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| Photo by Paul Shutrick |
Up-and-coming Swedish R&B duo lennixx last week shared their sublime debut EP Split By. The EP is home to six tracks that delicately blend dazzling lyricism with R&B-style grooves. Hanna and Andrea from lennixx share then inspiration behind the EP with us below.
Friends
Friends are such a huge source of inspiration for us! Friendships are some of the most important relationships we have, and they’re so full of shared history and adventure. When you have that kind of emotional connection and understanding with another human being, you’re attached to their feelings, their thoughts, and their experiences in such an intimate way. Having this unique perspective on someone else’s life can provide so much inspiration because your ability to write a song is no longer tied to your own personal experiences – you can be moved to make music from someone else’s story.
Travelling
Travelling is an amazing way to find inspiration. Throughout life, routine and structure can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself and what you really want. Seeing a new culture and place forces you to re-examine your relationship with yourself and your normal environment. It makes you question what you love the most and gives you time to explore and learn and be curious! You really have to live life to its fullest in order to then write something that is honest, and that people can connect to in an authentic way. A change of scenery is so key to feeling refreshed and giving you a new perspective to make art with.
The studio
The studio is an inspiring part of our process for so many reasons. There’s something about knowing you’re going to this designated place to make something that expresses whatever has been moving you the most. There’s always a creative energy within the space, too. It’s hard to describe, but when one place is the centre of so much creativity and artistry, it positively affects you from the moment you walk in. You can just feel it! It’s the perfect place for collaboration and we are really lucky that we get to work with such talented musicians and writers in order to execute our vision. The studio represents all of that for us.
Music
It’s hard to find a force more influential than another artist’s journey. It’s the reason we fell in love with music in the first place! Seeing people that are so talented and so determined to succeed – it would be pretty difficult not to be motivated by that! We also really love how the music industry has become more appreciative of the aesthetic identity of artists. From visual albums to cohesive single artworks, artists and bands are putting more effort into presenting themselves in a unique way. We really love that side of things so it’s great to have so much to be inspired by. It’s such an interesting thing to analyse, too. Why did one person make it but not someone else? Most of the time it’s because they’re different from the rest and they do their own thing. If we stick to our own thing, then hopefully we can go really far.
Setbacks
Even though they’re not especially fun at the time, with hindsight we have found setbacks to be a huge inspiration for us. We’ve produced so much material that has been fuelled by setbacks and rejections. It really does give you a reason to be hopeful and positive about the challenges and hurt that life throws at you. You could be lying on the floor crying, but knowing you can write about whatever you’re experiencing and turn it into something that others can enjoy is the best reason to keep going despite what you’re feeling. Making art out of struggle is the best form of catharsis.
Listen to Split By below:
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