A Conversation with Lenka – HuffPost 6.6.11

Mike Ragogna: Lenka, a while back, you recorded the single “The Show” on which you say you want to write more songs about being in love. On your new album Two, would you say you did it?

Lenka: Yes, I think I did, mostly because I like to write about what I’m
going through in life, and love is a big theme for me right now. More than half the album is songs about being in love.

MR: How does your album Two mostly differ from your self-titled debut song-wise, production-wise, and in attitude?

L: It’s faster and higher in energy and spirit. It’s not as gentle and sweet, but rather, a little more spiky. There are way more electronic beats and digital instrumentation on this album.

MR: As the song suggests, do you feel you’re “Blinded By Love”?

L: I did in that moment! Sometimes, I feel quite overwhelmed by my need
to be loved, and it makes me not be able to see straight. That’s what the song’s about.

MR: Why does love often get so rough and tumble?

L: I think we let our vulnerability show when we’re in love and that leaves you wide-open to get hurt. So, you sometimes behave in a strange way to cover the wounds. Love brings out the best and worst in us.

MR: Which songs on the album tell the deepest truths about your past relationships?

L: There is only one song about my past and it’s only loosely based on
experience. It’s the song “You Will Be Mine,” and it’s about teenage suburban obsession. It is a re-imagining of what it might have been like for the boy who used to send me love letters.

MR: What was it like being an actor in Australian TV series’ such as GP and Cheez TV?

L: Well, Cheez TV was more like comedic skits and presenting on a kids show. But i did love being an actor, until I didn’t anymore. I was on
GP when I was 17 – 19 years old, and it felt amazing to have this extra family. The crew, the actors, all these people that had so much more life experience than me. It was inspiring.

MR: Your videos have centered on stop-motion animation, your having worked on them with your husband James Gulliver Hancock. How does that creative collaboration work?

L: He’s my husband, so the creative relationship is very intimate. He’s there at the formation of the songs, often sitting in the other room while I’m writing. And I’m there when he’s creating the artwork, looking over his shoulder saying exactly what the music is about. We’ve been collaborating and dating since I first started making solo music, so the two styles have become very synonymous. Usually, I’m his assistant when we’re doing stop-motion.

MR: Who are your musical and personal influences?

L: Musically i’m influenced by a wide variety of genres, from trad jazz, to ’60s pop, to singer-songwriters like Fiona Apple, to experimental pop artists like Bjork. I also draw from folk stories, nursery rhymes, science magazines, and I’m very inspired by many visual artists and performers, such as Miranda July, Yayoi Kusama, Charles and Ray Eames, Kara Walker, and heaps more.

MR: Being an Australian, what are your observations about the U.S. music scene right now?

L: Dance music has become mainstream and indie bands are becoming more sophisticated and amazing.

MR: How do you feel your approach to being creative has changed from
your days singing with the group Decoder Ring?

L: It’s more of a solo mission. Decoder Ring was all about fitting my vocal style to the music, whereas now, my music is vocally-driven and the instrumentation grows around that. I am free to do whatever I feel like in the moment, for better or worse.

MR: What’s your advice for new artists?

L: Find your own unique quality and work to make it the best it can be. And do it for yourself first and foremost.