Getting To Know Arlo Parks

Credit: Alex Kurunis

‘Collapsed In Sunbeams,’ Arlo Parks’ debut album, is one of those records that only comes by once in a while. Released earlier this year to critical acclaim, the young poet finds beauty in the darkest places and sees the extraordinary in the ordinary. Depression, unrequited love, and sexuality are just some of the themes that Parks touches on. With wisdom far surpassing her years, the 20-year-old songwriter has undoubtedly left her mark on music lovers around the world. We spoke to Arlo from her parents’ home in Hammersmith, where it all began. Which, surprisingly, is not that long ago at all.

“I’m still just at home watching movies and being told to do the washing up,” she begins, “so although my dreams are coming true; I still feel very grounded and surrounded by people who know me best. It’s been the best of both worlds in a way.”

Parks is as modest as she is proud in equal measure. Signing to Transgressive Records in 2019, and being coined the ‘voice of Gen Z’ in the process, there’s no disputing that the artist is on the cusp of something truly great.

“It’s really strange, you know. I’ve been reading my old journals and I’ve written things like ‘damn, I wonder if I’ll ever get strangers saying that they like my music? Just one. It’s beautiful to see that come full circle,” she says. Fast-forward to now, and it’s much more than “just one” fan reaching out to Parks. From Manchester to Malaysia, Auckland to Australia; her music has touched the hearts and souls of listeners with her honest and therapeutic approach to songwriting.

“It’s a kind of magic isn’t it,” Parks starts. “I could be speaking about a very specific break-up or two people that I saw fighting at one point in time, on one specific street, in one specific city, and someone from across the world could be like ‘Wow, that speaks to my experience.’ I think there’s something quite beautiful in that.”

Credit: Alex Kurunis

As a self-described ‘empath’, Parks has never been one to turn a blind eye to the feelings of others, retaining a level of understanding that prevails over the usual hollow gestures so often found floating around the internet.

“Somehow, I’m creating a safe space for people. When I write something, I have no idea how powerful that song can become for another person,” she explains. “When I can play shows again, it’ll be a room full of people who can understand the songs to a certain extent, or who relate to similar experiences and I think that’s what I like about it.”

“There’s something that feels so specific about experiencing music in a collective sense and I feel like this record, although it’s intimate and soft at points, is one that’s designed to be experienced with other people”

Speaking of shows; other than performing in front of the illustrious Glastonbury Pyramid Stage in 2019 and a string of gigs played through the digital realm of live streams, Arlo has not yet had the opportunity to perform her album in front of a crowd; but this year will be appearing at a number of UK venues to get the ball rolling.

“About five years ago I saw my first ever live show at the same venue that I’m going to be playing [O2 Shepherd’s Bush], and that feels superb,” she says.

“There’s something that feels so specific about experiencing music in a collective sense and I feel like this record, although it’s intimate and soft at points, is one that’s designed to be experienced with other people.”

The gig she speaks of was Loyle Carner. Parks did what most wide- eyed teenagers do after seeing their heroes perform live and swore to follow in his footsteps. The only difference being, she actually did, joining Loyle on stage years later.

“I remember being there, with the friend that I wrote the song ‘Black Dog’ about,” she begins. “I walked out of the venue being like ‘Wow, this is something that I want to do.’ I still have the diary entry from that day.”

Needless to say, the pandemic has set back every musician in one way or another. Without the ability to sing for a sea of hopeful faces, Arlo responded by putting together a pre-recorded concept show, featuring an hour of music, poetry and conversation in the form of ‘Tonight With Arlo Parks...’ which saw herself and a collection of other creatives perform in a variety hour style set up. With strings and horns providing a sonic palette for Parks’ performance, the result perfectly captured the tone of ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ in a 70s film hue.

“I was a music lover before I was a music creator, so I invited people that I really look up to, and who I genuinely wanted to ask questions to and play with. I was able to include all the different elements of my DNA as a musician; the poetry, the live performance, and the conversations.”

Though, Arlo has always immersed herself in the creative side of life. Joining Sixth Form College after school and being exposed to the rites of passage every teenager navigates in their adolescence.

Credit: Alex Kurunis

“There were a lot of people at college who were interested in movies, were in bands or played instruments, so I was introduced to a lot of new music and the idea of DIY venues and things like that,” she recalls.

“There was a sense of fluidity and eclecticism in the music tastes. That’s something that I always had, but now I was even more determined to find something that no one else had listened to”

She begins to paint a picture of late- night parties with friends mulling over creative ambitions in the living room, a budding band member tuning their guitar in the corner, rappers freestyling over beats in the kitchen; everything you’ve come to expect from a 2020s London house party. Only without the Wonderwall rendition.

