Austrian-born indie-pop dream team Sophie Lindigner and Marco Kleebauer a.k.a Leyya have released their latest single ‘The Paper’ via Minor Changes. This is their latest release to date after a two-year hiatus as a duo. ‘The Paper’ is lyrical poetry that speaks to our generation that has experienced the pandemic and the many challenges that it has presented; from our insufficient cash flow to lowered self-esteem.
We find out more about Leyya and the process of releasing ‘The Paper’.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
We both grew up making and listening to music, I guess there’s no memory without music at all. We met at a very young age and music was the one thing connecting us from the beginning.
What spurred the decision to begin releasing music together again?
We have never stopped making music together! It just didn’t feel like it was the right time to release something. People were so fed up with what was happening that we felt it was necessary to wait for the right time to give something again. And here we are.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
No, we always start differently. We don’t want to repeat ourselves or follow a certain pattern cause it worked for the last song, we really want to try something new every time. I guess the only thing that has never changed and will never change is us always having to be in one room together and throw ideas at each other. It wouldn’t work for us if we’d have to work separately.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
This is like comparing chocolate and wine, you can’t. Both of them are beautiful experiences and give us a lot. It’s some different kind of magic that is going on in different places and it comes together anyway. You can’t just separate this.
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
People telling me that our music “saved them” in some sort of way. If it’s because of the lyrics, the vibe, the way it makes them dance or cope with emotions. This is what listening or writing music does to me as well and giving this to other people with the music I/we make is incredibly beautiful.
You have previously mentioned that you see this song as a form of therapy for yourself in these trying times, and you did not aim to produce a commercial track. Describe the feeling you had on the release day?
It was kind of strange to us to release a song that is so different from everything we did before. We knew that this song will not “hit” people in the face with the production, but we felt that it and the way it was produced has something to it that could speak to the audience in a different way. And we were curious to see how everyone will receive this and are happy to get such good feedback. I guess in times like these people need songs that comfort them in any way.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
All kinds. Every kind of music stands for itself and has something special. If it is well made we don’t limit ourselves in genres especially when it comes to inspiring our own music. So I guess we’d play stuff that we feel is inspiring and stands out, but not limited to any genre.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
Haim – Women in Music pt. III
Julia Jacklin – Crushing
The Neighbourhood – Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
Being able to have music as a full-time job is something we have never imagined to happen to us, but it did. We are very thankful for that. Making music for ourselves and putting it out and having people like it too is a success for us. And as long as we are allowed to do this we are happy.
One last thought to leave your fans with?
Thanks for listening to our music.
Purchase & Stream ‘The Paper’ here
Follow Leyya:
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify