Exclusive Interview with Lexytron

John & Yoko. Jack and Meg. Now Lexy & Mike – a creatively offbeat English husband and wife songwriting and musical duo based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) NZ. Following Lexytron’s genre-bending debut album ‘Something Blue’, lead singer Lexy slips into something more electronic on ‘Something New’, pairing an alternative pop rock style with sardonic wit, big choruses, and a painful honesty that has now become her trademark. The album was self-produced in Auckland and mixed and mastered by London producer Marco Meloni. Lead single (out 11 April) ‘Kiss Me Quick’ sees Lexytron dripping in vulnerability and slathering herself in alt girl empowered pop. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?

Lexytron: If we go right back to the start, I guess my mum put me into piano lessons at age 6, and I took up violin because I used to love ‘Fiddler On The Roof’. That gave me the tools to play music. In terms of a cultural moment that led me to my love of pop music (which is what I make), I distinctly remember the first time I heard and saw The Beatles and knew them as ‘The Beatles’, which was on TOTP2 on BBC2 when I was 7. I didn’t realise that I knew the music (I guess it was played to me as a toddler), but I was immediately struck by the song ‘She Loves You’ and the obsession with them and pop music started.

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

Lexytron: I guess there are two parts to this – music and songwriting. Playing music started with music lessons throughout my youth. I would also borrow music books from the library, so after I practised the stuff for my piano lessons/exams, I’d play the piano music for the ‘Sgt Pepper’ album (like ‘Lovely Rita’, ‘A Day In the Life’). I remember having a ‘Best of Paul McCartney’ book and playing ‘C Moon’ and ‘Live And Let Die’, which work really well on keys. I then started to work out chords of indie or rock songs I liked and interpret them in a classical style. I play a mean ‘Mr Brightside’, which is partly built around Beethoven’s 9th anyway! Later on, I had a go at writing my own music as I was living on my own and had a natural space to mess around with it when I wasn’t studying or going out. Writing music was not taught to me as I never studied composition. I did write my own stories and poetry as a kid, so I guess my approach to songwriting is just the coming together of those skills – understanding melody from playing and listening to music as an avid fan, and being able to write something creative and meaningful.

3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘Lexytron’?

Lexytron: My family. My dad used to play all sorts of music around the house – everything from Greek music (traditional and contemporary), panpipe music and classical to ‘dad rock’ like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Jethro Tull. My sister was into Britpop, grunge, as well as club music, so there was a lot of variety in the household. I also consumed music from the TV – all the pop shows that were on at the time in England. And I loved a weekly radio show on a local station that played two hours of 60s music, which is why I’m a bit of an old soul! I can only assume that this melange of influences leads to the palette you work from musically.

The name ‘Lexytron’ comes from a Roxy Music song ‘Ladytron’ and it’s also the name of a band, who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live. My name is Lexy, and I like the connotations associated with a rich indie/art rock lineage.

4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?

Lexytron: We are all made up of our own unique characteristics and the experiences that shape us. I have a Greek father, a Persian mother, and I grew up in Northern England with some of the funniest and friendliest people you’ll ever meet. I was then fortunate enough to move to different English cities and even countries. Each person you meet from a different culture brings something new to you and opens up your perspective. No one has that same DNA and life journey as me, so my lyric writing will come from who I am (even my morals) and how I see the world – and how I interpret the art that I love and put that into words.

It’s best to let others describe my sound – I’ve had The Strokes, The Cranberries, Cocteau Twins, Regina Spektor, and Blondie thrown in as some comparators, but I think that just reflects the music I’ve listened to (or in some cases, not even heard or ‘digested’) and the fact I’m a female singer. One song might have more of a certain vibe than another. I don’t aim to write the same kind of sounding song, but broadly speaking, I make playful purposeful pop with classic/indie/alt rock sensibilities. I write quirky lyrics and put an alternative girl spin on the subjects we all want to talk about like lust, love and loss with a spatter of rejection and isolation thrown in for good measure.

