Adelaide on Friendship, love, and creativity

by Samuel Plauché

Adelaide in the Raging Opossum garden in Avondale PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram

Adelaide (they/them) is a singer/songwriter who moved to Chicago from Ferndale, Michigan to study film and production design at Columbia College Chicago in 2019. When asked what had gotten them making music when their purs

uits were based more in visual creative disciplines, they explain; “My friends had encouraged me to record some stuff in a dorm room, and it turned out to be something I really enjoyed. I always liked the process of putting vocal harmonies together. When I was younger, I was in an acapella group in highschool, and I would be the person to make a lot of the harmonies for the songs and I found it to be really exciting.”

Adelaide in the garden at Raging Opossum Press HQ. PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram

While having a lot of experience with vocals, Adelaide is also an incredible guitarist, adding wonderful rhythms with all of their songs. Guitars came later than the singing though. “I had got a guitar when I was a senior in highschool,” they say with a laugh. “Up to that point, I had just been writing songs on a cheap ukulele. I saved up money, and I remember driving through a snowstorm with my friends to this used guitar shop to buy a $50 guitar, which I still use!” 

Adelaide mostly played covers before moving out to Chicago. However, once here, they began experimenting with writing their own songs. “I had a lot of freetime when I first moved here because I didn’t know anyone yet,” they say. “The time between making friends I spent writing songs and getting accumulated to a new city.”

Adelaide’s creative mind has been ever persistent, and since those days of recording their first EP Go Home Go Home Go Home, Adelaide has now released two full lengths albums; The Raindrops Were Kisses was released in 2023 and Mulberry Tree came out in September of 2024, and still Adelaide continues to write. With such creative drive, one would have to wonder how they continue to stay motivated and inspired: “I feel a lot, as all people do,” they say with a smile and a laugh. “The way that I can process that better is just by writing music, which creates times where I’m just writing a ton and having a lot of ideas. Another inspiration is my friends and the connections I have, which I am really fortunate for. I have a few friends in Michigan who help me record my music and are incredibly supportive. I also live in close proximity to a lot of the friends I make music with, especially Connor who is my keyboardist–and sometimes he plays clarinet too. He lives with me, so we’re able to consistently practice and show each other our music.”   

Adelaide answers out questions PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram 

Adelaide has always had a deep love for folk and indie music, which has led to their distinct indie-folk sound as they draw inspiration from those around them and other music they enjoy. “I’ve always been drawn to music that comforts,” they say. “I have always really enjoyed musicians like Norma Tanega, or Haley Heynderickx, people who calm you at the same time as singing about things that are difficult. That’s what kind of drew me to this genre, as well as loving the sound of acoustic guitars.” Adelaide also lists being inspired and influenced by John Fahey, Katy Kirby, Phil Ochs, and George Harrison. “There’s a lot of people I’m inspired by,” Adelaide says with a grin. “I just love the storytelling aspect of folk.”

Adelaide and the band playing upstairs at Subterranean after this interview PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram 

Folk is known for its storytelling beats, and Adelaide is no stranger to that. Many of their songs  tell the listeners whole narratives, from loss and friendship to getting stranded somewhere near Buchanan, Michigan (a wonderful song they perform live, titled “Buchanan.”)  “Sometimes my songs are coming out of a place of pain, anxiety, or fear,” says Adelaide when asked what inspires their lyric writing process. “A lot of the time I’ll have weird dreams. A lot of the inspiration on this new album (Mulberry Tree) comes from childhood, family, intimacy, the newness and discovery of being in different relationships, and longing. I find that when I often pick up my guitar it’s because I’m wishing for something, which inspires a song. Sometimes it can be nothing in particular though! I was talking to a friend about this earlier this week, about how songs can sometimes feel so planned out, but sometimes it’s just a bunch of things collaged together. Sometimes I have a poem that I wrote a few lines that I’m like ‘Oh, those are nice.’ Or I have a few words that I really liked throughout that day and then I’ll try to write something around those words. ‘Flat Ocean’ from the new album is kind of an example of that. It’s a song about a dream. I wrote the dream down, then the song, then I thought about this person I missed a lot, and then I wrote about that too, and then I thought about things that rhymed, and then I thought about life! So now it’s not just a song about a dream.”

