An Interview with Lottie

Following the exciting announcement of her upcoming album Eve & Eve I was lucky enough to catch up with the lovely Lottie to chat about song writing, singapore and Alanis Morissette

The new album is set to be released on 5th November, can you tell us a little bit about the album what can we expect from it?

I do! It’s ten tracks long and all of the tracks are influenced from my experiences over the last few years. There are songs about love, heartbreak, missing home and not fitting in. I worked very closely with my wonderful, talented friend and producer Hangi over the past year on it and we are so proud of it! I also got to collaborate with some amazing producers and songwriters from all over the world on the album – I’m so excited for it to finally be out in the world!

Do you have any personal favourite tracks from the album and if so, why?

Ooh, tough question. All the songs are very close to my heart, but one song I really love is called ‘Visionary Philosophers’. It’s a song about wishing you were still with someone who let you go, but the reason I love it so much is that we included a whole bunch of outtakes in the final version. It reminds me of how much fun I had in the studio recording the album with Hangi and gives the song a fun little edge. I also really love the first track, ‘Distorted’, because it’s all about getting started in the music industry and not giving up on your dreams.

What was the process for creating the album are they’re songs you’ve been sitting on for years new songs written specifically for the album or a mixture of both?

It’s definitely a mixture! ‘Honey’ is a song that’s been recorded and finished for over a year that I knew had to go on my album. ‘Distorted’ and ‘City Lights’ were actually very last minute additions to the album after I had the pleasure of meeting BADCOMBINA and knew I wanted to have him as a producer on the album! When I listen to the album, I can hear how much I have grown and changed since I first stared writing it and I think that is so important to give the album some variety.

You are currently living in Singapore and have travelled around a bit do you think where you are living at the time of writing a song has an influence on your song writing and the sound of your songs?

Absolutely. I have had such different experiences in all the places I’ve lived it affects my mood, my relationships, everything. Singapore has been great for my song writing because I spend a lot of time commuting to work, so I write a lot of my lyrics on the train! Also, the pandemic has meant that I haven’t been able to see my family for almost two years and that definitely influenced the song ‘City Lights’. The line ‘I’m counting the days until I can see you’ is a direct reference to missing my family – I really have been counting down the days for almost a year!

Your lyrics obviously stem from personal experiences with relationships do you find it therapeutic putting your experiences into song?

Definitely. There is something so cathartic about song writing, and there are so many ways you can experiment and play around with it. Sometimes you can be a different person, put on a new persona and write as someone else. Sometimes I write about feelings that I had years ago. I find that it can be especially interesting to write about experiences I’ve had in the past because it’s much easier to put into words when you have some hindsight. It definitely helps me to gain some perspective and look at all these experiences in a new light. It also helps me to remember how far I’ve come and all the ways I’ve grown.

You have previously said as a musician you find it hard listening to your favourite songs sometimes because you wish you had written them yourself, what songs do you wish you had written and why?

There are soooooo many. I especially love a lot of female singer/songwriters like Fiona Apple, Stevie Nicks, Lorde and Alanis Morissette. Now that I write songs myself, I’ve gained such a new appreciation for other people’s music. I listen to the way they write their melodies, the ways that they write their lyrics and I try to take in as much as I can. It’s a bit like studying at school! One song that has really been resonating with me is ‘One Hand In My Pocket’ by Alanis Morissette. It’s so positive and determined, and she wrote it before her career really took off. I’d love to write something like that!

As a female in the music industry do you think more could be done to support up and coming female artists in the industry?

I think that there is definitely room to grow in this area, and as a female artist within the pop genre, I do feel that sometimes I’m not taken as seriously as others. A lot more pressure is put on the way you look and the way you present yourself. I definitely want to work with more women – producers, artists, musicians, and do my bit. Just having an awareness that it can be a little harder for female (and LGBTQ+) musicians is a really good start. There are some amazingly supportive people out there, and I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done for me. I think we are well on the way within the indie community to a fairer and more equal environment, and that it really lovely to see.

Article by Danielle Wield