Artist of the Day | LEILA
ARTIST OF THE DAY
15.12.2020
LEILA
LOCATION
Los Angeles, CA, USA
GENRE
Singer-Songwriter/Indie Soul
CURRENT MEMBERS
Leila
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
I was actually very lucky to be wrapping up my album during this time. Having just finished production in February, and I spent most of 2020 preparing my album for a digital and vinyl release in October. Lucky for me, most of that process could be done remotely.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
Given the endless restrictions, Covid inspired me to go all in on my album release, which I'm not sure I would have done otherwise. Two music videos, multiple photo shoots - all very safely scheduled of course - came out of this period where all time seemed to stop.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
Aside from preparing for the release of my first album, I've been doing a good deal of home improvement and polishing demos for the next album! It seems like a good idea to make your place as cozy as possible these days, given how much time we spend in them. With that in mind, I've done to best to be creative and fun with my space to make a totally isolated quarantine that extra bit more pleasant.
As far as writing goes, I consistently feel a lingering anxiety around working on new songs. I worry that if too much time passes without writing a new song, I'll forget how!
How are dealing with the Covid second wave?
More home improvement, more writing! I'm trying to think of the Covid second wave as a "Monkish Retreat" of sorts. It'll be extreme and it'll be isolated, but it'll also be over. Even though it's mostly horrible and out of my control, hopefully I can take something away from the experience.
Favourite Starlite Room Moment?
I am new to Starlite Room, but am intrigued by the Starlite Sessions featured Documentaries. Around five years ago, I released a self-made documentary myself about San Francisco's BDSM subculture. You can watch it:
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
We are enduring a historical moment, but it'll be over eventually. Keep the faith strong and see you at what will hopefully be the next Summer of Love 2021!
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