Gifford wins talent show and releases first song

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

Ever since she was little, Alice Gifford knew she wanted to be a performer, whether it was singing, acting or dancing away on stage. 

As a young child, she performed at the Elkader Opera House in Shrek, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Mary Poppins, and is set to show up in Matilda later this year. She’s also sung at Elkader’s Rhythm on the River, was a member of jazz choir and was All-State as a sophomore at Central. 

But recently, the now-home schooled Alice won multiple medals at the International Modeling & Talent Association (IMTA) convention, which was held in Orlando in January. She also released her first single, “Shadows,” and won “Singer of the Year” at the IMTA event. To top it all off, she won a $10,000 scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.

It’s quite a resume for the 16 year old, who credits her grandmother and father for motivating and inspiring her. Alice’s grandmother taught confidence, the willingness and drive to just go for it—to shoot for the moon. As for dad, a guitar player, his musical talent easily rubbed off on Alice. Growing up, music was a bonding experience. 

Today, Alice uses music to make her dad smile. After surviving a battle with cancer, he’s just beginning to retain some of that lost musical ability. Listening to her voice provides a sense of peace, and his experience has lit a fire under the already-burning motivational flame. 

It’s also provided Alice with a growing sense of empathy, to go along with her constant state of perfectionism and need to be doing something—mostly performing. Some of this is the reason she no longer attends Central, but is home schooled, where she can be more hands-on, escape to her newly built home studio and focus on classes that benefit her blossoming career. It’s a dreamer’s mentality. The ambitious, self-motivated determination that keeps her going in the face of adversity, whether it was the cancer that prevented her dad from playing with her or the judgment from others. 

This “silent judgment,” as Alice called it, comes from a sense of difference, from the clothes she chooses to wear and the ambitions she focuses on to her constant state of smiling, all of which have at some point been a source of judgment.  

“I’m not fake. I just love people. I’ll talk to anyone. I’m just expressive,” she said. 

But not everyone falls into that category, especially family, who have been nothing but supportive, or her talent agency, The Peak Agency in West Des Moines, the largest agency in Iowa. It also wasn’t Naomi Tegeler, who taught Alice how to overcome nerves and breathe. As for members of Central, Cathy Recker received high praise from the young musician, who said, “She never judged me and let me be who I wanted to be.” 

Besides that, Alice feels a lot of pressure to succeed, especially following the release of “Shadows,” a song whose lyrics are entirely hers. Of course, writing songs is where the perfectionist comes out. Originally, she was supposed to perform someone else’s lyrics when she went to the recording studio in Chicago, but she said, “Those lyrics weren’t me.” So, she rewrote it into a song about things she says to express her feelings. 

“It’s a sad song because music is my outlet. It is relatable. I’m putting my feelings into words and I used the song to spread a message about mental health and the inner struggles you can’t explain. I really hope people get something out of it,” Alice said. 

While recording the song in a real studio for the first time with an actual producer was “intimidating,” it’s kind of old hat for a young woman who stood on the stage in Des Moines for the IMTA in front of talent agencies and scouts, particularly given the fact IMTA has had a hand in the careers of Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Biel. 

Winning medals is no small feat when competing in events such as monologue, improvisation, voice over, broadcasting, vocal competition and others. While being on stage would make most anxious, the stage is where Alice finds calm. 

“The world pauses. I am at peace on stage,” she said. 

She finds anxiety in other situations, such as when she is not in control, the thought of the world moving by so fast and the future. It’s a future where she wants to leave Elkader, travel and, obviously, do music.

But as she stated, “it’s not that simple to just do music.” 

Even with that said, Alice doesn’t need to be world famous like her one-time obsession, Adele. 

“I just want to do what I love. It’s not about the fame. I just want to do music, not be famous,” she said. 

She also wants to finish college first, which will either be in New York or California, places she can grow as an independent person, be surrounded by culture and expand her experiences. They’re also two of the best places to pursue a music or acting career. 

Alice is focused on putting out another song too. It should be released sometime this fall, hopefully building on the success of “Shadows.” 

No matter what Alice does, she will do it to the fullest extent, inspired by a grandmother and father who instilled a can-do attitude. 

“I’m just really excited about what the future holds,” she said.