Artists Advent Day 19th: LEHI
Written by: Keyali Mikaela
In the vibrant world of emerging artists, LEHI stands as a compelling figure whose musical journey is deeply rooted in personal connections and the pursuit of authentic expression. As we celebrate the 19th day of Next Wave's Artist Advent, we delve into an exclusive interview with LEHI, a promising musician whose passion for music was ignited by familial inspiration and shaped by iconic influences like John Mayer, Valley, and MUNA.
Join us as we uncover the layers of LEHI's musical identity, celebrating the fusion of inspiration, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to the craft on this 19th day of Next Wave's Artist Advent.
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Next Wave: What inspired you to pursue music?
LEHI: My Mum is my biggest inspiration for pursuing music, having taught music in the Primary School I attended. On evenings and weekends, we would always tune into Music TV channels and sing along. She bought me my first guitar and I’ve never really looked back since.
Next Wave: Who are your musical influences or role models?
LEHI: My earliest real music influence has to be John Mayer, who really inspired me when I was a teenager to focus on learning how to play guitar and more importantly, songwriting. The bands that have changed the way that I look at producing music are Valley and MUNA, which are both taking the best parts of 80’s pop music and packaging it into something modern.
Next Wave: What's the most challenging aspect of breaking into the music industry?
LEHI: I’d say that social media is a blessing and a curse. It provides a great platform for artists to share their music and make it more accessible to a worldwide audience, but there is also the pressure of being consistent, and always having relevant content to share. In the vertical age we live in, it’s easy for an artist to lose sight of what is important: good songwriting.
Next Wave: How has technology and the internet impacted your music career?
LEHI: In my mid teens I was really passionate about music, and computers, but I never really liked the idea of mixing the two. I loved playing live music and writing music all on a guitar and that was it. When I got to college, I had my first experience in recording music myself in a studio, and I remember going home and researching different plugins, watching countless youtube videos on how to mix music, and production breakdowns of my favorite artists. The computer has become an instrument for me and has helped me to think outside of just using live instruments to create music.
Learning more about music production has helped me to focus my instrumentation and arrangement, ensuring every sound serves a purpose.
Next Wave: What are your long-term goals and aspirations?
LEHI: I’d really love to perform live again and build up a close fanbase that resonates with my music and support me in my passion.
Next Wave: Can you share a little about your creative process and how you come up with new ideas for songs?
LEHI: I find that my creative process is very fluid. For example, the melody for the chorus of my next single was originally an idea that came into my head whilst I was laid on the sofa. I immediately recorded it on a voice note on my phone and went to bring it to life in my studio space. I’ve even dreamt a song idea before and when I woke up, the first thing I did was go to my computer to record it. There’s really no structure to it for me. It’s just about being present and acting on the gut feelings I have when recording.
Next Wave: What song, ep or album of yours would you recommend to someone who is listening to your music for the first time?
LEHI: My debut single, “I THINK I’M GONNA GO CRAZY” is a great representation of what my music is about. I’ve got another song ready for early 2024, and I’m really excited to share it with everybody, so keep an eye out…
