Introducing Interview: Samantha Lindo

Having released her debut album. Ancestry, towards the end of last year, Bristol-based artist Samantha Lindo has received acclaim from the likes of BBC 6Music and BBC Introducing, and is a regular on the live circuit, having performed at festivals such as Boomtown Fair and Bristol Jazz and Blues festival.

Having received support from the Arts Council and the Mobo Fund of Help Musicians UK to create and release the album, throughout the collection Lindo reflects on her compelling family history, whilst drawing on themes of climate justice and dual heritage identity with a stirring emotion; her rich, soulful vocals rippling throughout shimmering jazz-tinged soundscapes.

We caught up with Samantha to find out more about her experiences of writing and recording the album. Have a read and make sure you check out the album now!

Hi Samantha, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Are you able to tell us a bit about what initially inspired you to start creating music? 
I’ve sung from when I was small – being in plays and concerts, where people came together around the arts, were some of my most cherished childhood memories. I guess once I was an adult and had been in several different projects singing other people’s songs, I was in a place in my life where I wanted to start exploring my own inner world and my own healing – and I started creating music from there.

I love your soulful jazz-tinged sounds, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences?
I would say genre-wise I would describe my sound as spanning the realms of spiritual jazz, gospel, folk and spoken word. In terms of artists, my sound is inspired by classic artists like Marvin Gaye, Carole King and Minnie Riperton, as well as contemporaries such as Robert Glasper, Cleo Sol, Sault, and Jordan Rakei.

You recently released your debut album Ancestry, which is very exciting! The album reflects back on your family history – are you able to explain a bit about what inspired you to focus on this as a concept? 
During lockdown in 2020 I reconnected with my second cousin in Canada over WhatsApp and zoom. She lived in JA until she was seven, whereas my dad was born in the UK. She was so much more connected to our family history than my dad is, and has pictures, stories and all this amazing information. Viewing it all through the lens of the BLM movement and world issues, gave it all a different dimension. It felt so healing and strengthening to connect to the heritage and history that I’d come from and gave me a new perspective on the future. I felt really inspired to delve deeper into those stories and that process through music. 

And what was the writing and recording process like for you?
It was a multi-layered process. The original jamming and improvising around each story was really intimate: me connecting to my different ancestors and being open to what emerged. I’d then share that with my partner Dylan who might structure some chords and musically respond to what I had heard. Then I took a set of rough songs to Alex Veitch, who workshopped each one with me, disrupting my usual process, and finding different chord flavours and structures. We then took the rough recordings to producer, Doug Cave, who helped me imagine each track as a full arrangement before we took them into rehearsals with the band for several days before we recorded the main full band tracks. After that there was a lot of reflection and layering with various session musicians and recording of all the harmonies. I found the labour of all the harmonies the hardest, whereas the performance of the lead vocals flowed really easily. I honestly loved the process. We did most of it in Doug’s house, and I’d bring home cooked lunches and we’d hang out in the garden so there was a really relaxed but hard working feel to it all.

You also received funding from the Arts Council to help with the album – how did you find the experience and applying for this, and what advice could you give to other musicians when applying?
Find your own narrative, what you are saying and why, and also know who you are wanting to talk to, who your audience is. Think of some measurable goals that will let you know you have made the thing you want to and delivered it to the people you wanted to. Be as specific as possible. And get someone to help you who has done it before. There are also sessions you can go to to give you more information about the funds and how to apply. 

What can fans expect from your live show?
Playing live is my favourite thing about being an artist. You can expect a compelling, moving vocal performance; storytelling that helps you connect with the music and yourself and a new and different way. And the musicians are also at the top of their game, so it will be an all round immersive, beautiful experience, I hope. 

And when you’re out on tour, are there any particular essentials that you like to take with you to keep you going when away from home? 
I tend to prioritise keeping as well as I can. Echinacea & apple cider vinegar to keep colds at bay. Diffuser with essential oils for good sleep. Yoga mat for pre-show stretching and warm-ups, and my massive water bottle.

As we’re an organisation keen to support new artists, we just wondered how you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists? 
I think the platforming of female and queer artists has increased massively over the last decade. Having had a baby this year, I’m also really excited about groups emerging of mothers in music, exploring how to advocate for and support one another when so much of the industry is way behind on being aware of inclusivity in this area. 

And are there any other new artists you’d recommend that we check out? 
Marla Kether & Holyseus Fly.

Now that the album’s out, what are you looking forward to in 2024? 
My live show at the Bristol Beacon in April, and then festivals in summer. I can’t wait to be playing the album live. I look forward to seeing you at one of the shows!

Ancestry, the debut album from Samantha Lindo, is out now.

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WATCH: Schande – ‘Relevant Campaigns’

Having been a big fan of noise-pop-shoegaze-tinged legends Schande for a while now, with my love of them being revived when they charmed our ears playing our first gig back after covid in 2021, I’m super excited to hear that they’ll be releasing their new album in April this year, via Thurston and Eva Moore’s record label. And now, following last year’s scuzzy ’52 Hz’, they’ve shared a truly enchanting new single.

