Q&A: Emotional Depth Takes Center Stage in Leah Mason’s Debut Record ‘HEXED’
WITH HAUNTING LYRICS THAT REVERBERATE WITH HONESTY – Nashville-based pop singer and songwriter Leah Mason reveals “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” the fourth single from her upcoming record, HEXED, out August 9.
“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” is undoubtedly one of Mason’s most heartfelt singles to date. A dreamscape of sparse piano and minimalist production, her utterly breathtaking vocals take center stage. It’s an evocative and spellbinding reminder of Mason’s artistic breadth.
“I’m a pro at masking my emotions and suppressing my feelings until I can deal with them later,” Mason says. “But the thing about emotions is they don’t wait for the most convenient time to bubble to the surface. This song is about surrendering to your mind and acknowledging how you’re feeling. Truthfully, that’s the only way to start the healing process.”
Mason’s lyrical prowess shines as she delves into the complexities of emotional surrender and the importance of acknowledging one's feelings. The raw and unfiltered nature of her songwriting allows listeners to connect with her on a deeply personal level, making “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” a comforting and cathartic experience.
Determined to continue pushing the boundaries of her sound, Mason broke away from the familiar last year and worked with Simon Jonasson on her debut album, HEXED. Across the album’s 12 tracks, she takes the intensity of young adulthood and bottles it up into a selection of universally relatable songs, ranging from tongue-in-cheek, angst-driven anthems to heartfelt musings. HEXED is without a doubt Mason’s most confident, raw and real project to date.
Mason’s journey with HEXED is a testament to her growth as an artist. By exploring new musical landscapes and embracing her vulnerabilities, she has crafted a debut album that is both bold and introspective. As the release date approaches, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” offers a tantalizing glimpse into the emotional depth and sonic diversity that HEXED promises to deliver.
Photography Credit: Preemo
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. It's super exciting to have you since the last time we talked about your single “YOUR BOYFRIEND SUCKS” that was the ultimate Galentine’s Day anthem. I would love to catch up and see how life has been treating you and what have you been up to since the last time we talked.
LEAH: It's been good. I've just been gearing up for my full project to come out. It's been a lot of work, but it's worth it. It's literally like my child.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
LEAH: I would say I want it to be a safe space. I feel like emotionally, my music is all over the place, which I feel is everyone’s experience in your mid twenties – or at least that's been my experience. I want it to be like a feeling of navigating anger, sadness and resentment through a safe space.
LUNA: You have released your latest single “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” and I love how it has a very spellbinding and ethereal energy. What is the inspiration behind the song and what did the creative process look like?
LEAH: I personally have had a lot of anxiety issues and panic episodes throughout my whole life, really. I find that it gets worse when I'm suppressing the way I’m feeling for a really long time, and that's where the song came from. I wanted the song to feel how I felt through this pent up energy and then it acts as a release. I feel like that's what the song is for me, but it has been interesting hearing other people's perspectives of what it means to them. I always love that music is subjective.
LUNA: This new era of music definitely pushes boundaries of your previous heavily country influenced sound. It’s always really rewarding to listen to an artist who’s able to pull from an eclectic variety of genres. How has that transition been for you and do you feel like you’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone since your previous releases?
LEAH: It's definitely not easy because you're targeting a whole new group of people which can be hard, but I feel like it's been fulfilling for me so I feel like that's where I get my enjoyment out of it. I love what I'm doing, so it makes it easier, even if the numbers aren't necessarily exactly what I want yet. I feel like I know I'm doing the right thing. I'm definitely pushing myself with this, but it's been worth it. It's been really rare.
LUNA: “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” is a sneak peek into your upcoming debut record HEXED that’s out next month. What is the inspiration behind HEXED?
LEAH: It’s exactly what the title sounds like. It's in a joking sense of the word, but sometimes it really just does feel like one thing after another after another and it's like, how is this even possible that this is happening? I feel like the whole album has this theme of bad luck. I did shoot a music video for this one, so there's a lot of easter eggs in it and symbolism. There's a crystal ball amongst other things, so it's definitely one of my most visual songs on the project. I feel like it's just a good representation of what my life has felt like for the past couple of years, but I'm really excited for it to come out and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. I'm excited for other people to hear it.
LUNA: This is your first big project since your Honeydew & Hennessy EP in 2023. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with HEXED since your previous releases?
LEAH: I feel like in every sense of pushing the envelope sonically. Lyrically, I'm definitely brutally honest in this record, and I do things the way that I wanted to do them without really thinking of anyone else, which I never really did before. I always had something else in mind or some sort of box that I had to check off and fit into and now I've just been like, no and kind of throw caution to the wind basically. This album really is fully what I wanted to do which is a good feeling, but also scary.
LUNA: Did you have any lessons or breakthroughs while bringing HEXED to fruition?
LEAH: I feel like just after making the album as a whole it felt like I was done with that chapter of my life, so that's why it's always weird because music takes so long to come out, but then once you're promoting and everything, you don't even feel as connected to it as you did when you wrote it. But it is just this little creation of songs and that I was feeling in that moment. It's like a time capsule of my life, so it's cool to reflect on it and look back.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from HEXED and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
LEAH: One of my favorites that we wrote was “Midas Touch.” I put it out as a single. I think it's clever and I love it. It’s one of those where I’d be like, damn, I wish I wrote it, and I did write it. I'm definitely proud of that.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
LEAH: I'm excited for the album to come out and see what happens with that. Besides that, I really just plan to keep making music, keep being in a studio and hopefully play some shows.
