Capetonian Alice Phoebe Lou went from street musician to iTunes superstar

Imagine going from being essentially homeless in a foreign country to number two on the German iTunes charts. It's the kind of thing that makes for a movie directed by motivational speaker Tony Robbins, but it's the life that folk singer Alice Phoebe Lou has lived.

The singer left Cape Town in 2010 with little more than an acoustic guitar and the clothes on her back to busk on the streets of Berlin. She has gone on to be nominated for a number of awards and has found herself on the top of German and Austrian chart lists.

We caught up with her ahead of her South African tour to find out about homesickness, "ze Germans" and what it's like to busk for a living:

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How are you feeling about coming to play in South Africa again?

Every year, when the German autumn starts turning into winter, I head back home with a sigh of relief. It's always such a pleasure coming back to Cape Town, as I am able to really appreciate the things that locals take for granted and I'm over the moon to see friends and family I've been missing. This time round it's even more exciting because I'm bringing my band with me and I'm able to showcase what I've been working on in Berlin.

What was it like in those early stages of your time in Germany, when you had very little money and were busking? Did you ever think "maybe I should just go home and become an accountant?"

Although sometimes it was a struggle, and sometimes not having a place to sleep or any sort of security was scary, I really enjoyed the hustle and the feeling of relying on no one but myself. There's something empowering about the feeling of not having a dime to your name when you wake up in the morning, taking your guitar and hitting the train station and playing some tunes until your hat has enough coins to give yourself the reward of a nice hot meal. It's direct. It's no bullshit. And it teaches you so much about taking responsibility for yourself and about hard work.

How do you think your experience as a busker helped you develop your sound?

It's tough and humbling in the beginning. It totally obliterates any ego and self-consciousness you have and brings you to yourself. And without an amplifier you have to really project your voice and demand the attention of the passers-by. There's this immediacy to it. And you start writing songs in this way, trying to grab people and keep them intrigued by what you are saying and doing. Once I got an amplifier and started having a professional sound on the street, I was able to start learning microphone technique and also realise the more subtle and softer tones in my voice. It was all such a wonderful and natural progression and learning experience, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

WATCH the music video for Alice Phoebe Lou's Fiery Heart, Fiery Mind

Do you find that South African musicians, especially folk ones, have to leave the country and make successes of themselves abroad if they want to be successful in South Africa?

I don't think that is necessarily the case. Everyone has their own way of developing their career and building their fan base, and I know many artists in this country that I am extremely inspired by who have developed themselves in the growing scene that we have here. I think that there is unfortunately a notion that once people work their arses off and head over somewhere else to make something of themselves, then South African fans suddenly have more of a reason to support and appreciate their work. Which is something that we should work on here. We have incredible music and amazing parties and people really pushing things here.

• Alice Phoebe Lou will be performing at the Goodluck Bar, 1 Fox Street, Johannesburg, on Sunday, February 5, from 4pm. For more info visit quicket.co.za

• This article was originally published in The Times.