To be honest, I can’t seem to stop listening to ‘Relevant Campaigns‘ and crying. It’s a thing of pure beauty. Its twinkling grace. The whirring to-ing and fro-ing, like the constant rippling of the tide that keeps going even when everything else seems like it’s stopped. The shimmering hooks that rise and fall. Jen Chochinov’s whispering vocals fading in and out with an understated melancholy.

Written while Jen’s mother was terminally ill, it’s an exquisite rumination on the fragility of life and the strength of love. Of the track, she explains:

“It was a way to conjure love and healing and try to balance out my own fear and anxiety which felt all too consuming. After my mom passed away at the end of 2023, this song being released now feels like a gifted timely reminder to hold on to what was shared while navigating loss. ‘Relevant Campaigns’ is essentially about picking your battles, to really assess where your priorities and energies lay because time is such a finite resource. More to the point it’s about choosing love, hope, and resilience.”

‘Relevant Campaigns’ is accompanied by a really beautiful animated video. Co-created by Sarah Lippett and Duncan Barrett, it perfectly depicts the heartfelt sentiment of the track as the protagonist engages in a stirring silent dialogue with the moon. Watch it here:

Once Around, the upcoming new album from Schande, is set for release in April via The Daydream Library Series, the house record label of Thurston and Eva Moore’s Ecstatic Peace Library collective.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Heidi Weber

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INTRODUCING INTERVIEW: Meg Elsier

Today, New England-born and Nashville-based artist Meg Elsier has shared her latest alt-pop anthem ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’.

The track is a potent blend of all the elements that make her music so exciting and interesting. Fuelled by her direct lyrics and clear vocals, underscored by gritty riffs and energetic beats, and accompanied by a chaotically fun video; ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’ simultaneously celebrates everything that Meg is, whilst lamenting everything she wishes she could be.

When we meet over Zoom to chat about her new release, she tells me she has been snowed in for three days, which is not normal for residents of Nashville at this time of year. Luckily, she has her cat, Oakley, for company. Meg describes her as “a really sweet girl, but she’s also a killer” as Oakley comedically interrupts our chat at different points. With respect, the same could be said for Meg herself. She is generous with her answers to my questions and earnest about her passion for her art, but she also has a palpable determination and grit when it comes to talking about how it is presented.

Read on to find out more about the alt-pop artist’s early music inspirations, what excites her about her new single, her recommendations from her local music scene in Nashville, and what listeners can expect from her debut album, spittake, which is set for release later this year…

 

What are your earliest memories of listening to music, or becoming interested in music?

I didn’t really grow up in a musical household. We had a piano that my Mum used to play, but I don’t remember her playing it at all when I was younger. So we had the tools around the house, but nobody did it, besides me, because I wanted to make a lot of noise and be annoying!

Growing up, I went to a lot of Broadway shows, because my Grandma would get us tickets. That was a huge intro [to the idea] of “I wanna dance around with costumes and sing songs. That looks great!” Then it was The Beatles. That was the first record that my parents played and I was like “everything’s different now,” and Queen too. Freddie Mercury was my first crush!

That’s an eclectic range of influences and a great first crush. Your music has been described as “inhabiting the space between folk, indie-pop, and alternative music,” but how would you describe your own sound?

Maybe it’s not the best word [for it], but I consider my music slightly paradoxical. One of my favourite things in music is when you have a really soft element – whether it’s the words that you’re saying, or it’s the voice that’s projecting them – then you just plough through it with this aggression. Because it’s kind of like a facade that people put on. I sing soft, and I like that. But I also love a grungy, gritted out guitar. So I just try to find what feels like me. I like different things and I like combining them. It feels natural to me.

Your new single ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’, is a great example of this. It’s inspired by a trip you took to visit a friend in San Francisco, and how afterwards, you wished you could “linger in a moment” fully and commit to that feeling. Can you elaborate on that?

I took my time making this song and it is kind of precious to me.

It’s a huge aspect of having this state of mind and being really impulsive, and that being your identity for that moment. So when I’m sad, I am sad – that is who I am. I really identify with it, which maybe isn’t the best thing – which is also [addressed] in the song. But it’s also about the opposite and how fast you can be like “ohhh never mind!” and not committed to being sad at all. It’s the weird push-and-pull of that, and realising or having this feeling in your stomach about how weird it is that something can feel so true in one moment, and then very quickly not be. It’s about that displacement and lack of trust in yourself.

The accompanying video for the single looks like it was a lot of fun to make. Talk us more about the shoot…

It was so fun. It came together in three days, in total, which started with me texting my friend Roberto, who is also the director. We really like hyper-pop DJs, creating projections and digital art. We wanted that kind of thing, but with all of our friends involved. So we texted all of our friends and were like “I’ll have some beers, a bottle of tequila, some snacks and some really good music…”

With this song, when I play it live, all of my friends go crazy and it’s the greatest feeling. You can get moshy for it for kind of no reason and it’s great. So I wanted to bring the energy of the live show to this video, because the other videos we’ve made are so thought out – which I absolutely love – but with this one it was kind of fun to be impulsive and show the energy that we have when we play live.

