[Read our review of 11th Hour here]
British soul singer-songwriter Lynda Dawn sits on the cusp of releasing her second project after 2019’s praise-garnering debut First Light. I had the chance to talk with her about her Church upbringing, musical growth, how to stay afloat in turbulent times and, of course, her wonderful new EP 11th Hour, due to be released October 4th.
I’m always really interested in beginnings. I’ve read some of your other interviews and you talked about the importance of being raised in the Pentecostal church. What do you think that gave you specifically?
First of all, I think it gave me lot of confidence. My mum kind of forced me (out of love!) to join the choir. She knew that I loved singing around the house, in the shower and so on. She knew that I wanted to do it but that I was shy. Then we joined the Pentecostal church and knowing that I loved singing, she kept saying I should join the choir. But I was really young, around 12 or 13, and the choir was like seasoned “uncles” and “aunties” who had been doing it, so I just dived in headfirst.
You don’t do things by halves do you?
No! But, of course, they embraced and encouraged me and I was just like a sponge, soaking it all up. It gave me confidence to sing and I was learning about harmonies and different vocal textures and dynamics. I’ve always carried that through in my writing and singing. I absolutely love backing vocals—sometimes it’s more fun than actually doing the lead!
Lynda Dawn’s ‘11th Hour’ arrives October 4th | Buy via Bandcamp
You can definitely hear the importance you place on backing vocals on the new EP. What about the performance aspect of the choir? Although people are there to worship, is there an element of performance?
Firstly, you wouldn’t be in the choir if you can’t sing and its less about performance and much more about worshipping. So, if someone hits a bum note, people aren’t going to be dismissive of that because we’re meant to be worshipping. I think if you are performing and trying to “show off” then you might not be there for the right reasons. But it’s a good training ground, even if you go off to make secular music.
You’ve talked before about your house being filled with music when you grew up. Your dad was a guitarist who loved jazz and your mum loved ‘80s funk and boogie music. How do they feel about your career now?
I think my mum is proud. I’m Nigerian and the culture there is very much about education. Ideally, I think my mum and dad would have wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer or something high-flying. Probably me wanting to be a singer was a bit scary for them because of the precarious nature of the industry. Singing was “cute,” but they really wanted me to finish school! At first I think they hoped I’d grow out of it, but obviously I didn’t. My mum is now very proud and she’s listened to the new record and cried. Tears of joy, I hope! She understands that this is my path. And my dad passed away in 2013 but I’d hope he’d be very proud of me too—I think he’d really love the new record that I’ve produced a lot of. It’s probably more in his lane and a product of what he raised me on.
So sorry to hear about your dad passing. When did you decide that this was the life or career for you?
I don’t think it was a decision for me—I just think I always knew. When I was studying, I was just going through the motions, I couldn’t envisage doing anything else.
How early on did you learn instruments? You talked about being in the choir at 12/13, but did your dad thrust a guitar into your hands, say, at a younger age?
Not at all! I actually picked the guitar up and asked him to teach me a couple of things! He was all about education, really. I was always trying different things, having a play on the piano. I can’t say I’m a great instrumentalist because vocals are my main thing, but I’ve always just been messing about trying to figure things out.
To us, as fans of First Light (released in 2019), it seems like a really long time to have waited for new material—does it feel that way for you?
It does feel like there’s been a gap but I think because of COVID, two or three years have gone in a blink. But then on reflection it does seem like a long time too—so yes and no.
I read about how you prioritized self-care during lockdown—how did you find creating during that time?
I had plans to tour and I was supposed to be opening for Kelis at Roundhouse and then a week before…lockdown. On the back of that, all my international gigs were, of course, cancelled. I tried to create but there was definitely a block. I didn’t realize either how fast the industry moved. I’d just released the project, it was going down well and then just a couple of months later people were asking “what next?”
I wasn’t ready for that question. I tried to create, but my normal process of working with people in the studio couldn’t happen. I tried remote (Zoom, etc.) sessions but it just didn’t work for me. Then I enrolled for an online course in music production because I realized I was relying on others and wanted to be self-sufficient. I had to humble myself and start from scratch and relearn things, but that gave me the tools to go at my own pace and not worry about needing other people to facilitate things.
We’ve touched on it a little, but things are tough for everyone at the moment and artists/ musicians have a particular set of challenges whether it’s streaming revenues being low or touring made more difficult by Brexit red tape. How do you manage to stay afloat in times like these?
It’s difficult. I don’t know if I have the answer to those challenges, but key to it is having a support system around you, whether it’s for practical things or creative things. You’ve mentioned that streaming doesn’t have much money in it unless you’re doing Taylor Swift numbers, but a lot of people are realizing the role of merchandise and having a physical, tangible product for people. Leaning into the support base is really where it’s at. If it wasn’t for the vinyl of my first release, I would really have struggled.
