Yorkshire-born singer-songwriter Lydia Kaye undertakes a second coming of age on her debut album, Seventh Sense.
Led by mesmeric vocals, delicately-crafted arrangements and reflective songwriting, the record takes its listener on a journey of self-analysis and growth.
Keen to find out more, I had a chat to Lydia about the recording process, how travelling from London to rural Devon affected her creative headspace and a dream of dueting with Jeff Buckley…
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey Lydia! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Lydia) Hey, I’m Lydia, I’m a singer-songwriter based in Devon and have just released my first album.
Congratulations on your new album, Seventh Sense! It’s a really beautiful record. Can you give us some insight into the inspiration behind it?
Thanks! Yeah I have to rewind a bit as I started the album a while back… I began writing the songs after I’d finished being in a band that had consumed my life quite intensely for a few years. I had to take a bit of a break from writing and singing - I’d lost my musical identity and felt a bit chewed up and spat out.
So, I guess the process of starting again was at the forefront and inspired quite an honest approach. I went back to basics and just sat at the piano and started singing. Writing late into the nights brought out quite intimate and emotive songs; reflecting on relationships, addictive behaviour, fears, regret, shedding layers of the past and basically growing up all over again.
I met Lewis Hopkin who co-wrote and co-produced the album with me, and who is based in Devon. I was living in London at the time and travelling to Devon a lot to write and record, so I got a lot of inspiration from both the suppressing nature of the city and the freedom and rawness of the countryside. We were on the same page from the start, so it felt like we were making something really special.
What was the recording process like?
At the time of starting the project, I had no idea that it would become an album… it was very free flowing and there wasn’t any massive time pressure. So having that sense of free reign to do what I wanted felt very spacious and cathartic. It was more like therapy. Lewis would write some instrumental ideas, I would come up with chords for them, we’d live with them for a few weeks and I’d start to write melodies and lyrics.
We were so lucky to have Riaan Vosloo arranging strings for us on several tracks for us on some tracks. For me, the live string recordings add such an evocative dimension, and I was in tears when I heard the demo playback of the song ‘Yours’. I think that’s only when I truly felt like I was making music again and why it was so important to carry on.
You’ve lived in quite a few different places. Do you find your surroundings influence your music?
Oh for sure! I’ve always written music from a feeling or mood and that is always closely linked to what and who is around me. It was quite literal at times with this album, as I’d felt very ‘stuck’ in London, struggling to find my voice, whereas Devon brought out a new energy in me. We could be recording a song and if weren’t feeling it, we’d go for a walk on Dartmoor and watch storms rolling in. It’s a very healing part of the country - something about the expansiveness - much like where I’d grown up in Yorkshire and first started writing as a teenager.
I think I’ve got to feel at home to trust my creative instincts and so that all the real shit can surface. Otherwise it can feel a bit forced and fake.
If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
If I could turn back time, I’d love to write and sing with Jeff Buckley. His musicianship and charisma was other-worldly, sensuous and raw. I can’t help but harmonise with his vocals whenever I hear his music. His falsetto voice sits in a really sweet spot of my range - I’d have loved to jam with him!
If it was someone in the here and now, it’d be Agnes Obel. Her voice and style is haunting and beautiful with a melancholy vibe that really resonates with me.
What’s coming up next for you? Any live shows in the diary?
I’d love to play the songs from my album out at some point in 2020. At the moment I’m feeling really comfortable in the studio writing and working on new material.
I also write as one half of Kalahara and have a couple of really exciting cinematic projects in the pipeline, so I’ll be focusing on those in the New Year.