Introducing Interview: Lena Morris

Having released six singles over the last few years, French artist Lena Morris has now released her debut EP New Blood. Exploring themes of female sexuality, empowerment and vulnerability, the collection showcases Morris’ catchy soulful sounds and heartfelt splendour perfectly. Taking us on an emotion-strewn journey through feelings of anxiety to hope and joy, it’s a truly captivating offering.

We caught up with Lena Morris to find out more…

Hi Lena, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a Blues-Rock singer-songwriter-bassist. I’m a French 23 year old. I grew up in Hong Kong, but I’m now based in Brighton. I have just released my first EP New Blood, after releasing six singles. My cat is called Bowie, I’ll leave you to understand this choice of name. And I love cats. 

How did you initially decide to start creating music?
When I was fourteen years old it was the real turning point where I decided to be true to myself and to others by finally saying I wanted to make of music my life. Before then I was very shy about it, even in front of my parents I wouldn’t sing. I listened to ‘Oh! Darling’ by The Beatles and it’s this McCartney song that was like a kind of wake up call. So I immediately bought a bass, started singing and after a couple of months I had my first gig at Hong Kong’s legendary live music bar: The Wanch. Automatically I started writing my own songs. It all came very quickly after this realisation. 

You’re about to release your debut EP New Blood – are there any particular themes running throughout it? 
Yes, definitely. In the songs’ order, we have a woman taking ownership over her sexuality in ‘Little Bird’. ‘Lonely Hunter’ depicts loneliness and love hopelessness. ‘Never (Is An Awfully Long Time)’ portrays anxiety caused by low self-esteem. ‘Phaedra’ was written after Jean Racine’s tragedy of the same name, it’s in the theme of sin and tragic fate. Last but not least, ‘Dance In My Arms’ finishes the album on a more positive note. It’s a song about comfort, hope and a journey to getting better. We go from confidence to loneliness, anxiety, tragedy to finally end up on healing and hope. I believe in our society there are still too many taboos about these issues and I don’t think this is healthy, that’s why I like to sing about it. I modestly try to untwine some thoughts on these topics.

We love your catchy soulful sounds, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Thank you! My biggest direct influences would be The Beatles, Queen and David Bowie (yes, that explains my cat’s name!). They’re the artists I’ve got under my skin. With them and that we can maybe hear more in my music there’s Rickie Lee Jones, The Pretenders… Powerplay Magazine recently reviewed my EP and they found some Sheryl Crow and Janis Joplin similarities too, which are extremely flattering and I’ll take! 

How are you connecting with your audience and other musicians during the pandemic?
I guess like everyone else, I’ve had to become a little more active on social media, which does give us a chance to maintain a contact even if I’m not too crazy about talking/playing to my phone. I’m more at ease in a good old pub, where we can discuss and drink pints with the beautiful audience.

And has there been anything/anyone specific that has been inspiring you, or helping to motivate you, throughout these strange times? 
I know it was very hard for a lot of people and I truly felt for them so I need to be honest as these times weren’t very complicated for me. I had the huge chance of keeping my everyday job by working from home. It sucks big time that we can’t play live or rehearse etc, but I’d rather focus on what I can do rather than on what I can’t. So, that’s why you’ve got an EP you can listen to today! A Covid baby we could say… and the release of an EP for an independent musician is extreme work! So, between this and my full time job, I don’t have much time to think about the situation. Also, even if I’ve been alone a significant amount of time over the past year, I’ve got great people in my life like my family and my close friends. Virtual calls are never the same, but they were good enough to keep me sane. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists that you’d recommend we check out?
I recommend you check out Rosin. She released a beautiful single ‘Honest’ on the same day of my EP (26/03/2021). I highly recommend you check her out cause she’s got big things coming up. I also recommend you to keep an eye on Daniel Borschel- he’s the guitarist and producer on ‘Lonely Hunter’. He’s got big projects he’s working on at the moment and trust me you would want to hear it. 

Finally, what does the rest of 2021 have in store for you, music-wise?
In the rest of 2021 I’m planning on going back on stage (fingers crossed). I am also focussing a lot on new collaborations for a new album. So a lot of songwriting, recording, promoting and gigging hopefully!

Massive thanks to Lena for answering our questions!

New Blood, the new EP from Lena Morris, is out now. Listen on Spotify.

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Track Of The Day: Fightmilk – ‘Overbite’

Following last year’s ‘If You Had A Sister’ and ‘I’m Starting To Think You Don’t Even Want To Go To Space’, GIHE faves Fightmilk have now announced the release of their second album, out next month via Reckless Yes.

Taken from the album, ‘Overbite’ marks a maturing in sound for the band whilst maintaining their trademark anthemic power-pop energy. Propelled by jangling melodies and the endearing, refreshing honesty of its lyricism, the track oozes a subtle romanticism and tongue-in-cheek wit. As the raw emotion and distinctive smooth-yet-husky charm of front-person Lily’s vocals deliver a heartwarming sentiment (“You don’t have to smile if you don’t want to darling, you’re perfect as you are”) alongside scuzzed-out riffs and an infectious, shimmering energy, Fightmilk have created the perfect, alternative fuzzy love-song, complete with their distinctive, quirky charisma and a comforting warmth. A gently uplifting, twinkling slice of blissful indie-pop showcasing a band that are continuously refining their sound and, in the process, consistently continuing to win my heart.

Of the track, the band explain:

“We decided to double down: synths, gang vocals and pick scrapes, oh my! This is one of the most uplifting, happy songs we’ve written, and by bookending the album with big joyful explosions, maybe it’ll do something to soothe the collective woe we’ve all been living through.”