“Having those people around me that were so unapologetically themselves, no matter what interest they had, made me feel so much more driven and comfortable in my direction,” she says, before adding: “There was a sense of fluidity and eclecticism in the music tastes. That’s something that I always had, but now I was even more determined to find something that no one else had listened to. Everyone had such encyclopedic knowledge.”

I’m sure it is obvious by now, but ‘Arlo Parks’ is not her given name. Born Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, a melting pot of influences has inspired her work.

“My Dad loves Jazz and Soul, and instilled this adventurous spirit in me when it comes to making music because so much of it is built on improvisation and on following the moment,” she says. “I think that’s really why I tend to write on instinct. My Mum’s French music was also very rooted in storytelling, so I guess that explains it too.”

As she continues to reel off some of her favourites, there are no false illusions that her love for art in all its forms is no show. Citing Sufjan Stevens’ nostalgic ‘The Only Thing’ as a personal love, it’s no surprise that her music takes on the personality it does.

“I don’t know where it came from but Arlo just kinda popped into my head”

“I’ve always gravitated towards those songs. Although I love instruments, the voice and lyrics are always what I pay attention to first on an album. Certain records have formed my musical DNA. Albums like ‘Dummy’ by Portishead, ‘In Rainbows’ by Radiohead, or ‘A Seat At The Table’ by Solange. I very much move with whatever I’m listening to.”

Using writing to disentangle the knots of life, she took to instinctively scribbling songs, poems, even tales of adventure and drama into her journals. “I found out pretty early on that when you write things down, you get a sense of space from a situation, but at the same time you can delve into the details of it too.”

It’s no wonder that when asked what she’s reading at the moment the answer is immediately loaded at the ready. “I’ve always got so many books on the go,” she responds. “Right now I’m reading ‘I’ve Seen The Future, And I’m Not Going,’ which is a memoir by Peter McGough. I’ve always been attracted to that style of writing. The first one I fell in love with was ‘Just Kids’ by Patti Smith of course, and I’ve been delving into the art and film world ever since.”

The Pimp Shrimp himself, King Krule, and hip-hop heart-throb Frank Ocean are quickly referenced as having a huge impact on the musician. Not solely for their melancholic, visceral style of writing, but also for their choice of adopting new monikers for their musical exploits.

“I don’t know where it came from but Arlo just kind of popped into my head,” she begins. “I’d never really heard of anyone called that before, so I wrote it down. Just a few weeks later, I was still trying to find the second part of the name. I was in the park with my buddies after GCSEs, and one of my friends said ‘relax, we’ve got our £2 Tesco wine, we’re in the sun and we’re feeling good,’ so I thought okay, this is a place where I feel good, this is a place where I’ve lived so much with my friends, and weirdly it’s a part of my life. So that’s where I picked Parks.”

Credit: Alex Kurunis

There’s a certain simplicity in her reasoning that captures the authenticity of Arlo. Her alter-ego is the “soul-searching” part of herself, she explains, the side which permits her to look inwards, and gives her a sense of reflection.

“As a human being, I’m a little bit more boisterous and all over the place, but I think when I’m writing I tend to take more notice of the world around me. Arlo Parks is that part of myself.”

“Everybody has low periods; mental health crises do not discriminate. It could happen to anybody”

No stranger to the struggles of mental health, Arlo speaks candidly of her experiences with the ‘black dog,’ whether from her perspective or that of a friend. “I started off making music to process the
world around me,” she starts. “It’s really important to speak about mental health because everybody has a mind, everybody has low periods; mental health crises do not discriminate. It could happen to anybody. I want to work towards dissolving the stigma around that, and use my platform for good.”

Doing a lot more than your average social-media saviour, Parks has used her platform for a just cause; becoming an ambassador for CALM during the first lockdown and striving to open up a conversation about mental well-being.

“Of course, because of the times that we live in there aren’t too many in-person things that we can do. I’d really love to be doing workshops and promoting the benefits of art and mental health, but for now, I’m just going to continue doing live streams and spreading awareness about the work they do,” she says.

“There’s still a long way to go in terms of people being able to get free support and things like that, so making people aware of the resources available and just helping out as much as I can is where my ambitions lay at the moment.”

When you’ve already reached the top so quickly, where can you possibly go from there? Getting back on the road and sharing her new album live, of course, but Arlo has other itches she’d like to scratch too. “I’m working on this collection of poetry and essays. I’ve always wanted to be a published author, and I want to write books and screenplays. I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts from poets that I like, such as Krista Tippet’s podcast. She’s done one with Mary Oliver which I love.”

Having dipped her toe into acting when filming music videos for ‘Eugene’ and ‘Hope,’ being in front of the camera is not alien to Parks and something she’s keen to explore further.

“It’s always been something that I enjoy and something that I want to pursue. I feel like the arts are so connected and it’s always been a little dream of mine. We’ll see what happens anyway.”

Arlo Parks’ debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ is out now.

This feature was originally released as part of Yuck Magazine Volume Four, available to buy here!