“Flat Ocean,” “Loved,” and “Cold Air, Warm Sun” are just a few of the incredible songs found on Adelaide’s sophomore album Mulberry Tree which just released. They had their album release show at Empty Bottle in Ukranian Village, Chicago being supported by acts Kingfisher and Alga. The bar was packed the night of the release. Excitement filled the air for Adelaide’s new album to be played live, and smiles were donned by every individual in the crowd when they got on stage that night. Leading up to what would be an incredible release show with an astronomical turn out, I wanted to know what the recording process was like for Mulberry Tree: 

Up close of Adelaide at Subterranean PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram

“It took a few different sessions to record the whole thing,” they say. “It’s made up of songs I wrote from the summer of 2023 up until the fall of 2023. I wrote a lot of songs! The first process was last October , going out to Detroit to record with my friend Sam, who is a wonderful, wonderful engineer and part of Kingfisher. I recorded The Raindrops Were Kisses with him in the winter of 2022. I went back to the studio space he’s a part of–it’s a few different musicians who split rent for a really nice, little studio-a place called Dreamtroit. They all share all their gear and are all really kind. It’s wonderful! I spent a day or two there with him recording a few of the songs and it was lovely. I came back in January to record some more songs and brought my friends Connor and Tyler.” The trip ended up having a hurdle though; Adelaide, Connor, and Tyler traveled with a group of friends out to Ann Arbor then Detroit to record “Loved” for the upcoming album at Dreamtroit, but sickness would spell trouble this trip. After Adelaide recorded the song, they–with the rest of their friends–became incredibly ill. Everyone would recover fine, but this would be the beginning of a track record of road blocks when trying to get to record albums.

On the second trip there, the Amtrack Adelaide, their partner Garrett, and Connor broke down near Buchanan. Stranded, but determined, the musician and their friends disembarked from the train and walked the miles with all the other passengers to the next town rather than going back to Chicago. People would stop and ask the traveling group of Amtrack runaways making their way down Midwestern roads if they needed anything, or just be stunned. This misadventure would serve as the inspiration for the song “Buchanan.” Once they got there though, despite all the chaos, they locked in and finished recording the album in two days. 

Adelaide looks into the camera PC: Sam Tucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram

The Raindrops Were Kisses was also recorded by Sam Uribe-Botero from King Fisher, but this one before he was a part of Dreamtroit. Adelaide’s first album was recorded in Ann Arbor, Michigan when Sam was working at a studio and they had full access to it. However, like with Mulberry Tree, problems arose. “I have bad luck once or twice with really weird instances happening during recording,” Adelaide explains. “I ran into a door and almost got concussed during the recording of The Raindrops Were Kisses. It was embarrassing!” 

The recording process for each album and EP Adelaide has put out, as well as each of their live shows, is always a bit different. Friends have played and recorded songs with Adelaide constantly, and there’s an ever present rotation of people supporting with live shows or the recording processes with their talents, each person adding a different and fun level to the songs. “I never write my own parts for bass or drums or any of the other instruments, I kind of want it to be different every time somebody different plays it. I’ve played with  different drummers and different guitarists live and it always sounds different and I really like the aspect of other people making the music their own. It’s a collaborative endeavor, which music should be. It’s fun! I want it to be a conversation between friends.”

Many musicians we have talked to have a pre-show routine. I asked Adelaide what theirs is; “I’m always writing the set list really last minute,” they say. “And whenever I write it, I write copies for everyone and will decorate them. I’ll draw little stars for one person then flowers for another, just depends on who’s in the band. Mostly though we all just check in with each other before the show. There’s no big ritual though, but that would be fun! I love the idea of having some sort of big ritual. But yeah, mostly checking in and and making sure we’ve eaten before getting on stage.”

Adelaide has played many shows in and out of Chicago, and I was curious what their favorite they had played was. “There’s so many great venues in Chicago,” they say with a happy sigh. “I love Sleeping Village. We played the Logan Square Arts Festival which was one of the craziest experiences. I had never played in front of so many people and all the other bands were soooo cool and good. It was awesome. I really liked playing at the Empty Bottle, and I’ve played at Schubas a few times and have enjoyed that as well. A venue I really want to play is Lincoln Hall. I think it's so beautiful, and every show I’ve been there has been stunning. I’d love to play there, as well as the Metro.” 

