Oh how the tables have turned.  The guitar wielding bands of yesteryear have been replaced in favour by an overwhelming plethora of female soloists littering the rightious path of UK new music currently.  Moreover this oestrogen fuelled talent isn’t limited to just one style or genre of music, for pop, electro, punk and folk are all groaning under the weight of ladies with their own crafted songs to sing and lyrics to articulate.

With that in mind may we introduce you to newcomer Lail Arad.  A 26 year old singer/songwriter from London-via-Israel who bridges the gap between pop and folk with a DIY characteristic and a vast collection of wit soaked lyrics.  Whilst coming somewhat under the radar to date in comparison to some of the other female artists already making big waves, Lail Arad has not been manufactured by a major record label for the purposes of bestowing upon us her homemade sounds.  Instead growing up on a parental influenced staple diet of Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell and The Kinks, Lail has been educated in rich influences as diverse as they are renowned.  Her creativity allowed to burgeon as a pupil of a progressive school where music was encouraged and students allowed to participate, she subsequently found her voice and with it her sharp aptitude for writing wry, folk-tinged stories with effortlessly funny undertones even when the subject matter is sad.

With much of last year spent penning and recording her debut 12-track album, an experience she herself cites as incredible, Lail Arad is about to unleash it upon the world this Spring.  Aptly entitled ‘Someone New’, it has alreday been described as a fascinating storybook of youth, sprinkled liberally with the sophiticated pop melodies you’d normally associate with her enduring musical heroes.  And after already having seen comparisons to Martha Wainwright and Moldy Peaches’ Kimya Dawson, giving an improtu performance of her song ‘Winter’ alongside Devendra Banhart and finding a fan in Adam Green as a consequence of writing a song about him, Lail Arad just could be the surprise inclusion to everyone’s i-tunes in 2010.

We put some questions to the intriguing lady herself for www.4ortherecord.com and here are her answers.

4or The Record: For anyone that has never heard of you or your music, give us the background that led you to becoming a singer/songwriter.

Lail Arad: Hello there. How did I become a Songer?... Around the time I finished high-school I knew thats what I wanted to do. That came after many years of singing covers at school concerts until slowly in my year-out and then during university I started writing my own songs... I was studying Theatre but I knew I’d be trying my luck in music as soon as I finished. And then that’s what I did.. I’ve been playing shows around London for the last few years since I graduated, crafting my craft.. 

4TR: People regularly highlight the honesty lyrics and the way in which you express them, whilst they tend to take the form of story telling, are they actually more personal than that and coming from an autobiographical perspective?

Lail Arad: Yes I don’t think the two contradict each other. Most of the songs tell stories, and most of the songs are rooted in personal experiences.. I guess I’m using autobiographical incidents and playing with them until they become songs. And hopefully because I am being very honest, people will identify with aspects of what I describe... We are all very particular and individual but I’d say there is a lot of shared experience that we can get through together if we talk openly about it.

4TR: What about the humour that is prevalent through your lyrics – is this an intentional aspect of Lail Arad or something that just happens naturally because if the subject matter?

Lail Arad: It happens very naturally, maybe not because of the subject matter but because of how I treat the subject matter? If you take heartache for example, maybe the most common subject matter for us songwriters.. many people explore it in an honest, sincere way, and come out with the most depressing, sombre tunes (which can be very beautiful of course!) – but I tend to try and keep life’s blows in perspective and see the funny side... i’m not belittling the pain, I think its a coping mechanism! 

4TR: How do you approach songwriting?

Lail Arad: I’ve never sat down saying: now you have to write a song. Sometimes I go long periods without writing anything new. Other times they seems to flow out one after the other. The best songs usually come together in a few hours. First you need something to write about, then you can write it... so go out and get your heart broken! Its the first step to a musical career. 

4TR: Sound wise you are coming from a modern folk direction which is a genre that has been flourishing in earnest recently – why do you think that is and why do you think it is resonating so well amongst UK audiences?

Lail Arad: Well first of all I’m not sure to what extent the new folk scene would accept my album in their ranks! There are of course folk influences, and in some songs more than others, but I’m far less of a purist than some of the other bands I think you’re referring too. Having said that, what we might have in common is the return to the use of real instruments – no programming, no effects – everything was recorded by a real life musician and that of course affects the sound and atmosphere. Maybe that’s something people were missing.

4TR: You have written and recorded your debut album ‘Someone New’, due for release this spring – tell us about the songs within it.

Lail Arad: The songs were mainly written in the year prior to recording the album – a couple from further back, and a few were finished just before we went into the studio. So many of them had been tried and tested in live shows, which helped understand how they might work best. And with the new songs that were developed in the studio we now have the opposite experience of working out how to play them live! I’m not sure this is what you meant by asking about the songs.. I better not start telling you what they’re all about or i’ll get carried away...

4TR: How was the recording process for you and did the finished product surprise you in any way you didn’t expect?

Lail Arad: Yes it came out way better than I expected! I was completely naive of the recording process when we began, I’d never spent proper time in a studio before. I worked with an amazing producer called Guy Katsav, and we spent 3 months in his studio in Soho working through the songs, trying out ideas, seeing what stuck, trying to keep perspective.. And with us was Roi Erez, the musician I’ve been working with for a few years now. Together we played with the arrangements, the instrumentation.. it was a very intense, and extremely fun time. 

4TR: What or who would be the 3 albums or artists who have influenced you most in your career so far?

Lail Arad: I keep answering the same thing everytime someone asks me this so I’m going to say some others... 

Leon Russel – I love the album ‘Carney’ and I wish I could play piano like him. There’s something in the sound that just makes me happy.

Aretha Franklin – I often forget just how much I listened to Aretha as a teenager. The ease with which she sings. Those backing vocals.. at the end of the day She’s the best.

Herman Dune – their songs were my staple diet for all of last year. The lyrics and rhymes and fantastic – its very simple and very sophisticated at the same time. And the music makes you feel so good!

4TR: Tell us about the idea behind your song to Adam Green – and has he heard it?

Lail Arad: The idea is pretty self-explanatory when you see the video I think! It was my most conscious marketing scheme to date haha.. But it was also very true – I was too shy to say hi after his show...  I met him recently (two years later) and his reaction was “All I’m going to say... is that I’m glad you made it here...” It was a very funny meeting!

4TR: You are working with Paris label Notify music – how did that relationship arise and what was it about them that made you want to sign to them?

Lail Arad: I was introduced to them and they invited me to come and play a showcase in Paris, and to be honest it all just rolled very organically from there. I’m so happy to be working with a small independent label with whom I can have a very close relationship – it feels very real. 

4TR: Comparisons have been made between you and Martha Wainwright and Kimya Dawson – what do you think about that and are either of those artists of particular influence to your work?  

Lail Arad: I was brought up on Loudon Wainwright III, and then when Martha came out with her first album I went to see her live and it was sensational. She played over 2 hours alone with her guitar – it was a show of force. I love how honestly she writes, and how she rips out with her voice – above all I think she’s an incredible performer. I’ve not seen Kimya Dawson live yet but I’m going to when she comes to London in May with The Bundles.

4TR: What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

Lail Arad: A lot more shows.. and hopefully a certain album will come out soon! 

Interview: Francesca Strange

Write a comment

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Comment: *

Security Code: