At age 15, Lily Louise released her sensational debut Falling and the leaves that followed. Two years later she teamed up with Hannah Robison to form Jupiter and the Moon. Lily's latest project, Clews, sees Lily team up with her sister Grace! Tomatrax caught up with Lily to talk about her music.
It's been two years since your last interview on Tomatrax, what have you been up to since then?
I finished school and went overseas for a while. Then I came back to start a degree at uni but that didn't last too long, I realised that for now I'll stick to writing songs.
How did your latest project with your sister come about?
I much prefer singing with her rather than by myself, and we've done that since we were kids. I guess the timing is right at the moment in that we're both really keen to give it a crack. After performing with Grace, going solo always feels like a backwards step for me so we're really in it together now.
How does playing with your sister compare to playing in other bands?
I haven't done too much collaborating really but not only is Grace one of my best friends, singing with her is like second nature. Sometimes we click so well we can't even get through a new song for the first time, we just get too excited and can't stop smiling.
Are there any other family members who might join the band later on?
We're the only kids in the fam but I'm sure mum and dad could happily steal the spotlight if given the chance; our gang are all musical. And our grandma is already in a band. The Milton Town Band. She plays the cornet.
Where did the name Clews come from?
I just thought of it and liked the sound of it then looked it up...it's the piece of string you unravel as you walk into a labyrinth so you can find your way out.
How do you work out who plays what and who sings when?
I basically write the song, sing it to Grace, she picks up a harmony and that's that. Our live shows are pretty simple: just me playing electric guitar and the two of us singing.
Are there any plans to release an album?
Yes we would love to. We're cooking up something good.
When writing what comes first, the music or the words?
Usually the words. I stockpile lyrics all the time, I write pages of notes in my phone or in my books and then I go back through and look for ideas and write music to suit them. Or sometimes a whole line comes to me, lyrics and melody and all, and I'll use that as a starting point to build the rest of a song around.
There's quite a lot of emotion and feeling and your lyrics, where do you get the inspiration for the themes in your songs?
The ideas are usually pretty abstract. Like if it's happened to me it's probably happened to you, so I try and write universal stories. But I've been writing songs since I was a wee little grom, so now I'm a bit older I can see them get more and more personal as I experience more I guess.
Will there be any future releases from Jupiter and the Moon?
Not at this stage. Hannah is killing it with all her solo material. I'm so lucky we're best buds, it's nice having someone that talented/creative/hard working to hang around with.
Critics have commented on how your voice has matured, do you feel you've developed as a musician over time?
Yes! Because I recorded stuff when I was so young I get to listen back to it now and see how much I've grown up. I took a break from writing and gigging after school and focused on learning about the kind of music I really want to make. I think that was a good move.
What do you have planned in 2016?
I'll focus on recording and performing with Grace, we'll release some proper stuff together and see how that goes. I've been waiting to do this for a long time, so I'm trying to keep my cool but I'm really just so excited to show people our new music. Hopefully 2k16 will be rockin and rollin for everyone.