Artist Interview: lina sounds
London-based artist lina sounds has been making waves with her unique blend of acoustic folk, indie pop/rock, and alternative R&B. Her self-written EP, pink summers, is a collection of songs that perfectly captures the bittersweet nostalgia of a London summer, exploring everything from spontaneous friendships to the anxieties of balancing university life with a budding music career. We caught up with lina sounds to dive deeper into the inspirations, process, and aesthetic that shaped her new project and her "pink world."
Tori: What's one specific London summer memory or experience that inspired a song on the EP?
lina: Before I had even planned on releasing my first song, I had a bit of a spontaneous hangout with my uni friends at Primrose Hill near the top. I’d never been to the spot before, but when I was younger, I always used to see other friends take pictures up there and wished I was invited. Kinda sad at the time, but I’m glad I waited. We played music and ate and took cool pictures and got to watch the sunset. It felt like a scene you would see in a coming-of-age film, so I decided to embody that feeling in my first release, "who i wanna be."
Tori: Your music is described as a mix of acoustic folk, indie pop/rock, and alternative R&B. How do you decide which genre best fits the story you're trying to tell with each song?
lina: I’d say the genre comes before the story because of the beat. When I’m just hearing the beat, I’m literally singing gibberish while trying to get a feel for what melodies go with the key. If my producer is starting off with an acoustic guitar versus starting with the drums, then I know I’m leaning more towards the indie side of things and vice versa with the drums in respect to R&B. In fact, now that I think about it... I’ve yet to write a sad R&B song. It’s hard to be rhythmic while talking about seasonal depression. Perhaps a new challenge for the future…
What I can say is that it’s incredibly hard not to be boxed into one genre because everyone’s voice is so unique that regardless of whether the genre of the beat is clear, it is possible for vocals to make that choice less certain, which is a problem I face often.
Tori: The EP is self-written. Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics, a melody, or a specific mood you want to create?
lina: Depending on the producer I’m with, I usually let them pick the vibe of the beat after having a conversation about how we’re both doing in this crazy thing we call life. That usually lets me know if we’re feeling similar ways or if I can be inspired by how they feel since I’m used to feeling neutral, or rather, comfortable with the uncomfortable. Once the beat has some melody to it, I start singing some melodic phrases and then attaching random words or phrases together and seeing if it feels catchy. It’s like talking but melodically, if that makes sense, and then the rhymes come last.
Tori: How do you balance both melancholy and happiness in your music?
lina: A similar way to how I balance it in real life… except I’m using the music to be brutally honest with myself. There’s a layer of sadness in every song I’ve released so far because nothing is perfect. In "who i wanna be," I sing “feels like the world is seeing me,” implying that before this moment of short-lived euphoria with my friends, I go back to feeling unseen and maybe also after the moment itself, especially since it leads into "joke," which also isn’t incredibly happy. It’s all about finding that nuance between singing what feels happy and ‘groovy’ songs whilst also holding that layer of sadness. Sadness and I are old mates; I’m never getting rid of them—it makes everything interesting.
Tori: Your sound takes inspiration from Beabadoobee and your voice is likened to Estelle. What other artists, across different genres, have influenced your unique style?
lina: I have a deep love for Beabadoobee, Giveon, and Odeal as they’re my top three artists. In terms of influence, I’ve gotta give the crown to Amie Blu and Rio Rainz in reference to the UK, and then Olivia Rodrigo for the epic indie rock vibes. The mix of alternative pop and semblances of R&B in my inflections is the heart of my unique style.
Tori: What drew you to the y2k aesthetic, and how does it connect to the music on pink summers?
lina: I grew up on the peak of Disney Channel, which started that love for 2000s core and pop songs with epic last choruses. Movies like Lemonade Mouth, StarStruck, and Camp Rock shaped me. A special reference to "Ready or Not" by Bridget Mendler, which was also a song I had in mind throughout a lot of the writing process. In reference to branding image and visual aesthetic, the pink hair was not at all intentional. I tried it once just for fun and people started telling me it was really cool, and now it’s most definitely stuck. I’ve always liked streetwear and vintage clothing, so that paired with the pink hair, followed by everything else pink, just became inspiration for the soft y2k girl look. The pop-rock songs like "joke" and "pick me first" indulge in this vibe particularly, and the rest of the songs are on the further end of the spectrum with a more modern form of nostalgia. This is also because I wrote those two songs when I was 17 and decided to give them a spot on the EP to make sure the girl I was two years ago got a chance to be heard.
