In November, London-based singer Lyves shared her latest single “No Love,” which managed to be simultaneously heartbreaking and therapeutic. It didn’t hurt that the Atu-produced track was also quite catchy. “No Love” shared just a short preview of what was to come on her Like Water EP.
On the 4-track EP, Lyves flexes her sharp ability to turn heartache and vulnerabilities into music that can help heal listeners experiencing similar situations. The opening track, “Darkest Hour” puts more emphasis on this concept. For its pairing video, Lyves explained that she and director Nathanael Williams wanted to create an empowering video for women that not only “celebrates the vulnerability we all share, but ultimately our strength and our unity.”
The new video shows simplistic portraits of various of different ages and backgrounds who are all represented within Lyves' lyrics. "It was a moving experience to film these shots," Lyves explained. "And hear various women's stories of what strength means to them personally."
We spoke to Lyves about the meaning behind her touching new video, and how her Like Water EP came together. Stream her new EP in full, and continue below to learn more about it.
Explain the concept behind the "Darkest Hour" video.
The concept was created alongside my longtime collaborator, Nathanael Williams, who also directed the video. We hoped to create a video that captured women's raw essence—their inner world and strength—through honest, [non-stylized] portraits. We asked women around London if they would like to take part in a music video that celebrates the vulnerability we all share, and ultimately our strength and unity. It was beautiful to see women of all ages and backgrounds wanting to take part for this reason. It was a moving experience to film and hear various women's stories of what strength means to them personally.
The songs on your new Like Water EP seem very personal, what was the writing process like?
Hard. I felt swamped by so many difficult emotions at the time and at first I couldn't really articulate them musically but I chose not to give up and I learned to be patient through the process. Someone once told me that for every 10 days of songwriting you do, you may get one good day. That's always stuck with me. As Joni Mitchell once said “a songwriter's job is to show up at their instrument every day.”
I remember the day I wrote "Darkest Hour" very clearly. It felt like a weight had been lifted and that I'd finally managed to break through the wall that wasn't allowing me to pour out what was inside me, screaming to come out. Trusting that I could let everything out felt cathartic and liberating. After that day I felt able to connect deeper. That is my ultimate goal really, to connect with others through music. If one song can help someone for even a moment through their day, I feel like I've done my job.
You've been making music for a few years now, what do you think has had the biggest impact on your growth as an artist?
I've been writing for about 8 years. It's been a battle at times as I had to teach myself how to play an instrument and also how to produce. I think staying true to who I am, and why and how I write is so important. I pour all my deepest emotions into my music and hopefully some people can feel that.
What do you want listeners to take away from your new music?
Hopefully some will enjoy it and connect to it. It's a little idealistic of me perhaps but I would love for people to feel inspired to follow their dreams and recognize the beauty of true emotion and what it can teach us about listening to our hearts.
What other plans do you have for 2017?
I've started writing my second EP which I'm very but excited about. Hopefully the things I've learned from writing the first have helped me become a little braver [to] experiment and dig even deeper. I'm also looking forward to playing some live shows this year. I'm playing a gig on Feb 5th in Berlin and also Feb 20th in London. I hope to also write a full length album this year!
