Luna Li on her new album ‘When a Thought Grows Wings’ : NPR


Flute solos, jazz harp, and “baroque pop” sounds abound on Luna Li’s new album, “When a Thought Grows Wings.” She says the undertaking explores how concepts “take flight and develop into tangible.”



(SOUNDBITE OF LUNA LI SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

Luna Li makes music to make sense of life.

LUNA LI: It’s totally therapeutic for me to get out all my emotions and have an outlet for all the things that I expertise.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

LI: (Singing) If you wish to take slightly piece of me for your self, I’d allow you to. If you wish to style slightly sweetness, attempt it out. I’d come to you.

RASCOE: Luna Li’s new album is titled “When A Thought Grows Wings.” Her track “I Would Let You” explores private boundaries.

LI: I believe it is one of the vital sincere songs that I’ve written. I am all the time difficult myself to be extra weak, and particularly I break up with my accomplice of eight years. After which I additionally determined to make the transfer from Toronto to Los Angeles. All of that change got here collectively on this album that actually grew to be about change and transition.

(SOUNDBITE OF LUNA LI SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

LI: I wrote it primarily based off of a poem that I had in my Notes app on my cellphone simply form of outlining my boundaries, what I am keen to sacrifice, what I am not keen to sacrifice, and all of it form of got here collectively into lyrics for the track. A few the lyrics that actually sum up how I felt have been I’d alternate look after respect, which means I’ve to prioritize myself and my well-being earlier than I can carry myself to any person else.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

LI: (Singing) I’d alternate look after respect. I’d do something to be equally addressed.

I simply bear in mind sitting in my bed room, simply form of occupied with melodies and determining how the phrases have been going to suit. I believe simply the second after I put the lyrics and the melodies along with the backing instrumental, it actually felt like a clicking form of second. And realizing, that is the route for the album. I am actually enthusiastic about this sound. The album title, “When A Thought Grows Wings,” was really taken from a lyric from my track “Bon Voyage” that asks the query, can a thought develop wings? “When A Thought Grows Wings” refers to permitting your innermost ideas and needs to take form, take flight, and develop into tangible and actual.

And through the interval of my life whereas scripting this album, I used to be assembly new folks and falling in love once more for the primary time. And so it was actually a time of realizing, you recognize, I can take my life into my very own arms. I can create change in my life that may profit me and profit folks round me. I can step into my very own energy.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

LI: (Singing) Present me your life and I am going to fill it with mine, oh…

I nonetheless discover it difficult to be weak, however I believe the extra I do it, the simpler it will get. What I actually wished to do with this new album was to create music that feels actually comforting as a result of that was one thing I wanted. I felt like an outsider at many factors in my life. And I need all people to really feel welcome into the world of Luna Li, irrespective of who they’re or the place they arrive from.

(SOUNDBITE OF LUNA LI SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

RASCOE: That was Luna Li discussing her new album, “When A Thought Grows Wings.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I WOULD LET YOU”)

LI: (Singing) If you wish to change up your life…

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