Alice Lee Brings a World of Diverse Music to Brooklyn

In Studio G /photo courtesy of the artist

Eclectic singer/songwriter Alice Lee (not to be confused with the pop star/actress of the same name) was trained in classical piano, but one day, she tells Brooklyn Roads, “I did a 180 to learn guitar … messing in alternate tunings, inspired by Jimi [Hendrix], Stevie Wonder, Jonatha Brooke, Joni Mitchell, Chris Whitley.”

Growing up, she adds, “I listened to everything from pop to metal to hip-hop. I’ve always felt like a jazz singer even though I started in rock bands. Vocally, I listened to Billie [Holiday], Ella [Fitzgerald], and Nina [Simone] but also looked to global influences like Edith Piaf, Bjork, and Buika.” In that vein, she loves “reinterpreting songs I really love” as well as performing her own compositions. Both sides of Lee’s music persona were on display at the 2022 Brooklyn Americana Music Festival in September.

Lee has lived in many places in the U.S. and around the world, including Antigua, Guatemala, “where I spent about 10 years before returning to Brooklyn.” She sees much in common between Antigua and her home borough, noting that the “tiny colonial town” has “people from around the world … from all walks of life running into each other, and these cool little bars with live music where anything can happen.

Likewise, Lee finds inspiration in Brooklyn’s cultural diversity. “Just moving around the neighborhoods … you hear all kinds of music, from West African to bluegrass to bachata to EDM,” she tells us. “There’s something for everyone here. The raw energy [and] the flux and the friction summon life experiences, inspiration, and creation.”

At Sunset in Bushwick /photo by Azumi O E /courtesy of the artist

She recalls a time when “a lot of seminal artists came up in Brooklyn … refugees from the East Village and LES.” There were no formal venues here back then, she notes, but rather “lots of underground spaces and tiny bars. Artists eventually got weary of doing everything in Manhattan and started scenes in their backyards.”

In the now burgeoning Brooklyn music scene, “Pete’s Candy Store holds a special place in my heart,” Lee says. “From the tiny marquee stage and the hushed silence in the room to the cozy bar and great staff, it’s a great space to try new stuff.”

Lee tells Brooklyn Roads that she is currently working on a couple of recording projects, “which I will post on the socials and my website as they progress.” Meanwhile, “You may catch me on occasion mucking around at Sunny’s [in Red Hook] on an afternoon, singing for my bartender friends.”