UK based, Brazilian born, Lilly is the woman behind the magical musical project, Anchor The Sun and joins us to share all about her single release, ‘Going Through The Motions’.
With influences such as David Gilmour, The Beatles, Tropicalia movement and Brazilian poetry, Lilly created Anchor The Sun as a reference to the dualism of existence.
With a passion for capturing the highs and the lows of human existence, Lilly uses her music as a tool to express themes of introspection, despair and hope.
Anchor The Sun’s latest single release, “Going Through the Motions is a cry for help. It’s about feeling trapped and struggling to believe in the possibility for change.”
The track has a 60’s vibe and features stunning layered harmonies over a track of electric guitar and percussive drums.
Along with the single, Lilly has released a video that continues with the vintage feel of the 60’s, which was produced in Zurich by the Austria based Brazilian filmmaker Eduardo Mandim and featured a vintage dress that Lilly found in a well known vintage shop in Edinburgh.
“it was the most memorable shoot of my life – from getting lost and ending up on a ferry boat to playing a guitar solo in the rain and feeling cold for hours on end, it’s for these experiences that we do it, that’s why we love creating so much.”
You can listen to ‘Going Through The Motions’ below:
Tell us a little about who you are in everyday life.
I am a person like any other, with normal human struggles and fears. I cook, do my laundry, and watch TV and occasionally spend way longer than I should thinking about complex stuff, like what is consciousness and how different it must feel to be a cat.
What was it that first got you into music?
When I was 3 my mum enrolled me in music school.
I loved it.
When I was 11 I wrote my first song, it was an escape from reality – I think that’s when I really found my passion for music.
How would you describe the feel of your music?
Bittersweet, honest, human
You have released your new single, ‘Going Through The Motions’.. tell us a little about how this song came about.
Well, as most of my songs ‘Going Through The Motions’ was an outlet for my emotions.
I wrote it in a moment of introspection. It’s funny how my relationship with my music changes throughout the production process – when writing, I’m fully connected with the meaning of the lyrics.
So much so that sometimes I cry whilst writing.
Then during arrangement, I am connected to the instrumentation, and the emotion is completely different – when writing I’m mostly sad and feeling defeated, almost as if nothing else could fix things apart from writing a song.
When arranging, I am excited, feeling empowered and strong.
Maybe that’s why it comes out bittersweet.
What does ‘Going Through The Motions’ mean to you?
It is an attempt to connect with others when struggling to connect with myself.
There is a film clip associated with the song.. would you like to tell us a little about the creation of this video?
It was the most memorable filming experience of my life!
The filmmaker Eduardo Mandim met me in Zurich where we spent two days filming.
Some of it was planned but what really made it such a unique experience was having to improvise, getting lost in a city we didn’t know.
I was cold the whole time (as you can see in the Behind The Scenes footage), but totally worth it.
This production is a dream come true.
What is your creative process like, when you are creating your music?
There isn’t a specific moment in which I am creating music.
Everything fuels my creativity, and I feel the process is constant.
I have a note on my phone where I write things to use later if I can’t sit with my guitar at the time.
I go back to it and sometimes find things from years ago.
Sometimes I’m noodling on my guitar and something sounds cool, I’ll remember that to use it in a song later.
When the main theme of a song is defined, then I think of structure and how to make it more dynamic.
At times, it’s a chorus that comes first and when it’s a strong one, I’ll write a song just to give life to that chorus. Sometimes I’m ruminating a feeling and will only set it free and find peace if I write a song using that feeling.
Has there been anything along the releasing process that you would do differently next time?
With every campaign we try to learn from our mistakes and do better.
What I want to do differently next time is improve our PR strategy, having a solid schedule and clear goals and learn to accept that we’re doing our very best given the circumstances, so not stress out about things not being perfect (that’s a tough one).
What would success in your music look like to you?
That has changed over the past couple of years.
When Anchor the Sun began, success meant having enough money in to have a good life.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to make that happen and I ended up losing what got me into writing in the first place: connecting with others.
So I am now focusing on the two things I love the most about making music, which are the freedom to be/do whatever I feel like because it is my safe creative space, as well as connecting with others – both by helping people feel less alone and to feel less alone myself.
Is there any message that you would like to share with your audience?
I love knowing that my music has a place in your life, I like imagining you going about your day listening to my music, maybe when you’re cooking, doing your laundry, or occasionally spending way longer than you should thinking about complex stuff, like what is consciousness and how different it must feel to be a cat.
Where can people go to find your music?
Aaaall streaming platforms! And you can find out more about me on Instagram too 🙂
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.