Lévyne Looks Ahead With Single, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’

We are joined by New Zealand based singer/songwriter, Lévyne, in the light of her single release, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’.

Ever since her first single release in 2018, Lévyne has been quickly building a reputation as a household name across New Zealand and her music is finding it’s way to fans all across the world.

Funded by NZ on Air and co-written with long time collaborator, Harry Charles, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’ takes creative inspiration from artists such as Charli XCX and The Japanese House.

With her previous single, ‘Losing Sleep’, looking into the rear view mirror of time, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’ takes a deep dive into the future, despite the uncertainty that surrounds looking ahead.

“I wrote it at such a hard time, but I look back on it now with a lot of love and compassion. It’s brought me so much joy as we’ve worked on it, rehearsed it, played it at numerous shows. I’ve never been particularly interested in fitting some cookie-cutter purpose with music and it feels like the level of detail and life I’ve always wanted for my personal songs.” Lévyne

You can listen to ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’ below:

Would you like to start by telling us a little about your background?

I grew up playing piano from age 5 and learning various other instruments along the way.

I’ve written songs since I was 6 or 7 so it was pretty natural for me to continue this throughout my life.

I studied Music at university and did a producer development year afterwards as well, which collectively gave me all the skills I needed to become a producer and writer.

Lévyne started in 2018 when I released my first song, and has grown and changed a lot over the past 4 years.

What began your exploration of a music career?

Seeing people I admire using creativity and music as a career path really drove me into figuring out how I could make it work for myself.

It was watching them work hard while understanding how long and arduous the process can be which made me take the paths I have.

How would you describe the feel of your music?

The material I’m currently releasing feels the most ‘me’ that anything has yet.

I’d describe my newer music and what’s coming in the future as unpredictable, a mish-mash of sounds and textures.

Things I have released up until now have been in a more general pop-scape which have served their purpose well.

You have recently released your single, ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this single?

This single was inspired by the situation we sometimes find ourselves in where something might be comfortable, but maybe not right for us. I put a lot of heart and energy into creating it because it was an emotional song to write and perform, and I wanted it to be an emotional listen too.

Some of the musical influences came from people like Blood Orange, The Japanese house and Muna.

What does ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’ mean to you?

It means a whole lot to me.

Personally, it’s a time-stamp to an awful but beautiful period of learning in my life.

It also means a lot that I worked on it with my best friend, and that so many people who have come to my shows have been really touched by it and love it as well.

Having it mean something to more people than just myself is very special.

What did the creative process look like for ‘I Don’t Think It’s Me’?

I wrote and produced the first version of the song myself and I honestly thought it wouldn’t go much further than that because I adored the first demo.

The lyrics and melody didn’t change at all but when I took it to my friend and co-producer Harry Charles for some extra production ideas, we kind of overhauled it and turned it into the crazy beast that it currently is.

It was a mix of working in the studio and playing it live, revising and finally settling.

Where do you find your inspiration for your music?

I find inspiration a lot from other music, be it movie soundtracks or songs from other artists.

I also get inspired by simply playing with sounds and instruments while I’m producing, often playing an unusual instrument or tweaking them can create a feeling you can run with for a few hours.

How has Covid-19 impacted your release?

It’s had a huge impact this time around.

The video took us well over 6 months to complete, because we kept running into covid restrictions that delayed the filming.

It’s also generally meant that everyone is slower on the admin side of things, so this song was impacted a lot by that too.

But you can never tell what will happen with anything you release if you’re independent, so it’s just another shot I took, and I’ll always take more.

What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?

I would love to find a label or group that I fit in well to, that can help me sustain a creative lifestyle.

I’d love to create a career for myself as a songwriter and producer.

I’m doing a lot of that now part-time but it’s never easy being out on your own for these things.

I’d also love to play more live shows this year and look at touring in the future!

What is one message you would like to share with your fans?

I just want to say that I truly and deeply appreciate everyone that’s been a fan over the years.

Having people that I can count on to be at shows and hype me up when I need it is invaluable.

Seeing people happy and enjoying what I do is the best payoff I could ever ask for.

Where can people find your music?

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Eh0Mfa8jiw9540B3o5P0N?si=xU2Rg6cVR4e4I6mNvw6TqQ
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/l%C3%A9vyne/1441606939
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2v-kv323hq6TdfyA48MHlA