Ali Lamb
Blending music, literature, romance and mental health, Ali Lamb opens the pages of Between the Lines, exploring six deeply personal chapters of love, heartbreak, fantasy and self-discovery.
1. Between the Lines is built around the idea of each song being its own chapter, exploring romance, anxiety, heartbreak and self-discovery. What inspired you to structure the EP this way, and what story do you feel connects all six tracks?
I’ve always been a huge lover of books, so the idea of creating an EP where every song feels like its own chapter came really naturally to me. Each track is inspired by a different book or bookish theme, from Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses, to The Truth About Love, Trouble in Love, Secrets in Love and even my own book, Finding My Breath. The final track is simply a love letter to romantasy. While the stories and emotions are all different, they’re connected by the things I love about books: romance, escapism, heartbreak, fantasy and discovering yourself along the way.
2. You describe your music as being inspired by both love and mental health, turning real-life experiences into songs that feel like pages from a diary. How do you approach transforming something deeply personal into music while still making it relatable to listeners?
I think being honest is the most important part. I tend to write from very real experiences and emotions, but I love using books and storytelling as a way to explore those feelings from a slightly different perspective. That’s a big part of Between the Lines, taking something personal and pairing it with a character, story or bookish world that inspires me. The details might be specific to my life, but emotions like falling in love, heartbreak, anxiety and wanting to escape into another world are universal. I want people to hear a song and feel like they’ve found a little piece of their own story in it.
3. Songs like “Strawberry Matcha,” “Favourite Chapter,” “Finding My Breath,” and “Sour Grape” each seem to represent very different emotional moments. Was there a particular song on the EP that was especially challenging or meaningful for you to write?
“Finding My Breath” was definitely the most meaningful and probably the hardest emotionally. It’s based on my own book of the same name and explores panic attacks and that feeling of being told you’re fine when internally you really aren’t. It was difficult to put those feelings into words, but writing the song became a way of processing something I’d struggled to explain. I love that it sits alongside much more escapist songs on the EP because it shows how different each chapter can be, from fantasy worlds and romance to something incredibly personal and real.
4. Your love of books clearly plays an important role in your creative identity. Are there particular authors, books, characters, or literary ideas that have influenced the way you write songs and tell stories?
Absolutely. Books are probably the biggest creative influence behind Between the Lines. Each track comes from a different book or bookish idea. “Strawberry Matcha” draws from the romantasy worlds of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses, “Waiting” was inspired by The Truth About Love by Maisie Myers, and “Sour Grape” and “Favourite Chapter” draw inspiration from Bindi Kennedy’s Trouble in Love and Secrets in Love. “Finding My Breath” connects directly to my own book, and “Castle Walls” came purely from Mads and I sharing our love of romantasy. I love taking those worlds and ideas and turning them into something musical.
5. Between the Lines also features a collaboration with your best friend. How did that collaboration come about, and what did having someone close to you contribute to the song and the overall feeling of the EP?
“Castle Walls” was a really natural collaboration because Mads and I co-wrote it from the beginning. We had lots of writing sessions together before taking it into the studio, and we naturally had a very similar vibe and melody in mind from the start. It was honestly just a lot of fun creating together. We both love books and romantasy, so we wanted to create our own little storyline and build a song around that world. Having someone who knows me so well made the process feel really easy and authentic, and I think that friendship comes through in the song.
6. As you close this particular chapter with Between the Lines, what have you discovered about yourself as an artist and as a person through making this EP—and what new chapter would you like to begin next?
I think Between the Lines has taught me to trust myself more and not feel like everything has to be perfect before I put it out into the world. It’s probably the most honest representation of my personality as an artist so far because it brings together my love of music, books, romance, fantasy and mental health. I’ve also realized how much I love storytelling and creating little worlds around my songs. For the next chapter, I’d love to keep experimenting, keep growing as an artist and see where I can take that storytelling next.