Inspired #377 - Cherry Lena
Cherry Lena is an alternative Pop R&B singer-songwriter from Montreal, Canada.
Having first captured the attention of audiences with her performances on The Voice Quebec in 2018, she has since been making a name for her stunning combination of warm R&B tones and subtle 1950's jazz vocals. Her music is rich and timeless, resulting in a sound which effortlessly displays the musician’s undeniable talent and passionate delivery.
Her latest single “Sad Boy” narrates being purely infatuated with a certain person, but eventually realising that you probably spent too much time fantasizing about them, rather than getting to know them in the real world. Lena confides, “It's about a Sad boy I met last fall. He fascinated me. I think in great part because I simply didn’t understand him. At the time, I didn’t realize how greatly I had romanticized the idea of him. I still remember the times when we would text each other for hours like highschool kids and how it made me feel. Although, nothing about the idea I created of him in my head ended up being as great as who he was in reality. I often find things to be better in my imagination.”
She took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
I discovered Amy Winehouse so late in my life. But when I did, I was hit by such a huge amount of passion for her music. She has this song 'Cherry' on her Album ' Frank'. It's about her guitar 'Cherry' and the lyrics goes like:
And when I'm lonely, Cherry's there
And she plays along while I sing out my blues
I could be crying and you don't care
You won't call me back, you're stubborn as a mule
And somehow I always wanted to be Cherry for someone. And that's how Cherry Lena was born.
Then there's Lana Del Ray because her songs are poetry. Nobody writes like she does and any artist from any genre can benefit from analyzing her songs. She brings something so unique and raw musically that nobody else can do like she does.
And lastly, Ariana Grande, who's my favorite mainstream pop artist. You can find Ariana's songs all over my Pop playlists. In my opinion, there is no soprano singer as good as her since Mariah and Minnie Riperton. Her vocal skills level's insane and undeniably impressive.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
All of Gaspar Noé's movies. Especially 'Love' and ' Enter The Void'
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
Berlin! It's a place filled with art where inspiration can be found at any corner of the city. There is a specific edge in art, music and fashion there that is specific to Berlin and cannot be found elsewhere. There's also the feeling that you can be your true eccentric self there and do whatever you want. I like that
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
Every artist that goes after their dreams and hustle hard to make things happen! It's the life we chose, we give everything we have but it's sometimes chaotic as hell. I find inspiration in all the artists around me who keep grinding!
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
It's about a sad boy I met last fall. He fascinated me. I think in great part because I simply didn’t understand him. At the time, I didn’t realize how greatly I had romanticized the idea of him. I still remember the times when we would text each other for hours like high school kids and how it made me feel, Although, nothing about the idea I created of him in my head ended up being as great as who he was in reality. I often find things to be better in my imagination.
It was a gloomy October night. I remember it as the day I had just realized that this boy was going to be nothing but another disappointment. I was in such a bad mood and it felt like no song could match the exact way I was feeling. So I opened GarageBand on my computer and started writing this song.
How would you like to inspire people?
Allowing themselves to feel their emotions and not seeing their pain as a weakness but as something that makes them grow into the elevated version of themselves.
