BY: Claire Borgelt 

New-York based singer-songwriter Allegra Krieger has mastered the art of candid confession. A combination of floating cadence, pensive acoustic guitar and cuttingly honest lyricism, her third album,  I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane acts as the perfect soundtrack for love, loss and everything in between. We caught up with her in Austin after a performance at High Noon, fresh off of her tour supporting Katy Kirby. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

So, you're just coming off of tour with Katy Kirby. What would you say your favorite moment of the tour was? 

Allegra: Okay, I have a lot of favorite moments. I feel like one of my favorites was when we got to Detroit and went to this Polish restaurant. The New York show was awesome too – like a homecoming show. 

What do you miss most about home? 

Allegra: I miss having a solid morning routine. Like, I enjoy having multiple cups of coffee and playing guitar and going for walks. It's just sort of like relaxing being in one place. That's what I missed the most. The hard part of touring was just constantly having to go somewhere else.

I read that your most recent record was really influenced by your apartment and New York. I do really appreciate the sense of place that you create and all of your songs. Where would you say that influence comes through most on the record?

Allegra: I feel like the songs “Low” and “Lingering,” and maybe “Let it Go, Watch it Come Back.” They were all very centered on that lonely feeling of being home alone. That apartment was really special to me

You also create a more abstract sense of place on the album. I was wondering, what inspired the concept of the fragile plane?

Allegra: I feel like I come from a pretty religious background. I have a feeling that probably subconsciously influenced my songwriting in a pretty big way. There's the idea of heaven. If you're not fully believing in heaven or hell as I used to fully believe, then there's still the idea that there's something out there which isn't quite earthly. It's that middle ground between reality and something more surreal.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Low.” Where were you at as you were writing that track? Where did it come from?

Allegra: I was, at that point, working at a bar at night and working at a cafe in the morning. I was doing a lot of doubles, and then we're getting started. I'd just moved into my new place and had a big breakup. I was probably pretty depressed but going through the motions. It was about  having new encounters with new people and just you know, feeling okay with however it worked out. 

It seems like your lyrics tend to come from a very emotionally connected, honest place. What's it like to perform tracks like that one live?

Allegra: It was funny, especially in New York. There, it's for people who know my personal life. Touring, it's fine. It's easier. But I still have a hard time once in a while. Like, I played that one when my current partner and his parents were there. Now, though, I think I've done it enough times to the point where it's just a song. 

I was also really curious about the b-sides from the album. I know you put a bunch of those out as well. Where did you draw the line between what was going to be on the album and what you were going to release separately?

Allegra: When it came to the album, all the songs were a very natural choice. They all fit into this one world. The b-sides came from a splattering of different sessions. Those were songs that I still wanted to put somewhere, but they didn't really fit on Fragile Plane and they don't really fit into the next one. I just wanted to put out something intermediate. 

Another record! Where would you say this next one is coming from?

Allegra: It's finished. It's gonna come out in the fall. I had a very strange year – there was a really bad fire in my apartment, and just a lot of chaos in my personal life. I think this album was rooted in those experiences. 

You'd been working on Fragile Plane since 2020, right? Has the way you perform those songs changed over time? 

Allegra: Yeah, the older older songs on that record come from 2020. So much in my personal life has changed. When I play them live now, there's a bit of a distance. I've had time to experiment with them. Plus, when I play with a band things get loud and a little bit more expressive. 

What's something else you're really passionate about besides music? 

Allegra: I've always danced. I've been really into taking more dance classes recently. That's been really fun to get more involved in over the last year.

Allegra Kreiger on Spotify: