Hiya LENORE WTF thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
Music has always been an important part of my life. I have been singing and performing as long as I can remember. I was more of a musical theatre kid until I discovered Queen and rock music at age 6.
Introduce us to you all and your musical history.
I wrote my first song at a Rock Star summer camp when I was 7, but didn’t write anymore for a while. I started writing songs again in high school, starting with “Right Damn Here” at age 14, and kept writing songs but never released them. Then I was in an emo rock band for a while, and although it never amounted to anything, I wrote an album’s worth of songs.
This sparked my interest in producing my own music even though I don’t play any instruments. LENORE WTF, my musical persona, was born when I was 18 out of a project for a university class in creativity. I wrote the song “Anti-Christ” and released it on YouTube.
After that I wrote songs for various university courses, and at that point I decided I had enough songs for my first album, “Gen Z Weirdo”. The songs I wrote for the emo band did not amount to nothing after all, as many of them are featured on my debut and sophomore album.
What’s the live music scene like in Toronto right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (Bar you of course)
Some artists to look out for in the Toronto music scene right now, both well-known and up and coming, include Jreg (Greg Guevara), Alexander Stewart, Sophie Powers, Freeman Dre and the Kitchen Party, and Miss Mouth. I have seen them all in concert and they are all great performers with cool music!
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I am just starting out. This is my first interview.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
I think it’s really hard for independent artists to break into the industry, especially if they don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing and promotion. Also, I think it’s hard to get live performances if you don’t have a band, which makes it difficult to get in person fans. As well, artists don’t really make a lot of money from streaming, which makes it harder for music to be a source of living income.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
My sophomore album was created during my sophomore year at university.
My cat loves it when I sing and is my biggest fan.
Some of the songs were recorded in Iceland.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not why not?
None (that I’m gonna admit to right now 😉
What was your best experience on stage?
I recently attended a karaoke night at a gay bar where I performed the Will Wood song “Love, Me Normally”, which no one knew. At first, the audience was talking and laughing loudly over me, but as the song progressed I poured my heart and soul into the performance, which led to me getting cheers and claps, and in the end I won that audience over.
What was your worst experience on stage?
I use elements of performance art, which some audiences find to be confusing or too over-the-top. One performance I gave in front of a mellow, hipster crowd did not resonate with that audience and was rather awkward.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I actually major in cinema studies at university – not music.
What are the next steps you plan to take to reach the next level?
I am currently in the music contest “America’s Next Top Hitmaker”. I plan on entering more contests, taking part in local Open Mic Nights, and potentially doing my own live shows one day. For this album, I am doing a bigger marketing campaign than I have done previously.Also, I would love to have a band one day.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it?
My album is called “A Living Contradiction”. This title comes from how social media, loved ones, ourselves, social norms, & politicians try to tell us who to be, turning us into living contradictions to appease all of these expectations, becoming manufactured versions of ourselves. I address the rage and pessimism that are byproducts of being a living contradiction, while countering with a message of hope: you should be who you are, even if others view you as “cringey”, a “sinner”, or a “Gen Z Weirdo”.
I decided to release the album on my last day of being a teenager, as a testament to my teenage years. There are 10 songs (+ 1 bonus song), that explore the idea of being “A Living Contradiction”, divided into 2 acts. The album deals with identity, politics, Gen Z culture, the Internet, and finding your place within the chaos.
This avant garde album was inspired by artists like Bo Burnham, Kate Bush, Penelope Scott, and Will Wood. It experiments with a variety of genres like alt rock/pop, musical theatre, folk, emo, and musical comedy.
As well, the album challenges norms of what is acceptable for music, with an emphasis on expressing emotion over rhythm.
What was the recording process like?
I have a very indie production process. I created all of the instrumental tracks on my iPad and iPhone on Soundtrap. I recorded the audio on my iPhone as well, and edited it together with the instrumental tracks.
Also, I would like to thank Michael Wiens for the awesome album cover photos!
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
For this album I made a rule that I could not use any of the beats or riffs included with Soundtrap, so I made all the sounds completely from scratch. This was a challenge for me because I don’t play any instruments so I had to figure things out for myself on an iPad keyboard. Also, I learned that I cannot plan to write a song – it has to just happen organically. Sometimes songs turn out differently from how I originally imagined them, but I have accepted that this is ok. I also made a rule not to use any auto tune on the album, although vocal effects are allowed.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Be kind to other people! We live in extremist times and it is important to remember that people you interact with online are just as human as you are.
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