Lenii- IRISH-BORN SINGER / SONGWRITER / PRODUCER / MULTI-INSTRUMENALISTLENII WINS INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING AWARD FOR SINGLE “YELLOW“IN THE A/C CATEGORY
Interview conducted on March 02, 2020
by Dan Locke
Lenii is a singer, music producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Cork, Ireland. A vegetarian who sneaks a piece of duck now and then. Frequently cries and laughs at the same time. Says “plug out” instead of “unplug”. Worries about being basic.
Her musical life began with taking up classical violin at age 4, followed by piano and guitar. Leaving home for the first time at 15, Lenii came to NYC to learn music production and DJing – subsequently spending years in the electronic music scene. Finding a home in the New York songwriting community, Lenii has spent the past year writing and producing for many developing and established acts; and with successful past releases of her own (inc. 2nd place in the International Songwriting Competition), 2019 marks the beginning of a new chapter for her artist project. Leniiʼs upcoming music now has a more playful tone – discussing emotional topics with the comedic touch of her distinctly Irish humor. Her next single, “Cereal” dropped March 13
Lenii – is having a remarkably productive 2020. It was just announced that the Irish-born singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist has received first place in the A/C category of the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is an annual song contest whose mission is to provide the opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to have their songs heard in a professional, international arena. This year’s judges included acts such as: Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Tom Waits and many more.
Tell me about your upbringing?
I’m not sure how to give a short answer to this haha. I was born in Cork, Ireland and feel really lucky to be from there. I think I was pretty sheltered (I especially realized this after moving to New York) but l left home so young that I grew up and learned to be independent very fast. I’m super close with my family… my sister and brother are both musicians so we always shared that, and I’m lucky because my parents are really supportive of it – I don’t think many parents would be cool with their daughter leaving home at 15 to be a DJ lol.
How did you discover music?
I was always around music – in Ireland it’s a huge part of the culture. My dad taught me how to sing Danny Boy from start to finish when I was 18 months old and I haven’t shut up since (lol). When I was 4 years old, I started classical violin lessons and music theory, so I don’t remember really ‘discovering’ music for the first time because it was always a huge part of my life. I do remember discovering Eminem though when I was like 12… his rhyme schemes and lyrics definitely influenced my style a lot.
You wrote your first song in your grandmother’s house. What was the name of that song and did you ever record it?
The song was called “Waves”. I wrote it when I was 7 and didn’t have any means to record it at the time, but I’m sure my mom has a video of it somewhere. It was very wholesome and I probably wrote it hoping to be discovered by Disney Channel lol.
How did you get your first guitar and do you still have it?
My parents gave me my first guitar for my birthday around 10 years ago. It’s at my house in Cork so I play it when I go home for Christmas… it’s a Tanglewood and probably still the nicest guitar I own.
Do you still play the violin?
I do! Not as often as I should, but I have it in New York and it’s my favorite instrument to play.
Tell me about pub music in Ireland?
If you ever visit, going to a trad session in a pub is one of the most Irish things you can do. People come with different instruments (typical ones would be a fiddle, tin whistle, guitar, bodhrán, flute, banjo… but anything goes really) and sit together playing traditional music… usually, one person starts a tune and everyone else just picks it up if they don’t already know it. It’s a really inclusive thing because kids are welcome for sessions too, so when I was younger, I’d go with my parents or friends and we’d have Fanta and Taytos while the adults had pints.
How did you come up with the name Lenii?
I’ve gone through a few names (LN was my first alias when I wanted to be a DJ). A few years ago, I decided to go by ‘Eleni’ which is Ellen in Greek, but people were pronouncing it wrong so I dropped the E and switched to Leni – but that was taken on Spotify already so it became “Lenii”. It’s not a very interesting story but I always liked the sound of Lenny because it’s unisex and the androgyny was super cool to me.
How did you find yourself in NYC?
I first moved to NY when I was 15 years old to learn music production with Ableton Live at a school called Dubspot. I was looking at schools online when I was 14 and it was the only one that would take someone so young. My aunt lived in New Jersey so she took me in for the year, and after I finished my last 2 years of school in Ireland I went straight back to New York. I was only supposed to be there for another 6 months but kept finding reasons to stay.
How was it to work with Zack Martino?
Working with Zack was such a pleasure! It was an interesting process because I had written half the song when I was 15, then was sent Zack’s track 3 years later and I worked the lyrics around it, and finally, in 2019 we revisited the song and finished it a whole 7 years after the first words were written. So, it was a very casual thing that turned into something really cool… Zack is such a genuine person and we’ve become great friends.