I hope listeners take away something from the lyrics and have a smile at a little pun I’ve thrown in here or there. The best I can hope for is a ‘hairbrush’ moment and a boogie to any of the songs!

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?

Lexytron: I definitely had a period of learning covers like most other aspiring artists and have played a low key gig of pop/indie covers on ukulele – stuff like Florence + the Machine, Lady Gaga, MGMT and Green Day. I think in playing other people’s songs, you naturally get a feel for some nice chord combinations and so that does feed into your own process. It was around this time that I first tinkered with songwriting. I was definitely inspired by seeing a lot of really strong and non-cookie cutter shaped female artists coming through in mainstream pop and alternative music in the noughties and 2010s. I can’t describe my development in terms of my lyrics because I think you write from the age of 5 onwards and if you write creatively in school, you just develop your own voice which is just yours.

6. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

Lexytron: It works well for certain artists to be political (Lennon, Dylan, The Clash, Green Day) or spiritual (George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave) and still be entertaining and personal. My music is not about making a big statement about what’s on the news, but the emotions we feel and day-to-day life. Having said that, there are certainly social themes in some of my songs, some more obvious than others. For example, ‘In The Box’ from the last album ‘Something Blue’ was about being ‘boxed in’ by society, and there’s a song on the new record (unreleased) that is a social piece but very much from a personal place.

7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?

Lexytron: Not from a monetary perspective! Both albums have been self-produced and made in a home studio with external mixing and mastering. It is a passion project, for sure. However, the personal reward of having an outlet to express this side of myself is there and of course,

I want to reach as many people as I can with this music because I believe it’s good. The challenge is getting people to listen to it, even if they’re aware of it. There’s just so much content out there, so it’s hard to grab and then hold someone’s attention for the length of a full song, let alone an album. I’ll let you know how I feel once this album is released, but the initial response has been gratifying! I love getting feedback from music bloggers especially because they really know music and hear a lot of it, so it feels good to have my music held in high regard critically, even if it isn’t as far reaching. I really believe this new album surpasses my first one, and I’m excited to share it with people.

8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

Lexytron: I write lyrics and music together. Sometimes lyrics or lines come that I bank for when I sit down with an acoustic instrument (piano, ukulele, guitar). I take those songs with lyrics, melody and chords to Mike, my husband and guitarist, and he’ll start noodling around with sounds and working out the licks. ‘Lexytron’ was originally a solo project, but I promoted Mike this time around because I wrote lyrics to one of his riffs on this new album (possibly the best song I’ve ever written), and one song was purely his composition. He has very different sonic influences to me, even though we both like the same genres of music, so he can take something that might have sounded like Buddy Holly and make it sound more like anthemic melancholy. In the case of ‘Kiss Me Quick’ (the current single), he really brought the trip-hop and shoegaze vibes to that one.

9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

Lexytron: I’m fortunate that so far, people who choose to write about me generally do so because they like my music and those who don’t, don’t say anything. I’m not big enough to knock down, especially over social media. That probably should be the case for all artists, that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. However, critiquing is an important part of the conversation around art, so it’s necessary, so long as it’s about the art rather than “she looks like a dog’s dinner” and ‘she has no talent’. If you want to say ‘she’s derivative’ or ‘I don’t like the statement she’s making’, that’s fair game. I definitely pay attention to reviews of movies and music from critics (especially the ones I respect or am entertained by, e.g. Mark Kermode), even if I may not ultimately share their opinion. Having said that, I don’t think any musician should ever take a Pitchfork review personally – no one knows what side of the bed they’ll wake up on! Thank goodness, they’ll never listen to me!

10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

Lexytron: Definitely the latter. I can tell all the stories, but some of them aren’t my stories to tell or aren’t even true stories but a broader commentary funnelled through characters. For me, the joy in putting out music is the dialogue around it, so I am reluctant to explain too much though I do like to give the people something (but not the whole something) when I am asked questions about what the songs mean!