‘Overbite’ is accompanied by a super cute animated video created by Jono Ganz, portraying a narrative about perceptions of beauty. Watch it now:

‘Overbite’ is out now. Contender, the upcoming new album from Fightmilk, is set for release on 14th May via Reckless Yes. Pre-order via bandcamp now.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Deux Furieuses – ‘She’s Not Coming Home Tonight’

Following 2019’s immense album My War Is Your War, Ros Cairney and Vas Antoniadou – aka deux furieuses – have now blasted into our ears with a poignant new single.

Triggered by the recent murder of Sarah Everard, ‘She’s Not Coming Home Tonight’ offers a stirring response to gender-based violence and police brutality. Driven by a gritty, angst-driven power to deliver its poignant message, the track flows with a swirling majestic grace and Vas’ immense thrashing beats accompanying the raging catharsis of Ros’ swooning vocals. Propelled by a seething, blazing energy, it oozes a fervid sense of urgency; a riotous rallying cry to “reclaim these streets”. Of the meaning behind the track, the duo explain:

“We have been sickened and angered by the murder of Sarah Everard at the suspected hand of a police officer during a national lockdown, the aftermath from the police at her vigil, the murders of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry and the rest of the 118 women murdered in the last year. How many more generations of women have to protest to reclaim these streets?” 

‘She’s Not Coming Home Tonight’ is out now via bandcamp, with all proceeds to #ReclaimTheseStreets in support of a diverse range of women’s charitable causes across the country. #ReclaimTheseStreets affirm that “Women means all women, femmes, non-binary people and gender non-conforming people who deserve to be safe” and that they will put in place transparent and rigorous governance arrangements for the funds raised.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Glenn Morrison

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Five Favourites: Becky CJ

Having received support from the likes of 1883 Magazine and Amazing Radio, as well as being featured in the likes of The Independent and Huffington Post for her ‘Tinder Nightmares’ TikTok series, queer artist Becky CJ has now shared her poignant new single. Ahead of the release of her upcoming EP next month, ‘I Think I’m In Love With My Best Friend’ oozes a heartfelt splendour and twinkling emotion, creating a shimmering and stirring slice of alt-pop.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Becky to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five albums or songs that have shaped her as a musician. Check out her choices below and scroll down to listen to ‘I Think I’m In Love With My Best Friend’ at the end of the feature.

Susanne Sundfør – Ten Love Songs
Hearing Susanne Sundfør for the first time was a big moment for me. She truly epitomises what I love in music; drama, musicality, unpredictability and emotion. This album has been on repeat for me for years, in particular ‘Delirious’ and ‘Fade Away’. The way she explores this ’80s synth pop sound but pairs it with her classical influence and singer/songwriter style is just magical to my ears. Each song on the album does something different and takes you somewhere else emotionally. I predominantly remember seeing her play most of the album at Latitude Festival in 2015 and literally just crying throughout. I think she felt like one of the first contemporary female artists that I felt represented the musical world that I wanted to inhabit.

Alison Krauss and Union Station –  Paper Aeroplane
Alison Krauss was an artist who we listened to a lot growing up; both my parents were massive fans of her beautiful voice and songs. This album for me is one that I can listen to from beginning to end and I never get bored. I think I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for country/bluegrass music and this album marries those elements perfectly for me. Alison Krauss’s voice is one of my all time favourites and on this album it just melts me. My favourite track is ‘Lay My Burden Down’, which is a song about releasing yourself of worries, and it’s just super feel good.

Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
This is another album I can listen to from start to end, sing along to most of the lyrics and never ever get bored of. There is literally just no one like Frank Ocean, his songwriting is mesmerising. I feel this album covers a whole host of genres and experiments so much with song form but somehow still feels like a cohesive piece of art. ‘Bad Religion’ was the song that I think initially gripped me the most, the lyrics were so vulnerable and the melody so emotional, but it was still so cool. That has to be the perfect combination for any song, right?! I think the common denominator for me in loving something is connecting to the vocal performance and me oh my, Frank’s is something else.

James Blake – ‘Into The Red’
I really love the whole Assume Form album but I wanted to highlight this song in particular as it has such a special place in my heart. I know that sounds super cringe but I don’t know how else to describe my love for this song. The lyrical concept is just genius, the idea that you love someone so much that you’d go into the ‘red’ (debt) for them is so unique but somehow so relatable!? I connect so deeply to the lyrics and then add to that James’ incredible vocals, production that is out of this world and a super unique arrangement, and I am sold. I was getting together with my partner around the same time as listening to this song on repeat so it always reminds me of her. We went to see him play at the Brixton Academy and were GUTTED because he didn’t play this one live.

Joni Mitchell – Rainy Night House
My dad played me this song when we were on holiday when I was about 13 or 14. I remember curling up on the sofa, putting the headphones on and begrudgingly listening in that way you do when your parents want to show you something at that age. I listened to the whole song, then listened again and then again. I had never properly listened to any Joni Mitchell, I knew the classics but hadn’t taken the time to get to know any more. The storytelling was so absorbing, I couldn’t believe that in this three minute song she’d basically told me the beginning, middle and end of a story and I felt I knew all the characters. Since then I’ve always gone back to listen to this song when I’m feeling introspective or in need of a reminder of true, classic song writing.

Massive thanks to Becky for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Ahead of the release of her upcoming EP Woman next month, listen to ‘I Think I’m In Love With My Best Friend’ now:

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