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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with London based band Lyra to find out more…

Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Most of us met while we were students at BIMM in Fulham. EJ (Keys) and Anselmo (Drums) are both from Italy while Jenna (Vocals), James (Guitar) and George (Bass) are from England. The name Lyra came from the star constellation. We liked the sound of it more than anything and always wanted a one word name. We’ve since tried to justify it based on the amount of stars being the same as the amount of band members but I think we’re one off!

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Jenna grew up listening to Motown, soul and R&B. People like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Adele. James grew up listening to bands like Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance and Don Broco. So two very different ends of the spectrum. I think both our tastes have changed a lot over the years. Between us we listen to people like Wolf Alice, Olivia Dean, Willow, Paramore, Lily Moore and anything that comes up on Release Radar and Discover Weekly.

How would you describe your sound?
Soul music if it was going through an indie phase with a hint of funk. Not to forget the occasional guitar solo for good measure.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest release is called France. Following our previous single “Rooftops” we wanted to write something a little more light hearted and fun. The lyrics are themed around travelling and spontaneity so the result was something very playful and fun to write. We tried to create a sonic theme that would take the listener abroad by using nylon string guitars, different types of percussive elements and Latin inspired drum grooves. I think everyone has a nostalgic feeling tied to being abroad and that’s what the song is meant to capture.

What’s your local music scene like?
Living in London has its pros and cons when it comes to being an independent band. It’s amazing to be surrounded by so many music venues and other aspiring artists who push you to be better. You’ve basically got the industry on your doorstep. Unfortunately we’ve noticed a big decline in the amount of people attending smaller gigs in London over the past few years. We’ve had more success travelling further out to other cities in the UK where it’s less expensive to go out and people aren’t conflicted with as many options for entertainment. Saying that, we’ve worked with some amazing promoters in London recently and have had the privilege to play alongside some really inspiring bands and artists who we might not have met elsewhere.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
It would be amazing to work with an orchestral section at some point in the future. It’s cool seeing bands like Architects and Bring Me The Horizon doing live performances with string arrangements because it teases emotion further out of the song and turns it into something huge.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We’re about to start the festival season where we’ll be performing at Car Fest, Fate Music Festival, Foodies Festival, Worcester Music Festival and more. We’re currently in the process of working on new music with a lot of demos flying around so we’re trying to narrow it down before we start recording.

You can find out more about Lyra on their website or via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.