Chicago – A quick scroll through Austrian singer Lylit’s facebook and you’ll the following: “One voice. One light. One sound. One Lylit.” But just who is Lylit? Kedar Massenburg, the former president of Motown Records, discovered the talented Lylit, who was born Eva Klampfer. She has been navigating the music business since the age of fifteen, but it’s now as a young woman that Klampfer has found herself, her voice, and has been reborn as the dazzling Lylit.
Best New Bands talked with Lylit to learn more about the lovely songstress. We discussed her soon-to-be released EP Unknown, songwriting, and her musical muses.
So, I haven’t been able to find much about you on the internet. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born and raised in Austria, in the countryside. I’ve been playing music for nearly my whole life and writing since I was twelve. I studied classical piano, voice, and jazz… and then I got signed with Massenburg Media. Now I’m trying out everything and anything. (laughs)
You’ve made quite the departure from jazz. What brought you to where you are now?
Well, when I was younger I listened to a lot of Tori Amos and a lot of classical music. I kind of had two hearts in my body: one for soul music, jazz, and hip-hop, and the other one was really singer-songwriter stuff, with a classical approach on the piano. I’ve been writing a lot of soul music the last couple of years, and I don’t know, in the last two years it sort of shifted more into the other side. Now I’m all into writing songs on the piano and a lot of pop music, singer-songwriter stuff comes out of me… I think that’s really what I want to do because if it comes out when you jam, it’s sort of who you are.
It’s funny you mentioned Tori Amos because I was going to ask if she influences you! When I listened to “Unknown,” I heard Adele a little bit, but then when I went on YouTube to listen to some of your other stuff, I was like, “She listens to Tori Amos!” (laughs)
(laughs) When I was like 15…16, she was a major influence! I had every record, and I just loved her! I saw her in Vienna last year, for the first time in my life, and it was like a magic moment for me, to finally see the woman who influenced me.
That’s so great! She’s on my bucket list. Are there any other artists who inspire you?
Well, singer or songwriter?
Yeah, you do have two hats here. How about both?
Some singers I just love because they control their voices so much and are amazing, amazing, amazing singers. I love Billie Holiday. She was my influence in jazz. Her phrasing and her way of expressing herself through her voice is just, “Ah!” She is really awesome! There are other singers that I really love, like of course Whitney Houston. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy her as a singer! (laughs) She’s amazing! I also love Kim Burrell. She was really, really important for me, too.
And songwriters, it’s more like Bon Iver, Tori Amos, and stuff like that. I love to listen to Philip Glass… sometimes I find myself in another style, which influences me more than people who do the same stuff as me… you know, everything influences you. When I wrote the record, I was more into classical music. If you listen to all kinds of music, all the time, you can’t find yourself. So this is what I tried, I stopped listening to music that sounded a bit like what I was doing and started listening to classical music a lot. It helped to get the real me out of me.
Let’s talk about “Unknown.” What inspired this song?
Well, I didn’t write a single on purpose. I just sat down at the piano. A friend of mine had visited me, and we had such a lovely evening together. I sat down at the piano afterwards and just started to jam around. I felt like, “Okay, there’s something going on here.” Then I recorded myself. This is what came out. It was very easily written… It’s all about jumping into the unknown… to finally release this record, get things going, and jump into a new role.
Yeah, that’s what you’re doing right now with your career. I also want to talk about “Again.” I heard it on YouTube and just loved it! What is “Again” about?
“Again” is actually (anti-) summer. I have no idea why, but every time the sun comes out, I get a little depressed. Every time the rain comes out, I get a great feeling! I don’t know why. (laughs) It’s something inside of me. I can’t control it.
I was sitting in an apartment when I wrote the lyrics to this song. I wrote this song in the city at four o’clock in the morning. I jammed it out. I didn’t change a thing. It was really written like it is now… [The lyrics] are really about this contradiction that sometimes you need to be really broken to feel whole again. It’s all about letting go and finally accepting who you are and that it’s not all perfect. I’m definitely an artist that has both sides: I can be very cheerful and happy, and I can be really, really down.
Obviously “Unknown” will be on your EP. Will “Again” be on the EP as well?
Yes!
Will you talk a bit about the EP?
It’s going to be released digitally. It contains five songs. The song “Four Walls” is going to be on it, too.
Lylit is releasing the EP Unknown, on April 24 and later this summer she’ll be releasing her debut LP Grey. You can keep up with Lylit on facebook, instagram, and twitter.
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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