Your visuals for your previous singles ‘ifshitfuq’ and ‘iznotreal’ are also very cool. Can you tell us a bit more about concepts behind them?

When it came to making my album, spittake, I recorded all of the demos by myself. So I kind of know that world and I really love it.

It was Jacqueline Justice who produced them, and myself and Mary Violet who basically creative directed these videos. It was a world that I’ve never been in before, and it was so stressful, but I loved it, because I loved having people that I trusted with my vision. I trusted their creativity, and also having control over things that you [often] don’t have control over in this industry. I just really wanted to be like “I’m going to be portrayed in a certain way, I want to be in charge of the narrative and what I’m wearing.” These ideas and concepts were great and I had so much fun. I loved doing that.

We shot these videos consecutively, we had no days off in between. ‘iftshitfuq’ was first and ‘iznotreal’ was on day two. We were all absolutely delirious, which is why I find it so funny that the video kind of came out in the way that it did. I was like “how did this come from like, 10 people taking a smoke break and being over-caffeinated?” The editing is amazing.

There are behind the scenes shots of me laying on the ground, with people chain-smoking cigarettes over there, other people chugging coffee being like “I’m gonna go get a vape” – it was the most ridiculous hang out.

It sounds like you had a blast. These tracks will feature on your upcoming debut album, spittake, which is set for release in March. What are you most proud of about this record?

My favourite type of music artist is when you can tell that they’re being totally authentic. Like, even if they did try to hide it, they just couldn’t. That’s the music that I like and the music that I want to make.

This record took a while to make and a while for me to release. There’s something that I learned [in the process] about letting go of things that are precious and trusting in yourself. I took a while to figure out what I wanted to sound like. I wanted to figure out something that felt sustainable to me, that I wasn’t faking. This was the first time that I the sound really felt like me. That’s something that I haven’t had before. So to have this record be different parts of my personality, I’m really proud of that, and that I got to reflect that in it too.

We can’t wait to hear spittake in full!

Finally, as we’re a new music blog, we always ask for recommendations. Who or what are you listening to right now?

The new Oneohtrix Point Never song ‘A Barely Lit Path’ makes me feel amazing. It gets so choppy, I love it. I went to New York for about a week from the end of December to January, and this was just the best walking around, zoning-out-listening-to-music in the city song.

I’ve also made playlists for my friends, and they’re like “I’m so sorry, I can’t listen to that” even though it’s so perfect! Like, one of the songs on these playlists is from Saltburn, – Mason vs Princess Superstar ‘Perfect (Exceeder)’ – I can’t get it out of my head and it’s so embarrassing. It’s such a strut song where you feel cool, but everybody looking at you is thinking “why are you walking like that?”

When it comes to Nashville bands, Sn​õ​õ​per are incredible. They’re so DIY, They make these puppets and their shows are amazing. My friend Wilby is one of my favourite writers and singers too, for sure.

New York and LA are amazing and they have such incredible music scenes there, but Nashville gets overlooked when it comes to the not-country scene. I think the music that isn’t in that genre, because that scene is so much smaller, the community is so supportive and amazing, and the music coming out of it is so different and inspiring. I’m from the East Coast, and I love that, but there is something so special about playing music in a place that isn’t really known for that kind of music. Like, it’s tough, but it’s rewarding for sure.

Follow Meg Elsier on Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Emily Moses
Styling: Tay Sorrell for @shoptoro.xyz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Seraphina Simone – ‘Better Days’

Transforming her anxious thoughts about heartbreak into a vibrant anthem of hope, Seraphina Simone has shared her latest single ‘Better Days’. Following on from her bittersweet track ‘Liverpool‘ which she released last year, the London-based artist blends drum & bass rhythms, evocative synths and emotive lyrics on her new single to help her recover from the residual grief at the end of a relationship.

“‘Better Days is waking up at 4am with a heavy chest and a lump in your throat and a constellation of thoughts, worries and what-ifs pinballing around your head,” Seraphina explains about her new single. “but [it’s also about] knowing that somewhere in the future there’s a you that’s happier, and just trying to keep a hold of that thread. It’s panic and sadness and frustration and hope plaited together.” Seraphina’s resilience in the face of this lingering heartache permeates the track. Pairing her cutting lyrics with her soft vocals, she pacifies the ache of a past love and leans into the possibility of new future romance in the process.

Co-produced with Matt Wills (Charlotte Plank, Alice Merton), Seraphina’s ‘Better Days’ was premiered by Lauren Laverne on her BBC 6Music Breakfast Show, marking a successful start to 2024 for the artist. She’s currently busy working on her second EP, the follow-up 2022’s Milk Teeth, which should be released later this year. Seraphina has also announced a London headline show at The Courtyard Theatre on 24th April 24th. Grab a ticket here.

Listen to ‘Better Days’ below.

Follow Seraphina Simone via her Official Website, Spotify, Twitter (X), Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Hannah Mould

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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