Mad Hatter’s Daughter are a German duo founded by lead singer Kira Alicia and guitarist Buzz T.Isles. The two are passionate in creating strong meanings behind their songwriting, the ideal goal is to portray a sense of togetherness and unity within their songs, the band creates free flowing mindfulness.
The idea behind “Mad Hatter’s Daughter” came to Buzz T. Isles the very first time he heard his wife Kira sing. Having worked as an audio engineer, he knew she had something special. A few months later, the couple released a cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt”. The subsequent popularity of the video with its raving reviews inspired the duo to go even further.
The duo invited British friend and songwriter Josiah Smithson to the party. The creative combination of all three members clicked immediately and opened doors to the UK in a rekindling of the historically significant musical relationship between Hamburg and England.
Their first EPs “Life Affairs” and ”Walk with me” secured the band over 3 million streams and 20 weeks of airplay in the German Charts. After a sold out tour in Germany and a few small festivals in the UK, the band joined forces with Grammy nominated engineer Jeremy Murphy (Adele, Sam Smith, Emeli Sande, Robbie Williams) to work on their upcoming album “Where Are We Runnin”. Jez helped to achieve the dynamic sound the band were after, one that could tip its hat to both younger and older generations.
Getting to know Mad Hatter’s Daughter
What was the last thing you dressed up as for fancy dress?
Kira: Oh I guess that was for a Candy Pyjama Party… Luckily I don’t have any photos from that night 😀
Do you have a cherished childhood teddy bear or other stuffed animal sitting on your bed at home?
Buzz T.: Let me answer this, although it’s Kira’s “animal”. It’s actually just ragged cloth but she says it’s an elephant… at least it used to be one before she destroyed it with all her love.
What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?
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Kira: I can tell you what’s definitely not the ideal food on a date night. After I was responsible for the food on our first cooking date and prepared beef tenderloin with spaetzle and mushrooms, it was Buzz T.’s turn on the next date. He prepared sausage in a roll with tons of garlic… Guess who has been cooking since.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Kira: I think the only person to authentically reproduce all of my character issues would be Jack Nickolson.
Do you have any lucky items, objects, or traditions?
Kira: Each time I trip up on something, I turn around and walk over it again. I don’t know why I do it it’s just a superstitious thing that brings me luck.
What first got you into music?
Kira: Music has always played a big role in my life – I used to sing and perform in front of the mirror as a teenager, but always behind closed doors. It wasn’t until Buzz T. came into my life that we started taking it seriously. I was singing along to the radio one day and then the next thing I knew we were in a band together. We haven’t stopped since!
When you create music, what is your personal purpose or goal?
Kira: Well first of all we all love to create music and it’s the best thing on earth to be able to make this for a living. But there’s another aspect to it. As artists, we have an important role in society. We always try to capture the feeling of what’s happening out there in our songs and unlike politicians we can say the hard truth because, in the end, it’s just our own feeling and opinion.
Was anyone else involved in writing, recording, or producing the songs?
Joey: We’ve had the pleasure of working with Grammy nominated engineer Jeremy Murphy (Adele, Sam Smith, Robbie Williams). We’ve spent some time with Jez in London but he also flew over to Hamburg during the Pandemic to help mix the album. Jez has helped us to create the sound we were after, one that could tip its hat at both younger and older generations.
Are you finding the isolation of the pandemic conducive to your writing or is it hindering the experiences you can write about?
Buzz T.: The pandemic has actually inspired us to write our single “Diggin In The Dirt”. I’ve been on the phone to Joey who told me that his week has been shitty and that he’s so tired of lockdown. I sat down and the first verse just came to me. On the other hand there is a lack of inspiration and especially a lack of new and nice experiences you could write about. Maybe that’s why there are more critical themes on our upcoming album than positive.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Buzz T.: Well the internet brought benefits and hurdles. First of all, it’s great that we people from all over the world can listen to our music. It’s such a great thing to check the weekly statistics and see that your song has been shazam’d in New York a few times last week.
The downside is that since music lost its worth in the age of the internet. It’s available everywhere and everyday – there’s nothing exclusive about it anymore. I think the music industry needs to find a way to keep the worth of music up, so that new artists can take their time to create outstanding art.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Kira: Definitely Rod Stewart. I’ve been growing up to his music because my parents are fans as well and we’ve been to a couple of his shows together. What an awesome voice and what a great guy!
What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned? Future gigs?
Joey: In October we’ll be playing in a few select venues in the UK, in intimate settings such as Cavern Club, Liverpool and The Green Note in Camden. We’d love to see you there, these shows are going to be something special. We’re also traveling to Dubai in November to play a few shows and of course, we’ll release a few more singles before we drop our album next year, so stay tuned!
Mad Hatter’s Daughter soar back into 2021 with their latest offering “Diggin In The Dirt”, taken from forthcoming album “Where Are We Runnin”. Taking a more Alternative Pop direction, the duo still continue to impress with their raw approach through vocals and sharp catchy melodies.
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