Introducing #168 - Ana De Llor
Let us introduce you to Portuguese artist Ana De Llor - who is ready to throw herself into pop stardom with her own blend of avant-pop with her daring new single ‘Malèna’. She took a moment to talk to us about her music.
Hey there Ana, how are you? So your new track ‘Malena’ is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
Hi! I’m really good, thank you. Yes, Malena is finally out and I’m so excited about it. Like my previous singles, this one is also named after a female character. It was inspired by a film with the same name by Giuseppe Tornatore, where Monica Bellucci portrays a beautiful woman who is crushed by her village just because she exists. The community she lives in, will only rest once she stops living in her full form and is almost invisible. With Malena, I give back the power to this character. The song rejects any kind of mould the patriarchal society has for me or anyone who identifies as a woman. It puts to the side the idea we need to fit anyone’s expectations or ideas of what we’re meant to be, do or behave, in order to be accepted as a pre constructed idea of what a woman is. Malena is not a fight, but instead, is a sarcastic confrontation, and affirmation of the ownership of our own bodies.
Where are you based? What are your favorite things to do there?
I’m in South East London, and I absolutely love it here. Love the community, the green spaces, and the blend with the amazing social life there is around. The best thing about the area is how close I am to either a night out, amazing food (I’m Portuguese, this matters a lot), a chilled stroll or a good rooftop for day drinking with some of my best friends. There is also an amazing creative community and it’s great that I managed to film two of my music videos in local studios.
Along with the track, you have released a music video - how do the visuals connect with the track?
As an artist, I always see what I put out as one body of work. So the sound will always be associated with an image created by myself at the same time I create a song. Malena’s music video was produced, directed and edited by me (like all my previous videos). I have synesthesia, which honestly I always say is a great creative perk. That helps me envision the colour scheme I want for my imagetic or the kind of mood and textures the images will have.
I had this strong vision of a version of the Pieta image - I tend to use a lot of religious iconography in order to shift the often one sided female stories in it. The image of the woman is always as the carer, the one that becomes invisible to help a man to thrive. So with this Pieta - which becomes complete at the end of the video- I wanted to portray a figure that would hold a woman instead. In order to lift her and to carry her to a stronger and more present self.
Besides this main image, I really wanted to have dance in the video and to show that side of me. As a kid I used to make full on choreographies to either girl’s bands or epic film soundtracks. So this time, I decided to take this seriously. I worked alongside two brilliant dancers (Misa Koide and Martina Lukesova) to create the movement I had in mind, and the rest of the cast - all made by wonderful and talented women I know personally - joined in to put everything together.
It was really important to free myself in this video in terms of visual expression and movement. As the song mentions the “crushing” of women into a mold, I just really wanted to go against that and do whatever I please. And to celebrate all these beautiful people that I was so lucky to perform with.
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
I’ve alway listened to so many different artists and genres, and I am sure all of them played a part in building me up as a musician. From classical film soundtracks, to metal, to techno, and so on - as long as it makes me feel something, I’m in.
The Portuguese folk music has played a big part into the melodies I create and the way I sing. Which is something I only realised a few years ago. I guess it’s such a natural thing that I didn’t notice straight away. The background of my family in the Portuguese interior villages has brought a lot of those melodies and its beautiful simplicity to me.
In the last few years I have been in love with artists that bring their own background, identity and creative past to their work. Like FKA Twigs, bringing her dance and theatre life story into her latest shows has blown my mind when I watched it before lockdown. Another two are Rosalia and Maria Jose Llergo - amazing use of their heritage in very different ways. And I live for Moses Sumney’s gorgeous sensitivity and for James Blake's use of everything basically.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
For a quick elevator pitch, I would say I do dark avant-pop songs, with Portuguese hints and very beat driven music.
A friend said it was epic electronic pop. Not mad about that to be honest!
What next for you?
I am releasing my EP in a few months, so I'm really excited about that. And following a live showcase I had last week, I am so ready to be hitting the stages. I honestly just want to do it over and over again.