LENII – In All Fairness

By starrymag | May 5, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Each song is a little different, but overall, I imagine an image like if Die Antwoord was a little Irish girl. [laughs] I think it comes under the umbrella of “anti-pop” because I use conversational lyrics and easy-to-digest melodies but like to take pretty weird turns and mix genres a bit. My next song “Cereal” is like if Annie was into rap and Miss Hannigan was a rude boy. 

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I have an odd mix of influences that inspire me in different ways. Lyrically, I love Eminem above all. I listen to a lot of Kanye West, Billie Eilish and Die Antwoord because I love their production. Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John and Amy Winehouse for storytelling and melody. All amazing artists but all very different. 

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your song “Regular 10.”

 

A) “Regular 10” is basically about pretending you’re doing great (or looking like a ’10’) when you’re actually hiding all the parts of your life that you’re not proud of. I was feeling particularly gloomy the morning I wrote this. It had been a week of disappointments and the night before my roommate had tried to cheer me up by saying, “Just think how proud your twelve-year-old self would be of you right now!” But my twelve-year-old self was hoping to be on a world tour by age thirteen…So, my current position would probably be pretty disappointing to her, too. [laughs]

 

I felt like such a mess, looking at my friends on Instagram all appearing to do so well. And then I thought, “This is bullshit because I know half of them are messes too and there’s probably someone looking at my Instagram thinking I’m killing it.” So, I wanted to write about that.

 

So, overall, “Regular 10” is about how funny and sad it is that we’re all just keeping up appearances! And it’s totally ok to not feel like a “ten.”

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I tried to be super open and conversational in the lyrics, talking about how no-one’s as put-together as we make ourselves out to be. I think people appreciate a bit of honesty in music because we’re led to believe things are so perfect for other people. The coolest thing has been getting messages from people who related to the little stories I threw into the song.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The video is me being my own therapist because I wanted to drive home the idea that I’m just kidding myself when I say “I’m doing well” in the song. It was really DIY and I shot half of it on an iPhone because the camera died (I was definitely not a 10 that day. [laughs]). The cast is made up of my friends, including Nick Sadler who produced the song, so it was really fun to shoot. I think the DIY look fits the message of the song too because it’s not perfect by any means.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

A) It totally depends on the day. When I was a kid songs would come into my head with the music and lyrics flowing at the same time. That still happens, but when I’m working with other producers I either show up to the session with a lyric idea or we start from scratch and find cool sounds & melodies that inspire what the song ends up being about.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music? 

 

A) I’m a producer myself, so I have pretty clear ideas of the sounds and production elements I like, but I’m lucky enough to work with super creative producers who bring a lot of outside-the-box ideas and give me space to write. Nick Sadler, who produced “Regular 10,” is a frequent collaborator and has produced a lot of my upcoming music. So, when we work together, Nick does the production but it’s very collaborative.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live LENII performance?

 

A) A lot of jumping around!! Even though a lot of my lyrics are kind of sad, I don’t want to take myself too seriously on stage. My upcoming music is pretty funky, so I want my shows to be light-hearted and dancey. 

 

Q) What songs off your upcoming EP In All Fairness are you looking forward to performing live?

 

A) Literally all of them. They’re so energetic and strange… I cannot wait to get to jump around and throw in some surprising switch ups. “Attractive” is one that I think will be really crazy to play live (I need to work on my stamina for that one lol).

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new EP as a whole?

 

A) I hope people listen to it and feel like we can relate to each other. Like we’re friends on some level and connected because we all deal with the same things, even though we don’t always show it. The EP is supposed to be quite blunt and up front, no BS, a bit empowering and overall, just the real deal.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

A) I’ve only performed at a handful of venues since moving to the US, but out of them I love Rockwood Music Hall because it was the first place I played when I moved to NYC. Since that first performance I’ve gotten to see the audience grow from four people to forty people and so on. It’s very intimate and I feel like each time I play there it gives me a clear marker of how much I’ve grown and become more comfortable as an artist. 

 

Q) You have written and produced for a number of artists. Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) In the future my dream collaboration would be with Finneas. (I feel like maybe that was a super obvious answer but he’s amazing). And, OF COURSE, the real Slim Shady.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) I’ve been listening to the new Eminem album Music To Be Murdered By on repeat. His rhyme schemes & lyrics just make me so excited to write. Also listening to loads of Die Antwoord lately… Donker Mag is my favorite album of there’s but someone needs to tell me why it recently disappeared from Spotify?!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) More than anything, I love getting to talk to people who connect with my songs in some way. Using social media, and Instagram especially, to chat with complete strangers from all over the world who SOMEHOW have come across my music and like it enough to send me a message – is just wild to me. It’s so special and I feel honored to touch peoples’ lives like that.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Just a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I’m so grateful for every person that takes me around with them in their lives… it’s crazy to think about. 

 

 

Listen to Lenii’s Latest Song “Cereal”

 

Watch The Video for “Regular 10”