FEATURE: Spotlight: Léa Sen — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Léa Sen

_________

AN incredible artist…

that everyone should follow and listen to, Léa Sen is going to go far. On 21st April, she releases the highly anticipated E.P., You of Now, Pt. 2. It follows on from Pt. 1 from last year. That was a sublime and memorable E.P. that announced Léa Sen as a major force in the music world. I think the second instalment will confirm that. It makes me wonder whether an album is the next step for the London artist. Before getting to some interviews and more details regarding the E.P., here is some more information about a wonderful artist who is primed to release an E.P. that I feel will rank alongside the very best of this year:

“23 year old guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer and mixer Léa Sen has today shared her new single “Luv Him (about u)” taken from her upcoming EP ‘You Of Now, Pt. 2′ - due out 21 April via Partisan.

STREAM ”LUV HIM (ABOUT U) HERE || WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
PRE-ORDER/SAVE ‘YOU OF NOW, PT. 2′ HERE

“Luv Him (about u)“ premiered on Apple Music 1 with Matt Wilkinson this afternoon and is the follow up to previous single “Dragonfly ʚĭɞ“ which premiered with Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC Radio 6 Music, and picked up press support from the likes of The FADER, Crack Magazine, Notion, The Line Of Best Fit and more.

‘You Of Now, Pt. 2‘ - a record that runs through themes as heavy as they are relatable: quarrel with self, contradictions, feelings of desire and more – is the follow up to Léa Sen’s acclaimed debut EP ‘You Of Now, Pt. 1‘ which arrived last year on Partisan. Entirely written, produced, mixed and engineered by Léa Sen, the EP explores experiences that are deeply real: the unsavoury parts of life and of her own mind.

“Luv Him (about u)” is a masterclass in restraint, driven by lilting vocals and a heartsick atmosphere to explore toxic relationships based on lust and pleasure. Commenting on the single, and its accompanying video by “Dragonfly ʚĭɞ’”collaborators Constantine//Spence, Léa Sen says: “”Luv Him (about u)” is about the desire for a relationship to be something it could never be. Pretending that you love someone more than you actually do (or not at all). Sometimes when everything including your own emotions are contradicting themselves, pleasure (or pain) is so simple and straightforward that it’s all you can hold onto.”

Born in Cergy, near Paris, but now based in London, Léa Sen has quickly established herself as one of the capital’s most in-demand talents with gossamer vocal features and work with Joy Orbison, Oscar Jerome, Wu-Lu, and Vegyn amongst others. While her solo work references everything from Bon Iver’s electronic timbre and folk guitars to Sampha’s impressionistic lyricism. Last year Léa also supported Nilüfer Yanya on her international tour and performed at Pitchfork London festival.

Signing to Partisan Records in 2022, Léa Sen has seen a stellar rise suggestive of a talent far beyond her years. Her introspection and vocal talent has seen her find critical acclaim with the likes of The FADER, The Guardian, Crack Magazine, Dummy, Notion (their January 2023 Off The Record artist), The Independent and more. The artist has received radio support on BBC 6Music, Radio 1, 1Xtra and Apple Music 1, and a nomination as an AIM Award One To Watch in association with BBC Introducing.

Above all else, ‘You Of Now, Pt. 2‘ is a record that asks us to reject polishing and embrace the freedom that comes with vulnerability, in the way Léa Sen has herself. “I want people to feel like they’re not crazy,” she says. “We’re all going through it, and it doesn’t mean that you’re not worthy or you’re inadequate. And also maybe a reminder to myself”.

I adore the music of Léa Sen, so I am really ready and excited to see what we will get from You of Now, Pt. 2. Make sure you check out this E.P. and follow someone who I think is going to be a major name soon enough. Her official website offers more details about why the new E.P. from Léa Sen is going to be so special and what makes her music stand out and stay in the mind:

“On her forthcoming EP You Of Now, Pt. 2, Léa Sen runs through themes as heavy as they are relatable: quarrel with the self, contradictions, feelings of desire, and more. This new batch of deeply complex and resilient tracks showcase Sen’s extensive sonic palette as a guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer and mixer.

Often with little more than a few chords gently placed with atmospheric restraint amongst pulsing synths, Sen communicates the peace that comes with knowing that it's ok to not be perfect. Highlights like “Dragonfly ʚĭɞ” and “Luv Him (about u)” explore experiences that are deeply real, confronting head-on the unsavory parts of life and of her own mind. “On this EP, I was just a bit more honest with myself about who I am, and how flawed I am. But no matter how flawed I am, I still care for myself.” she says.

