Felicity gives us details about her sophomore EP, ‘4PM in the Morning,’ a project that aims “to be more self-aware and self-critical” than her last

She’s raw and personal. She’s sweet and soulful. She’s everything you can imagine in an alt-pop artist, which is why Felicity is well on her way to becoming an artist you know instead of an artist you need to know. Her songs, like the ones heard on last year’s You Take Me To Dinner But You’ll Never Feed My Soul, cover topics like loss and self-discovery, which have resonated with old and new fans alike. When she went out on her first tour to promote the EP, Felicity brought these topics to life through captivating performances. She was able to foster the connection that her fanbase has always felt in her music, instilling an excitement for the future. Today, the future has arrived with Felicity’s sophomore EP, 4PM in the Morning. With this project, Felicity leans into her powerful storytelling while expanding the narrative, giving the tracks a mature edge. The songs also contain a surreal element to them, as they were written in that transitory stage between night and day. We caught up with Felicity ahead of the EP’s release to chat about what’s on there, like the inspiration behind certain songs and lyrics, the way the tracklist came together, and more.

Hi, Felicity. Thank you for taking the time out to answer these questions. We’re a few days away from the release of your sophomore EP, 4PM in the Morning, so how are you feeling ahead of its release?
Yes! I’m very excited but also riddled with nerves. This is the second body of work I’ve released, and it’s more vulnerable than the first. I admit things to myself about myself that I haven’t in my music before. I anxiously cannot wait for it to be out in the world.

The five songs on the project are very vulnerable and honest, which I think are aspects of your music that fans appreciate the most. Did you get to a point with any of these where you thought, Oh, maybe this one is too revealing, maybe I shouldn’t include it, or are you someone who thinks the more personal, the better?
Thank you! I really appreciate that! I’m quite a guarded person naturally, so through writing and releasing music, I’ve challenged myself to let my walls down as much as I’m capable. Sometimes I feel what’s already out is too much already, but it forces me to be true to myself—which is so important, so I accept the uncomfortability.

How did the final tracklist come together?
I was sitting on a lot of unreleased music from the last 18 months when I started really sitting with the songs and seeing which ones gravitated toward me. “Half Sad” has always been one of my favorites, and the more I listened to it, the more it began feeling like the beginning themes of a bigger project. It captures feelings of burn-out and self-doubt while still feeling shimmery and lamenting in the production. I narrowed down from there, choosing songs that I felt matched and completed the narrative.

I feel like if I was an artist and heard the phrase, “Bad Waste of Good Oxygen,” I would want to save that concept for a future song. So, is that what happened here, or did you come up with it as you were working on the EP?
Ha, thank you, but actually, no—this song was written from a place of pure, visceral rage. Someone did me very dirty and violently inspired the idea. It’s the only song I want to have like this, but I’m glad I do; it helped me therapize the situation at the time.

On “Half Sad,” I like that you rhyme “low rise jeans” with “lo-fi dreams,” so I was just curious how long it took to land on that?
Asia [Whiteacre, writer on the track] had to fight for the “lo-fi dreams” line, actually. I didn’t get it at first and thought we could beat it. It wasn’t till the next day when I was listening back that I realized that that one short line totally encapsulated the entire energy of the song and that she was completely right.

Do you have a favorite song on the EP?
They all represent something different to me, so it’s hard to choose. I must say that “Denver Airport” holds a special place in my heart. It’s got all my favorite elements from the EP—climbing melody, soaring strings, and I must say, these are some of the lyrics I’m most proud of. It just has a sort of nostalgic feel to me.

I think “Denver Airport” is one of my favorites, just from the storyline and your insane vocals. You touch on some of the theories about the airport, from people claiming it’s haunted to its many conspiracies… Generally, are you into things like ghosts and conspiracy theories?
Ha, thank you!! I’m definitely intrigued, not sure if I’m fully convinced—it did make for a nice parallel in the song, though.

How does 4PM in the Morning compare to your debut EP, You Take Me To Dinner But You’ll Never Feed My Soul?
I loved my first EP. It was a freeing experience finally putting music out into the world. I do, however, think it lacked introspection. All of the songs truly only come from one point of view/only place blame on other people. There was a lot of disorganized angst and songs about boys that broke my heart before my frontal lobe developed, and hey, I think I needed to get it out of my system in order to write what I do now. I aimed to be more self-aware and self-critical in the new record, going to the root first.

Listening to your music, it’s clear that you’ve been inspired by a variety of artists. Is there anyone out there that you’re dying to collab with? If so, what kind of project would you make together?
I would DIE if Hozier and I could collab. Something more stripped and acoustic, maybe a string quartet? On the flip side, I think Charli xcx and I could do a Brit-Aussie-crossover-club-heater, lmao.

I read that you went on your first tour last year. What was that like for you?
I learned a lot. A lot about my body, how it needs to be cared for in order to perform to the best of my ability, and how different that looks on the road versus playing home shows in Nashville. That was my main takeaway. The other one is genuinely just to have a good time. If you’re taking care of yourself and your crew while putting on the best damn show you can, have a good time doing it—don’t stress yourself out, other elements on the road will inevitably do that for you, ha.

What do you have going on for the rest of the year?
I’ve been back in the studio for a little while now working on some new stuff that I’m really excited about, so that’s all I’ll say for now about that. Look out for me playing a show near you as well—I wanna play a show in Australia this year!

Again, thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you want to add or share?
Thanks for these lovely questions! My next show is August 7th at the Flamingo in Nashville. It will be the first time I perform all of the songs off the EP live. Come party with me!!!