Adelaide may have moved here from Michigan, but has been a vocal and active participant in the Chicago music scene for many years now. The scene here is really blowing up and expanding in such inventive ways, and we wanted to hear what they thought of it. “It’s been really cool!” they say. “I haven’t met a band who wasn’t really kind, sweet, and talented, or I felt uncomfortable around in all my experiences playing here. I’m also just fortunate to be around a lot of really nice people. There’s something very special about being in Chicago at this specific time; there’s such an abundance of creativity that is constantly growing everyday. I feel very grateful, and I feel very grateful to all the different communities in Chicago who have been so welcoming to artists. It’s a great place to be. I think what makes it unique is the variety of different music there is, and also the openness that different people have to different genres and different forms of creativity. I have friends who will go to punk shows and then to the folk shows. I think it's just the openness of the creative community. To my experiences, people are just really open to listening to new music and supporting small artists. There is something to be said about midwestern kindness in Chicago as well. People don’t really have too much a facade here. I just love Chicago.”

PC: Sam Tiucker @sammtucker_ on Instagram

One of Adelaide’s most popular song is “Young,” and they told us a bit about what the song is about and the process of creating the song. “I wrote ‘Young’ in the winter of 2022,” they explain. “And I was really sad. I was working a lot of shifts in retail and the trek there and then standing all day and doing retail and then coming home was just really weighing on me. My knees hurt, my back hurt, my body hurt, and my brain hurt. I was remembering how in past years I had a lot more energy in my body and it felt bad to feel myself growing weak in certain spots. There was one day, on my day off, I was home alone and I was just so sad! I was like ‘I’m just going to play guitar and put it out as much as I can.’ And that’s kind of how it came about. I was reflecting on other times in my life where I wasn’t being all that kind to myself when I was feeling weak. I sang about how I used to run around and have fun, but now I am standing and walking and being tired and smoking cigarettes and being angsty. I wrote it, and I felt better! It helped me move on from that feeling. I played it for Connor, and at first I thought it was silly. I thought the beginning sounded like ‘Party In The U.S.A.’ for some reason–something about the way the chords change–and I remember playing it for him and he really liked it, and I started thinking about it with drums. Now it’s a song I like to play a lot! It’s fun to play live. My guitarist Peter and Connor on keys will do this dueling piano/guitar thing and I think it's so fun. I just like to take a step back and let them play.”

As is no surprise with their film background, Adelaide creates a lot of music videos. The video for “Young” has grown fairly popular with people sharing it around the community, and they are constantly making more. “I like to shoot on Super 8 when I can,” they explain when talking about their process. “Though it can be expensive. I have shot some on it though, and shot some in Washington [State] for ‘Loved.’ I also shot a 16mm music video for my song ‘Cherry Dream.’ There’s a lot of still images of a young girl putting things in a dollhouse, playing hopscotch, or being tucked in at night. We took all those still frames from a 16mm. I try my best to hold onto both forms of art. There’s moments where I am more interested in film, and times I’m more interested in music, and right now I’m more interested in music but I still love making films. I like the process of making films more than watching, honestly. 

Another popular song is “cautious optimism” which features the artist Grace Bloom. “I had just met Grace in January of 2023 I suppose,” Adelaide explains. “Grace said we should hang out and write a song since we both write songs. I had never written songs with other people and it was a little outside of my comfort zone since it’s a bit more of a personal thing. She came over to my apartment though and we hung out, had dinner and drank some tea, and then sat on my bed for hours trying to find what chords we liked and talking about something we were both feeling, which was being really nervous about falling in love and starting relationships when things have been really hard in the past, but trying to be optimistic going forward. I mean, everyone wants to be loved, it goes for everything. We talked about that a lot, started writing lyrics, and then by the end of the night it was done. We recorded a demo, then recorded a version in her bedroom which I think is the one we ended up using. Grace put some bass on top of it, she’s a crazy multi-talented artist who plays drums, bass, and guitar. She’s very cool and I love her music. When we met I had just listened to her album and it was so good and I was trying so hard to not, like, freak out because I was such a fan. It was so much fun though.”

As we like to do, we asked Adelaide if they were an element out of water, earth, fire, and wind, what would they be and why: “Earth for the music, I think. I have a lot of songs about growing. But also maybe water? I have a lot of water motifs. For myself, I’m a Taurus so Earth is what I feel like I am and what I associate with, but I also really enjoy water. So, Earth and/or water for me. No fire or wind though, those are a bit too intense I think. 

We also asked what the best way to support Adelaide is with the rise of Spotify’s monopoly. “Go to shows!” they say. “I love to play live, and that’s the best way to directly support. Listen and share the music. Play it in the coffee shops and share, and enjoy. The music is for the people to enjoy. Money is lovely, but I know it’s not going to pay my bills at this point.”

You can follow Adelaide on Instagram @lemonadelaide and you can find their music on Spotify, DiscoKid, and YouTube.