be up there with the big boys making music that is equally as good and therefore being equally as respected as they are”.
Nowadays her influences are a little more mature, and reflect her own style of performing and songwriting. She says “Stevie Nicks is always gonna be up there, the girls in bands like HAIM, Hinds, Alvvays, The Big Moon, Japanese House, etc. Lorde is incredible, she just does her thing, same with Marika Hackman. Any girl that is slaying the industry with her art and putting herself out there is an inspiration to me. It's really fucking hard to make yourself known in a male-dominated industry, especially in the indie scene where there are countless white male bands who ALL have female equivalents that are just ignored.” This under-representation is seen in the industry, undisputedly in the festival world. Phoebe talks of her anger towards this issue, saying “It's a load of bollocks. I just can't understand it in the slightest! There are SO MANY incredible female musicians that the people who sort these line-ups should be spoilt for choice. It's just grim.” Preach.
In terms of progression and resolution for the lack of women in the industry, Phoebe gives her advice. “I think we just need to make ourselves heard, and it is hard, but if you just keep doing your thing and grafting at it and supporting other girl bands in the industry, we can all lift each other. We literally all just need to work together towards making the industry a more diverse place, because when we have each others' backs it is so much more effective than pushing other gals down.”
Outspoken on her twitter, Phoebe is someone everyone needs on their feed. Using her platform for good, Phoebe doesn’t keep quiet about important issues and events. Especially her views on the controversial presidential election result and it’s after effects. Speaking about dickhead Trump’s win, Green says “Honestly I am still in this grim state of shock. How can someone filled with so much hate and ignorance be fit to run one of the most powerful countries in the world? No-one with such a lack of compassion can be trusted with so many lives. It just isn't fair and it disgusts me that everyone knows what he said but everyone ignores it. That speech Michelle Obama did about his sexist comments gave me goosebumps. How can any woman put her trust in a man that has so little respect for her and her rights. It actually breaks my heart. To be honest though it's given us a kick up the arse and only encourages me to be more vocal with about my beliefs and to be more of a compassionate human being!”
Phoebe has grown to be an amazing musician and woman, using her influence wisely and inspiring others to be themselves and to love one another. I urge everyone to light a candle, get cosy and stick on her EP 2:00 AM. Her lyrics tell stories, the melodies are dreamy and you may or may not have a religious experience. You’ve been told. Better yet, catch her at her best- LIVE. She plays Manchester’s Gullivers on April 11th, and tickets can be found here.
Ending on her thoughts on feminism and the future, Phoebe says:
“We have fought so much, but there is still such a long way to go. Make sure your feminism is intersectional and keep fighting the good fight.”
Keep up with Phoebe on social media here:
