Q&A: Exploring Peace Through Pain, Lulu Portrays A Journey of Bold Introspection and Heartbreak Within Her Latest Single “Something”

 

☆ BY Molly Rose Sharples ☆

 
 

EXPLORING A REALM OF POSSIBILITY, NOSTALGIA, AND THE PURSUIT OF WHAT ONCE WAS — Lulu delicately explores themes of resolution and resolve within her latest single, “Something.” Written and produced over the course of the past three years, Lulu provides us with a peaceful yet powerful piece of artistry, a musical nod to the newfound freedom and resolve that comes with overwhelming heartbreak.

Lulu invites us as listeners to bathe in real and fictitious romance that we so often carry with us, allowing us to embrace rather than dismiss the intricate reminisces of our past love. Branching out from Lulu’s usual reactionary style associated with her music, “Something” is illustrative of an artist’s journey, both personally and professionally, to heal and evolve despite the pain she has experienced. 

Introspection is at the forefront of “Something,” as themes of evolution and self-discovery are personified as powerful forces to arrive at the solitude that Lulu boldly celebrates within the track. Despite the lack of anger, grief, or crippling heartbreak associated with emotive songs such as “Something,” the single is nevertheless charged by emotion, which ultimately serves to portray the “expression of peace” Lulu encompasses within her music.

Read below to learn more about Lulu’s latest single and her upcoming EP for the year ahead.

LUNA: Congrats on your latest single, “Something”! I wanted to start off by asking about the inspiration behind the track. You say your music is usually influenced by the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen and Kim Petras, just to name a few. In this sense, were there any particular artists or personal moments in your life that influenced the meaning or style of the song?

LULU: Thank you! I think this song was really just inspired by nostalgia and the idealization of your younger years and the relationships you had (or imagined you had) when you were naive and romantic and wanted to hold onto that feeling. 

LUNA: The instrumental behind “Something” appears to encapsulate a dreamy feel to it, starting off almost like a lullaby within the opening verse and then gradually evolving as the song progresses. Sonically, what does the process look like when forming the instrumentals for the track, and was there any particular intention behind creating this dreamy instrumental throughout?

LULU: I initially started writing this song back in 2018 on the piano and was really stuck — I couldn’t figure out where it should go after the first verse so I left it alone for three years. Then kind of out of nowhere, I was struck with inspiration in April 2021 and ended up writing the rest of the song on a celeste, which sounds like a little music box piano, and that felt really appropriate for how tender the song is. I sent a voice memo of the celeste to my producer, Griffin Emerson, and he developed the sound from there, and I really love it so much. He is so talented. 

LUNA: The artwork behind the track also appears to have a soft, delicate feel to it. How do you create the visual aesthetics of your music, and was there any specific inspiration behind this?

LULU: I went into this shoot for “Something” with only the yellow puff dress and had created sort of a general Pinterest board heavy with glitter and pastels but really my photographer, the insanely talented Ashley Osborn, had the concept all planned out. The cover turned out exactly how I wanted it without even knowing what I wanted, and that is entirely thanks to Ashley, my queen.

LUNA: You have mentioned that “Something” is more of a self-reflective song as opposed to the reactionary feel of previous songs you’ve released. How do these two styles differ from your own artistic perspective, and how do you decide which type of track you would like to create or which form you would like a particular song to embody in this way?

LULU: I think this song is really special because it wasn’t written out of pain, or to prove a point, which a lot of my songs are (laughs). There’s a kind of peaceful quality to this song because it was written as an expression of peace, you know? Like, coming to terms with and accepting a love for what it was and accepting whatever it’s turned into, whether or not it’s over, whether or not it even matters anymore. I don’t know that I’ve ever consciously decided to write a certain type of song; I think that my subconscious takes over and helps me to release whatever pent up emotion I’ve got bubbling around inside. 

LUNA: How do you believe your music in this sense, both personally and artistically, has evolved since you first started out as an artist? How do you see it evolving in the future?

LULU: I think I’m a little better at listening to and trusting my musical instincts now. I used to think that I needed to establish myself within a single genre and force a certain perception of myself onto people because I was afraid of being misunderstood as an artist, but I think now I feel a certain kind of freedom in knowing that “genre” is such a loose guideline for making music, and I don’t have to identify myself and my sound by someone else’s definition. I hope that in the future I can just continue to stick to my guns, follow my ear, and make the kind of music that makes me feel good, whatever that type of music may be.

LUNA: Through an exploration of your own introspection, “Something” appears to be quite soothing and almost cathartic trying to come to terms with your own emotions regarding a past relationship. Was this the intention behind the song for both yourself and for your listeners alike?

LULU: “Something” was written as a means of acceptance, without bias or hope, of a situation. I think oftentimes it’s really difficult to accept life as it is… You wish you’d done some things differently, or you wish you didn’t feel a certain way or that someone else felt the way you did — whatever it may be — and something is meant to serve as a sort of peaceful acquiescence of what was, what is, and what will be. 

LUNA: “Something” is hopefully one of many new tunes you have lined up for the year ahead. Are there any other upcoming projects you would like to talk about? 

LULU: Yes! I’ve got an EP that I’ve been working on and perfecting for ages that’s in its final stages and another one that’s still being written and tweaked, and I’m so pumped to be releasing music again — it’s been a while, and I’m really excited for people to hear my new songs, my matured songwriting, and hopefully people like it and they like me. And if they don’t, then that’s simply incorrect.

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