Interview With 'Lillye'

Thanks a lot for taking time out to speak to 3 Songs And Out. You must be very proud of your debut album? 'Evolve' is a powerful statement of intent. Please state your name and what you do in the band?

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, we are very proud of our debut album. The amount of dedication and work that goes on behind the scenes to release an album is immense so to finally have it all ready to go is rewarding in itself. My name is Virginia and I am the lead singer of the band.

You trained in Musical theatre touring Europe in shows such as Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair amongst others. What drew you to taking to a different stage and fronting a Hard Rock band?

I have always dabbled in different projects from styling, to choreographing, to fronting various bands. I had an original Hard Rock band in Germany and absolutely loved the vocal freedom it gave me. When I moved back to Australia, the urge to start something fresh and unique stirred inside and wanted to try to explore that freedom again.

I found the vocals very powerful and the belts were so controlled, in a genre where lyrics are often strained or screamed, how did your Musical Theatre training help?

Musical theatre is great training for any performer. Doing 8 shows a week you need not only vocal stamina to get through but the physical endurance also. It’s all about breath control and where that air is coming from. An old singing teacher once told me ‘singing is just air and confidence, those words of wisdom have stuck with me.

Have you experienced any instances of people 'looking down their noses' because of your MT background?

Oh absolutely! Most people, especially in the Rock scene, see musical theatre as fluffy and fake. I hope that I can prove them wrong.

How did the band get together?

Lillye began when I went into Christians’ (bass player) studio to record for another project. I was looking to start a new band, and fortunately so were Christian and guitarist, Matt. We started writing tunes and then Bennet (drummer) came on board. From there we began writing demos which were to become our first EP.

What were your main influences and who influences you now? What was the last album you listened to?

We have a varied amount of influences but personally my main influence was and still is Skunk Anansie along with Sevendust and Led Zeppelin. We all have such diverse range of tastes in music so I guess we somehow zone into our own vibe and see what comes out of it. The last album I listened to was Foo Fighters Concrete and Gold.

There was a long gap between the release of your debut EP and Evolve, why was that?

Our EP was getting recognized for some time after we released it so we felt no rush to release our album. There was a lot going on personally for each band member throughout this period. So.. we took the time creating and perfecting an album that best represented Lillye.

The artwork is very striking, could you tell me a little more about it and what it signifies?

Thank you! I am quite proud to say that after a nudge from the boys in the band, I drew the album cover artwork. It expresses the beginning of time and the state of the world at the moment. My aim was to make it abstract with lots of movement representing progression.

Although the tracks on the album are not overly long they seem epic both musically and with the amount of lyrics, would you consider this to be one of your trademarks?

Wow. Thank you again! What we had envisioned all along with Lillye was to have driving guitar tracks, churning bass lines, intricate and interesting drums with diverse and unique melody lines with huge memorable choruses. It’s nice to hear that we may have created a trademark.

What are your best memories of recording the album?

There were lots of memorable moments including me having an allergic reaction to seafood whilst recording vocals for ‘Grass Is Greener’. My lips swelled up, my throat closed up and the dizzy head spells lead to us having to stop recording. But the best memory was hearing it all come together after the mixing and mastering was complete.

So for the uninitiated, could you describe a typical Lillye gig?

I guess the best way to describe a Lillye gig would be a highly energized loud Rock show. It will hit ya hard from the first note to the last note. We strive to recreate what’s on the album live.

Is there a tour planned to coincide with the album release?

We are doing a few shows here in Australia for the album release and are really looking forward to getting out there. It’s such a great feeling to mix with the crowd and to smash our tunes out.

Are there any plans to come over to the UK and Tour?

We would love to get over to the UK and tour. It’s just a matter of when.

How would you like Lillye to be described?

Our aim is to be unique and memorable. To be described as this would make us content.

What is next for Lillye?

We have more videos to shoot, release more singles from the album, tour as much as we can with the album and continue to write tunes. And most importantly, to keep evolving.

Website - www.lillye.net

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lillyeband/

Interview - Tony Creek