You are vegetarian, who likes duck. Have you tried the veggie burgers from either Burger King, Bare burger, Red Robin, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., TGI Fridays, Wahlburgers, or McDonald’s (International)?
From that list, I’ve only ever tried the McDonalds veggie burger in Ireland (which I LOVE). But I’m actually vegan now so I’m not sure if I’ll be eating that anymore! I didn’t even really enjoy the duck on my birthday this year so I might have to change my Spotify bio soon…
Should McDonald’s in the United States carry it?
Absolutely. It’s crazy to me that they don’t carry it already or have any other vegetarian/vegan options. It’s cool to see other chains introducing the impossible burger etc. because of the rise of plant-based diets in the world.
Tell me about the video Yellow?
Being an independent artist, all my videos are super DIY right now, so I shoot and edit them with my friends which is really fun. The video for Yellow came about because my sister surprised me one day with a Yellow frame she had painted and wanted to take pictures of me with it. So, while we were taking pictures and listening to the song, she started videoing me singing to it. Half of the video was shot at home in Ireland but I needed more footage so when I got back to Brooklyn, I propped the camera up on a chair and sat against the wall with a pillow behind me to look like I’m lying down. All very DIY, just using what I had around me as props (the banana, my roommates’ cat…).
What is your favorite banana recipe?
Banana bread. 100%. I genuinely eat like 16 bananas a week but I only like them on their own or in banana bread.
Since you are from Ireland, I am going to name some bands from Ireland. I would like you to say something about each if possible.
Westlife – I’ll forever associate Westlife with the rumor that went around when I was a kid about them being elves – I watched every music video to see if they had pointy ears.The Pogues – ‘Fairy Tale in New York’ is hands down my favorite Christmas song.
Van Morrison – LOVE him. I used to dance around to Brown Eyed Girl with my mom so that song always reminds me of being with her in the summer.
Damien Rice – what I love most about him is that his accent comes through naturally in his singing… sometimes I feel mine should be stronger lol. ‘Cannonball’ is really nostalgic for me.
Tell me about your comical musical video “Regular 10”?
The video for Regular 10 is centered around a therapy session where I’m both the patient and the therapist (I’m counseling myself basically so maybe it’s in my head?) I went to therapy for depression and anxiety when I was a teenager so it was mainly inspired by that. The song is about how everyone has inner demons we hide and how we’re all putting on a front of perfection that I think isn’t always necessary (maybe we’d connect more as people if we were all transparent about what we’re all going through). The video is dark but has a sarcastic/comical side to it because overall I don’t think any issues we have should be viewed as a big deal or too serious to talk about. I’m mocking myself for hiding my own flaws – in the ‘therapy session’ I insist I’m doing great and then the video flashes to my ‘closet’ in the chorus showing the scenarios I’m keeping to myself.
The cast is made up of my roommates, each representing a different “skeleton in the closet”. Pip and Kaj making out in the closet represent the idea of hiding your sexuality. Shannon crying & putting on makeup represents issues with body image/appearance. Nick Sadler, who produced the song, appears in the chorus eating cake and crying with a measuring tape around his neck (representing stress eating/eating disorders, etc.). I made the video with no budget, in Nick’s apartment in Manhattan – the DIY feel sort of symbolizes the anti-perfection theme. The camera even died halfway through the shoot so we filmed half the video on an iPhone 8 lol. I edited it on iMovie and colour graded it with my friend KeithCity. We had a really fun night making it and I’m honestly so lucky to have friends who are up for anything for the sake of art.
How do you see this year for you musically?
I’m really excited about this year because for the first time I have a whole body of work that feels authentic and undiluted to me. I think I spent a lot of time over the last few years making music to please other people, but the upcoming EP is such a clear representation of my own thoughts and wants to experiment. Even from the response to Regular 10 (the first single), it’s exciting to see that people vibe way more with that authenticity. I have SO much music ready to come out this year and I’m just buzzing to share it.
How is Irish humor different from British humor?
I think the main thing is that Irish people are always taking the piss out of themselves. We have this self-deprecating humor that I think is fairly unique because nothing is too sacred or too serious.
How do you see yourself in five years?
I’m pretty sure my style will have evolved a lot. Even now I’m working on my second EP and it feels a little different from the one coming out in the next few months. I’d love to have a good tour under my belt by then (or a few) and I definitely have a list of artists I look up to that I’d love to work with – Finneas, Mark Ronson, Eminem, Lizzo, Doja Cat… literally, I could go on forever but in the next 5 years getting to work with any of them would be a dream.
Anything you like to say to close?
THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!!!!
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