Lucienne

There’s a powerful idea at the centre of Rebirth: that something pure can exist beneath everything we carry. Where did that idea come from?

Lately, I've started to see all of the crazy things I did growing up in a new light.
There was always a lot of shame projected on me about some of the situations I got myself into as a teenager. I felt so much guilt for a long time, and I’m now understanding how none of that shame has helped me heal at all. This idea that I had muddied my innocence and purity forever by going through a lot of painful experiences was so outdated and wrong. I’m so excited to be reaping the benefits of letting go of that lens. Releasing Rebirth has been the perfect way to honour this awakening.

Your mother sang “Om mani padme hum” to you as a child. How has the idea behind the mantra shaped you and your songwriting?

Often my understanding of the songs I write comes after writing them. I started out wanting to use this mantra as a way of cleansing myself of the shadows, as It roughly translates to “Praise be the jewel in the lotus”. The more I've let the mantra sit with me, the more I've understood it to mean something quite different. It’s become less about washing the darkness from me, but digesting and absorbing it in order to transform into, quite simply, MORE of myself.

Rebirth follows The Same Death and High Up in the Clouds. How do you see these songs connecting?

While they all have really different soundscapes, these songs feel like the perfect reflection of my journey over the past year. The Same Death felt like really giving myself permission to use my voice again after a long winter - All the joy in that song really woke me up. High Up in the Clouds felt like flying on the wind of that joy, hinting at some of the fractures in the loveliness that I was yet to explore, and not wanting to look down. Rebirth has felt like falling from the sky, decomposing into the soil and crawling my way back out again. This has certainly reflected in my personal life too which has been extra fun.

Your sound blends soul, folk, alternative rock and cinematic pop. Which artists or records have shaped that world?

Melanie Safka, Janis Joplin, Jeff Buckley, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Alannis Morisette, Anton Newcombe, George Clinton, David Bowie, Brian Ferry - Man I could go on forever! These are some of the people that I hold in the highest musical vein for sure. 

You recently supported Crowded House and Thelma Plum with just your voice and guitar. Did those shows change how you see yourself as a performer?

Without sounding dramatic, (impossible) there was a moment when I was playing up there when I thought back to all of the gut-wrenching experiences that had caused me to write these songs, and they suddenly all felt worth it. It was my second ever solo performance - and I felt so utterly vindicated from all of the people that told me I wouldn’t be able to hack it in life/music. I’m super into believing in myself now, and that will always be something that I'll be able to draw from.

Rebirth is getting a video clip premiere at Golden Age Cinema on August 29. How did you approach bringing the song’s themes and emotions into the visual world of the clip?

It was such an exciting song to conceptualise visually - as it really feels like it has a sonic storyline. I wanted it to feel dreamlike and transcendent - but the priority of any song or video for me now is the experience in which a project is actually created. I was lucky to have my gorgeous friends as crew members, who trusted my artistic direction wholeheartedly, and contributed their phenomenal talents and ideas with such grace.
The whole thing was full of magic from the moment I had the vision in my head - to shooting in the freezing forest in the middle of the night. I hope that magic emanates from every frame on the big screen.