There’s definitely a shift in styles from the first project to this one, from squelchy synth basslines to a more organic sound. Was it a deliberate move or was it just the way it came?
It wasn’t deliberate. On the first record, the most popular ones were the upbeat ones. But the slower, more jazzy ones were some of my favorites. I didn’t want to turn my back on the ‘80s synthy sounds, but I also didn’t want to be a “one trick pony” where people expect just that from me. That sort of rare groove, boogie style is quite limiting and I never want to rehash things I’ve already done. I want to evolve and grow and show different sides of me, otherwise it can be a bit boring.
Some producers did send me some music in that vein, but it didn’t feel right. This is a much more “live” record, rather than having beats sent to me by a producer somewhere. There’s more of me and my writing here. I did have some songs like “Fonk Street” written, but they just didn’t fit on this work. I wanted it to be more intimate.
When I listened to it yesterday on my headphones, that was exactly the word I used to describe it. It feels very cohesive and it envelops everything in warmth. I have a playlist of “perfect songs” where as well as being just great songs, everything is so well balanced and sounds perfect. It has “Free” by Deniece Williams, “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” by William DeVaughan and “Give Me The Night” by George Benson on it and this certainly felt similarly well balanced and that everything is placed to perfection. What or who were your touchstones for the production?
First of all, thank you. I’d have to say Marvin Gaye for sure. I’ve always been a huge fan of his arrangements and the way he incorporates his backing vocals. The way he used BVs as pads or chords throughout the song and the way he sometimes let the BVs wash out the lead vocal.
I’m glad you said you listened on headphones because for me this record is quite intimate and there’s a lot going on that might get missed—it’s quite an immersive experience. Once I did the course and learnt the typical ways in which you might mix a track and listened to a Marvin Gaye track, I realized he didn’t follow those rules and there’s no reason why I should. It was throwing the rulebook out of the window!
It was great to have the basics, but then I wanted to craft my own signature sound. I did a lot of the mixing, as I realized if I let someone else do it, I’d always have notes. So, why not do it myself?
I read another interview where you said you’d resisted the urge from the industry to push you in a certain direction or do certain things, and so it raises the idea of you wanting to create a career of longevity rather than chasing a fad or trend.
Definitely, I feel like my music is more of a slow burner—I don’t want it to be a flash in the pan. The idea was to make music that was classic—something a granddad can listen to as well as a teenager.
Where does that desire to stay so true to your principles come from?
I think its integrity and believing in the power of music. Music has done wonderful things in my life and helped me in so many situations. It’s quite a sacred thing and I guess I carry some of my church background there, even though its secular music, it’s still sacred to me. Having seen in the church how powerful it can be, I keep that respect for it.
You have to stand your ground and stick to your guns. It can be scary, but brightening someone’s day with your music is why I’m doing it.
We’ve mentioned a little about your writing process, what is it like for you? Are you an avid voice notes keeper?
Absolutely! You never know when inspiration will hit. It can come at the most random times and I never want to force it, so I have to act when it hits. There have even been a couple of songs that have come to me in dreams, so I’ll wake up with a melody in my head and I’ll grab my phone and record it on my phone. It happened with “Play Fair”—I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and it was just there! I grabbed my phone and recorded it quickly and got up the next morning ready to flesh it out.
I mean we can moan, quite rightly, about the negative impact of technology with streaming revenues, etc., but to be able to record something immediately and so easily with such good fidelity is quite something, isn’t it? How far ahead do you look? Do you set any expectations?
I try not to set any expectations. I mean, I’d love to have it receive accolades and be super successful and tour the world meeting my fans, but after what happened with my last record (being hamstrung by COVID), I try not to think too much about that sort of thing. I’ve done my part and hopefully the music will go on and do its thing.
Do you have any plans to tour?
Not as yet, but I’m hopeful it will come about. My first record was released by an LA based label so there’s interest there with a pretty strong fanbase, so that would be good. Whatever we do, it has to be done right.
And our final question, as ever, reflects our love of albums. What are your top 5 albums.
Ever?!
Yes!
Ok, for today, I’m going to say Future Talk by a Polish jazz singer called Urszula Dudziak. Straight From The Heart by Patrice Rushen, Quem e’ Quem by Joao Donato, Migration by Creative Source and A Tear To A Smile by Roy Ayers Ubiquity. That’s just for today. It will change tomorrow!
And we’re done! Thank you so much for your time today and I really hope the record does well because it is such a wonderful project.
LISTEN: