Interview with Lynda
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
(Russ) I think I would be a pizza delivery boy. That’s always been my other dream.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
(Russ) I like to take long walks with my little whippet ‘Casper’ , which helps me clear my head. Visual arts inspire me a lot more than music, watching a film or visiting an art gallery always inspires me to create new sounds.
How long has your band been around?
(Russ) We've been friends for almost 10 years but we’ve only been making music together for the last 4 or 5 years I think!
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
(Russ) The project was formed in London, and there were so many inspiring artists coming out of south east London at that time, it felt like a real movement. I’m now based in Bristol which has produced some great artists. Youcef is in Paris, which is cool because I felt most inspired by a lot of French artists growing up , like Daft Punk, Mr Oizo, Justice etc.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
(Russ) The name ‘Lynda’ was taken from a vintage American diner jacket I found in a charity shop. It had the name Lynda embroidered on the front and we just loved that aesthetic so much. I like the idea that Lynda is a real person, and that our project is named after her (and she’ll probably never know).
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
(Russ) We played a really intimate show in a place called Palm Vaults in Hackney, east London. It was really cool because the front doors of the venue were just open so people were just walking in off the street and discovering our music.
With my previous project I played a sold out show at Koko which was amazing, also playing the BBC introducing tent at Glastonbury was a highlight for sure!
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
(Russ)We’ve not played many shows as ‘Lynda’ yet, so we’re just keen to get going, we really want to play some festivals! That would be a new experience for this project. As I mentioned before, I'd also love to play koko again. Also I wanna play in a castle, I don’t know if it’s possible , but it should be, why not…
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
(Russ) Oof, ok well if ‘Lynda Fest’ was a real thing, this would be the main lineup:
Daft Punk
YMO (they’d reunite for Lynda Fest)
Bladee
Toro Y Moi
Caribou
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
Just be yourself, don’t try to replicate what anyone else is doing, your individuality is what makes your music special.
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
Don’t be a musician, do something respectable that actually pays the bills.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Our song Past Times holds a special place in my heart, because it’s the track that gave us hope to keep the project going.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
‘Static’ always goes down well live, people always wanna hear ‘UFO’ .
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
I’m always making instrumentals, so we have a massive library of instrumentals to work with. Youcef will choose a few of them that he resonates with the most, and he will start toplining and writing lyrics . From there we refine the writing together and then put the cherry on top with final production touches.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
We want people to understand that Lynda is not only a music duo, but a universe. We hope to expand the project into more than just music soon, and people can escape reality into our world.
Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
We rarely have disagreements - but if we do , we just let the subject sit for a while and come back once we’re clear headed.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
We are releasing an EP in Autumn ! Also our first album in Spring 2023. We’ve been so busy… Our next single is coming out with a music video that we shot in an abandoned Soviet hotel. It's going to be bizarre, hopefully people will love it… stay tuned !!