You Of Now, Pt. 2 follows last year’s ‘You of Now, Pt 1,’ which earned critical acclaim from FADER, The Guardian, Crack Magazine, Dummy, Notion, The Independent and more. Sen has received radio support on BBC 6Music, Radio 1, 1Xtra and Apple Music 1, and a nomination as an AIM Award One To Watch in association with BBC Introducing”.

There is no doubting the fact that Léa Sen is an artist on the rise. With so much competition and choice out there, it is easy to miss incredible music. It is important, therefore, that people ensure that this is an artist that does not pass you by. CRACK spoke with Léa Sen last year. It is amazing to see the progress she has made, since her tentative first steps into music were not that long ago. Léa Sen is a natural talent that is blossoming. It is fascinating finding out more about another jewel in the London music scene:

“The French-Martinican singer, songwriter and producer had only recently moved to London when she landed the gig in 2020. After relocating in 2019, she began to tentatively share music online – songs like the understated folk of houseonahill and the shiver-inducing avant-R&B of Letter to Anyone. Soon she struck up friendships with like-minded producers Vegyn, Wu-Lu and Kwake Bass. Less than a year later, she was standing in the booth across from one of the UK’s best-loved electronic artists. “I remember being in there making the track and just thinking, ‘this is my dream, I’m literally living my dream right now,’” she enthuses, speaking over Zoom from her current home in Brixton.

Inspired to make music by her record-producing – who also play instruments including the saxophone and piano – Sen was given a guitar on her 15th birthday, and has “never looked back”. She has been playing “pretty much every day” since and, over the past five years or so, has attained an impressive level of musicianship while also making creative use of analogue effects. Gesturing towards the table of gear behind her, I ask her to acquaint me with her stash of pedals, which gleam away in the background like treasure.

Combining her devotion to jazz musicians like Becca Stevens with her love of Ariana Grande, Lianne La Havas and folkies like Nick Drake, Sen folds a grab-bag of influences into her own songwriting, which is rhythmic and deeply emotional. Her self-released debut single Locked In arrived in April 2020 – fusing shimmering synths and guitar to a hypnotic, slow-burning groove – with double single, Sand Radio/Brother, following in July that year.

Her debut EP, You of Now Pt. 1, out this spring, imbues deft guitar playing with a soulful touch and smart flashes of electronica. The first single, the Joni Mitchell-referencing I Feel Like I’m Blue, tips its hat to trip hop while the rest of the record sees her in reflective mood as she performs soulful yet sweet-natured and slightly off-kilter indie-folk. Lyrically, she fully lays her cards on the table and embraces heart-swelling vulnerability.

Sen wrote the EP back when she was feeling “a little depressed”. After weathering a number of changes in recent years – from moving countries and shedding friends to ending a romantic relationship, which partly inspired the release – she turned to music as a cathartic way of readying herself for a new chapter. “I needed to let go of a lot of people and things,” she explains, describing the record as empowering. “I made a lot of mistakes before I moved to London and now I need to learn from them with the new people I’m meeting and the new situations I’m in.” As such, her songwriting becomes a tool through which she is able to trap the various emotional stages of her life in amber”.

With a new E.P. less than a month away, there will be people new to Léa Sen that are listening back and also looking ahead to that release. I am going to finish off in a second. Before rounding up, there is another great interview from last year. With that debut E.P. out, there was a lot of interest around Léa Sen. DORK fired some questions at a wonderful artist. I have selected a few questions that stood out. I was particularly interested in what Léa Sen said when asked about how she got into music and what sparked that love:

“When did you first realise you wanted to make music? Did you have a musical upbringing?

I’m not sure it happened in one moment, really. I can’t tell you why but when I got a guitar on my 15th birthday, I made a clear decision that that was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. No plan B. It’s probably 15 years of built-up frustrated love for music that turned into a commitment. There was a lot of music around. I would steal my brothers’ mp3 players and get lost in their playlists – from Dwele to Miles Davis to some Naruto soundtrack.

What do you most enjoy writing songs about? Are there any themes you’re repeatedly drawn to?

Not any particular themes. As I grow, heal and transform my sense of self, the music and lyrics follow… Always changing. We’ll see if I still sing about the same things in 40 years.

What’s your favourite thing about being a musician?

Aw man, ahaha there’s no one thing, but I appreciate the flexibility it gives me in life these days. But it also means I don’t really take holidays and such for now.

What would you most like to achieve during your music career?

Keeping music and sound a priority over career, money, reputation etc”.

If you have not heard the music of Léa Sen, then go and follow her and ensure you get You of Now, Pt. 2 when it is out on 21st April. I do hope that there are tour dates lined up soon. It is going to be a busy and exciting rest of 2023 for her. Even if her career is still in its early stages, there is no doubting that You of Now, Pt. 2 will spotlight and highlight this incredible artist that is going to be around for years ago. There are few out there…