ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Wallice

Photo by Nicole Busch

This week’s artist of the week goes to the LA-based singer-songwriter Wallice Hana Watanabe, better known simply as Wallice.

I had the chance to see Wallice at Thalia Hall last week, when she was touring in support of Jawny. This particular show was sold out like many that I’ve been to at Thalia Hall, but the energy seemed next level that night—and the fans were just as enthusiastic for Wallice as they were for Jawny.

Wallice’s lyricism reads effortlessly cool and honest, and her sound overall gave me hints of nods to Alvvays, Japanese Breakfast and Snail Mail.

In the song “Punching Bag,” which was a single released back in 2020, Wallice describes modern-day reminders of a breakup with lines like “I still got your number saved in my phone, I only every think of it when I’m alone/ I’ve still got your place saved in my maps, I’ll keep it for a rainy day when I relapse/Left my Hydro Flask in the back of your car, I’d like to have it back, but you live so far,” showing off her clever ability to take a timeless subject and add a refreshing spin to it. I also have a personal affinity to her song “Hey Michael” (which starts the chorus with lines “Hey Michael, you American psycho”) because I too, have had a less-than-positive experience with someone named Michael.

Wallice has been playing music since the age of six, and she’s said she’s inspired by “the lyricism of Thom Yorke, Lana Del Rey and the punky irreverence of Weezer and No Doubt,” which definitely comes across in her work. Creative and witty lyrics aside, Wallice put on a great live show that featured the perfect mix of banter, while letting the music do most of the talking.

She has yet to release a full-length album, but Wallice has released a couple of EPs and several singles, including her most recent, “Japan.” Talking about the backstory of this single, Wallice says, “My father was born and raised in Tokyo and lived there until he was 27, and my mother lived there for a couple years in the 90s, so Japanese culture has heavily influenced my identity. I don’t know my father’s family in Japan at all. I’ve only met them once when I was little at my grandfather’s funeral, and since then my grandmother has passed. Recently my mother moved across the country from California to Georgia which has left me without that familial sense of home. This song explores where home is and why I am so drawn to Japan.”

Tune into the video for Japan below, and keep up with Wallice on Instagram and Tik Tok.