Tori: How has balancing your life at university with creating music and building your presence on social media affected your creative process?
lina: Oh gosh, incredibly hard but also at times entertaining. There’s something really cool about seeing your own artist brand form so easily. A lot of people struggle with where to start and how to differentiate themselves, but I’m glad that pink hair decision made that first step for me quite easy. The rest of the image is founded on social awkwardness and transparency, which is just another way of saying I yap incessantly. Luckily, I started this journey near the end of my first year, so I left the summer open with time to pursue this. We’ll see how I manage in the second year…
The last track "summer’s end" talks a little bit about my concerns for managing it all as I talk about struggling with learning difficulties and worrying about how I’m going to manage the anxiety of coursework, exams, and trying to make it in the music world as quick and efficient as I can without letting my music suffer. At the end of the day, my perfectionism is taking hold, and things will happen however they will happen. All I can do is prepare as best I can whilst being authentic. Making music has always been a medium to release the stress of school; it’s the releasing and promotion of it that is the challenge.
Tori: You've performed at some incredible venues like the O2 Arena and Reading and Leeds festival as a backing vocalist for Flames Collective. What's the biggest lesson you've learned from those experiences that you've applied to your own artistry?
lina: Watching RAYE own the stage and being transparent with her supporters is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned to adopt when doing my own gigs. An audience instantly relaxes and is more able to connect with you if you genuinely talk to them and be human. It’s nice to have a perfect performance, but making a human connection and being honest with a crowd about the reality of doing performances is so important to me. Other artists may not have the luxury of being honest about their nervousness for the sake of their image, but all of the cons that they hide, I give light because the foundation of my image allows for it. There’s no need for me to show a crowd how serious and professional I am personality-wise when my music is far from serious and my voice is enough to be taken seriously.
Tori: How do you connect with your fans, and what role do they play in your journey as an artist?
lina: It’s hard to talk to people on a screen every day whilst still trying to make personal connections, so I try and make my sentences as realistic as possible. I type like I’m having an in-person chat with them. And I also call them supporters because "fans" seems a bit tacky, but as a collective, I call them "lina lovers" for fun also. They let me know when the music is fire by telling me their favorites. Their kind words in my comments or DMs keep me motivated to keep going despite numbers and streams.
Tori: The EP's title is pink summers, and your aesthetic is described as entering your "pink world." What does the color pink represent for you and your music?
lina: Connecting with the color pink was a spontaneous decision, but for me, it represents nostalgia, especially around the times where everything was happy-go-lucky and the only thing a kid like me would care about was whether I could make it home in time to watch Descendants on Disney Channel. It’s all about remembering when life was simple, and a lot of the music on the EP is about reminiscing about that earlier period in my life.
Tori: Are there any songs on pink summers that were particularly challenging or rewarding to write or produce, and if so, which ones and why?
lina: "joke" was a bit challenging because originally I wrote it to a beat on YouTube, but I had Teph (an amazing producer) remake a beat that was still tailored to what I had written. It took a while for my brain to connect the song to the new beat, but Teph worked really hard to help tailor it so I could see the vision a bit clearer. My first single "who i wanna be" was very rewarding to write because I didn’t expect it to be so clearly my sound. Up until then, I had just been experimenting with whatever beats I heard, but that beat felt like it allowed me to learn what my own personal style could be.
Tori: Your music explores the ups and downs of the London summer. Is there a specific "down" that you feel is important to share with your listeners?
lina: Probably every time I compare myself to other artists who are starting out or have a similar sound, but I try to remind myself there’s always going to be someone bigger than you are, but that doesn’t belittle your successes because both can coexist. It’s just hard to keep reminding yourself that doing your best is all that can be asked of you. The rest is up in the air…
Tori: Now that your debut EP is out, what are you most excited for listeners to take away from pink summers?
lina: I want them to know how adolescent it is. I want it to feel like a throwback that allows them to unashamedly listen to music that reminds them of their teen years, no matter how close or far they are to them. Sometimes it’s nice to be a little bit cringe or happy-go-lucky just to let go!
Tori: You're only 19. What are you most looking forward to as you get older and continue your music career?
lina: I’m really excited to know how I’ll keep merging indie and R&B. I’ve always found identifying my genre to be a bit hard because I’m too much of the other to identify with either, so I’ve just been balancing between the two. I also look forward to what kind of venues I might get to perform at, as singing live will always be more fun no matter how nerve-wracking it might be.
Tori: What's next for lina sounds? Can we expect a full-length album, or do you have any collaborations in the works?
lina: After what may have been a premature EP release… I’m aiming for more singles in the next year just to see if I can find more people that might like my sound. Making an album in the next few years would be incredible and definitely something I’d consider. I’ve definitely got a list of people I would love to collaborate with, both realistic and dreamy. I can’t wait to see what happens! Feel free to follow along with me to find out.
Read my review of Pink Summers here!
Comments
Post a Comment