Alternative Interview - issue June/July 2007
100% Passion For Music
With the release of her debut album just weeks away, Jill-of-all-trades Lahannya is now ready to really make her mark on the UK scene. Before she departed for this year's Wave Gothic Treffen we thought a chat was in order....
With a CV that includes running a web-based booking agency for underground electronic music acts, reporting and running projects for BBC 6Music, DJing at clubs all over the world with a residency at London’s infamous Slimelight and, most excitingly, collaborating as guest vocalist with acts as varied as Greenhaus and Soman, London-based songwriter and vocalist Lahannya has long been a staple part of the alternative music scene in the UK.
July 16th 2007, however, marks perhaps the biggest step forward in her career to date as she prepares to release her solo album 'Shotgun Reality' on her own Kabuki label, with support from Rebco Records. A mix of alternative and rock spiced with gothic flavours and boasting a deeply sumptuous production that gives virtually every track a deeply warm darkwave glow, Lahannya herself describes the album as, ‘a narcotic cocktail of what I like best in alternative rock, with added darkness, metal guitars and a sprinkling of electronics. Shotgun Reality was probably most influenced by bands such as Snake River Conspiracy, Kidneythieves, NIN, Bush and The Prodigy, which I listened to a lot around the same time we began working on the album. However, some of the older songs I wrote when I was listening more to artists such as Tori Amos, Loreena McKennitt, Stina Nordenstamm and Maire Brennan and so their influence is definitely also there’.
While her debut solo release, 2000's 'Drowning' EP was completely a solo affair, this new album saw her working closely with Umbra Et Imago's Lutz Demmler, who Lahannya describes as 'the perfect partner in crime' and goes on to tell of how a chance meeting at the Mera Luna festival in 2004 turned into a fast friendship and, eventually, a fruitful collaboration. 'The couple of bottles of wine certainly helped but beyond that, I think it was a shared passion for music and a similar way of going about making it. Lutz is one of the few people I have met who has been a professional musician and producer for many years without ever losing the passion for it. After M'Era Luna we stayed in touch and once we realised how well we clicked musically we decided to have a go at working together for a few days to see how that would work out. It worked out so well that we decided to do the entire album together. Lutz is extremely versatile and has the rare ability to adapt to the vision and style of the artist he is working with. If you tell him what you are trying to achieve, what kind of sound you want, what kind of atmosphere you want to create and then back off to let him work his magic he is absolutely amazing, both in terms of songwriting and production.'
It's evident that the wide range of quoted influences have contributed towards the album's eclectic but accessible sound that has already gained much acclaim from all quarters and has led to Lahannya, along with her recently-formed live band which also includes Belle of Killing Miranda on drums and NFD guitarist Chris Milden, being invited to support the highly-regarded Emilie Autumn on her forthcoming UK tour
Whilst being full of admiration for Ms. Autumn, hailing her as, 'an amazing musician and performer with unique style and innovative sound,' it's a prospect that Lahannya is, quite understandably, eager to grab with both hands. "It is an amazing opportunity to play alongside Emilie. She really manages to reach people across the spectrum and many of her fans have contacted me on myspace already to say they're really looking forward to seeing us play - I'm looking forward to playing the gigs just as much myself!". Lahannya’s UK tour kicks off on 17th July, full details can be found at www.lahannya.com.
