Lowen – Only In My Dreams

By starrymag | December 11, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound? 

 

A) I’d best describe it as Woodstock pop. It’s hard to categorize but it all sort of stems from me, the electric guitar, and the truth within the songs.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences? 

 

A) Tracy Chapman, Imogen Heap, Jack Antonoff, Sara Bareilles, John Mayer…I look up to a lot of artists for different reasons whether it be how they write, produce, or perform

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Morning, Mourning.”

 

A) “Morning, Mourning” stemmed from the shame and guilt I’d felt saying goodbye to a long-term relationship, falling into new love soon thereafter, processing both of those things at the same time and desperately not wanting to compromise this new blossoming love. It’s an apology letter to my person saying, “I’m sorry for all those nights I cried – thank you for giving me the space and understanding I needed to heal. I’m falling in love with you and I’m so sorry if my mourning is messing this up or getting in the way of us — our ‘morning.’” I had the seed of the idea that I’d been journaling and some melodies for the song. My ex passed away and mourning took on a whole new meaning. I brought the song idea to two of my songwriter friends and we all realized we’d shared in some version of this duality of pain/grief vs. happiness/healing. It was cathartic to finally say it all out loud in a safe space and be able to express it in this way.

 

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

 

A) I know what I tend to connect to, which is people speaking with complete honesty about the things that are hard to talk about…and I think that’s what people have connected to in this case.

 

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

 

A) I knew from the start that I wanted this visual to feel extremely intimate (not a sexual intimate, but something much deeper) – the idea of people in movement together, struggling, holding one another, working together to be in flow. Skin on skin. The song and recording are intimate and slowly builds and it was important to me that the video represent that in the same way. My director, Luke Harvey, took the non-concept concept I gave him and sent over a stunning treatment and story centered around a dancer slowly being unwrapped out of this cocoon by other dancers – as a representation of my heart. They beautifully improvised on the day of the shoot and it came together so organically, which is exactly how I wanted the visual to feel.

 

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

 

A) My process isn’t very linear. Sometimes nuggets of melody will come to mind and I’ll record those into my phone… and sometimes lyrics/journal entries are written first. It’s bits and pieces before it ever becomes a full-fledged song. The flow of creating a song is different each time when it comes to finding its identity within a production. However, the flow of collecting and saying yes to the seeds of ideas (lyrics, melody, progressions) usually starts the same – typically at inconvenient times [laughs] like in the shower or in the middle of the night, with me racing to grab my phone to jot something or sing something into it. It’s scattered. Lyrics mostly start out as stream of consciousness in their initial state. Random, messy, raw pieces of whatever is going on in my brain at that moment.

 

When I sit down to write the song itself (either alone or with co-writers), those streams of consciousness or nuggets of ideas get refined and pieced together slowly but surely, like a puzzle. Sometimes that means working it out on my guitar and other times it means opening a session and getting some sonic ideas going on in a track. Ultimately, I try to find the message and main element that sticks out and hone in on what the song is from there.

 

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

 

A) I’m heavily involved in production, a/k/a I’m always in the room. For me, it’s a part of my artistry – being able to have the autonomy over my sonic identity and help sculpt that piece of the story. Whether it be demo-ing a track beforehand or adding things in my studio throughout the process, honing in on my production abilities and being able to express in that language has always been important to me.

 

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

 

A) I want my shows to make people fall in love with seeing shows. And if they already love seeing shows, I want them to walk away feeling alive, connected and inspired.

 

Q) What songs off your Only In My Dreams EP are you looking forward to performing live?

 

A) “Morning, Mourning” is just a really slow build full of tender intimate moments, which I love but when it explodes at the end it hits me viscerally in a really crazy way.  It feels really good and powerful to sing through that song.

 

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

 

A) I hope they hear someone who is speaking honestly… someone who had to take the road less traveled to be able to get to this place. And while I hope that my story and songs not only make others feel seen and less alone in their feelings, it’s also really important to me that people feel empowered and autonomous in their own lives when it comes to looking inward and making decisions that are true to them – even if those decisions are unconventional.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I’d love to make something with Mark Ronson. It would also be a dream to sing with/work with Sara Bareilles in any capacity.

 

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

 

A) I can’t seem to put the pause button on Golden Hour (Kacey Musgraves). It speaks to me in so many ways and the production is stunning.

 

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

 

A) Social media, as we all know, is a double-edged sword. I’m constantly learning how to have a healthy relationship with it…But, at its best, I love how it’s more than just one moment or snapshot in time. When it’s not taken so seriously, it’s just a cool way for people who love on what you do, to be able to see you as a person in the world – your interests, things that make you funny, etc. I like to have fun with it.

 

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

 

A) Go towards the things that make you happy. Let go of the rest. Also, thank you for listening to my art!