Blair Lee Dreams of Fantasies and Nostalgia in “Peachy World” Release
Photo by Felice Trinidad
Blair Lee blurs the boundary between fantasy and reality, tapping into a tale of a world where everything is going “peachy” in your head, as facing reality is much harsher. The songstress’ latest release “Peachy World,” is a glimpse into her upcoming, debut EP release The Puppy Game. Lee hopes that listeners can interpret her music and storytelling in a way that serves meaning to them, not necessarily assigning meaning for the listeners. After listening to the lyrics and coming up with her own interpretations, they often change.
“Peachy World” is inspired by the lyrics by The National and Imogen Heap – personal and vulnerable – but not necessarily obvious or literal in their meaning, Lee says.
“Peachy World” comes with an official video directed by Benjamin Del Vasto that feels like the dream montage straight out of a coming-of-age film. Viewers see Blair move through picturesque settings of the beach, a carnival and outside the Bowlerama, feeling the presence of a veiled love from her past always nearby but not close enough to grasp onto.
The beauty of her vulnerable lyricism and ethereal soundscapes comes through in the soft ways her music explores the darkness that comes before the light, in the cinematic promise of a happier ending. Lee uses her lyrics to work through the things she doesn’t understand and the places she doesn’t fit in. Through some of the sadness, hope and warmth always make their way through. Her songs perfectly pair a delicate vocal style with her penchant for 90s style electric guitars and the kind of stark honesty that evokes a gentle nostalgia.
With the release of the dazzling and confessional track like “Peachy World” Lee prepares for the release of her upcoming single “Flower Mind” and a five-track EP installment of The Puppy Game; she is stepping into a new, empowering era of her music journey as she lets go and trusts the process of her creative vision and intuitive storytelling abilities.
Photo by Felice Trinidad
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Unpublished Magazine. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music better. Can you give us a quick introduction to the type of music you make?
[BLAIR]: Definitely alt-pop. Someone once described it to me as gritty ethereal, and I really love that. Maybe gritty, ethereal pop with 90s/2000s influence in the melodies.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Your latest single release “Peachy World” tells a story about creating a fantasy world in your head, as reality doesn't feel as euphoric or blissful. What was the inspiration behind the single?
[BLAIR]: I started off by writing the chorus and that just sort of came to me by thinking it’s okay to be with yourself, no matter whether you're with someone or not with someone. I was taking inspiration from my current relationship, which is hard to say because I think some people hear it and they think it's more of a breakup song, but I wouldn't say it's that. I think it's just the feeling of being uncertain of where something's going and the feeling of knowing that you've become really dependent on someone or you really need someone, but trying to remind yourself that you'll be okay whether or not it works.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What did the creative process look like for you?
[BLAIR]: It was mostly just at the apartment we recorded it. I started with the chorus. It was interesting because for the melody, I came up with that just by playing the melody on the keys and then trying to sing it. I would say the writing process was mostly done at home.
[UNPUBLISHED]: “Peachy World” has a lot of fantasy elements to it. They're almost out of touch with the realm of reality. How do you stay grounded to help feed into or inspire your creativity?
[BLAIR]: I feel like when I am writing something, I let my mind wander and it is very much a fantasy world or just whatever happens in there is what happens. I actually did just start getting back into yoga, doing a challenge this month and I find that really helps. Yoga helps me to actually get out of my thought loops, because you can't really continue to do them [thought loops] while you're focusing on doing the poses. I have been reading as well actually, and also going on walks helps.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You’ve worked closely with producer ModMaxx (Drake, Roy Woods, Tinashe). What was that experience like for you?
[BLAIR]: It was awesome. We work on everything together, so I'm very comfortable with him when we make music, so it's very freeing. No idea gets turned down, so we're able to explore and try to push boundaries here and there.
[UNPUBLISHED]: The “Peachy World” music video feels like a coming of age film with the beach and carnival settings. How was the experience filming the video?
[BLAIR]: I started with the idea of having either an imaginary friend or a ghost of your past relationship and something present in the video, and the idea was to have these parallel scenes of being alone and then the other having the person in the background with you. Kind of having memories come up in certain places. We ended up shooting the whole thing in one day, so it was kind of a whirlwind. We just started at the beach at 12pm and then went to the mall, the bowling alley and then to the carnival by sunset.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Your debut EP The Puppy Game, is set to release later this year, and a huge congratulations is in order. Can you talk us through the inspiration and creative process behind the project?
[BLAIR]: It's all kinds of songs. It's actually all songs from the past year that have accumulated. I found that some of the themes and sonically, it all fits together. I wanted to put it out as a project versus just a single.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are you most excited about having your debut EP out?
[BLAIR]: I'm just excited to have finally put out a body of work, even though it's a small one, five songs, it's still the first of its kind for me. Being the first time doing that, I think that's what I'm most excited about. I'm excited to actually have lots of music in the vault to start putting out and try to maybe build some momentum and start playing more shows hopefully.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How have your friends and family reacted to the EP?
[BLAIR]: They've been really supportive. Really great family that always asks me about it and congratulates me when I see them.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song off the EP and why? Is there a specific lyric or message that stands out to you? What do you love most about it?
[BLAIR]: My favorite changes all the time, but right now I think the song that I'm really liking is called “Last Bite.” I just like the idea behind it and I feel like it kind of ties that up together because that song is about endings and beginnings and trying to hold onto things, hoping that they won't end, but then understanding that everything is cyclical and just to let go and trust life.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Have you had any breakthroughs or lessons while creating The Puppy Game, whether it's like artistically or personally?
[BLAIR]: I think one would just be learning to just trust myself, and not second guessing every lyric or creative decision. Letting it happen and trusting that in the end, things will come together, which they end up doing. I think the main, main thing is trust and second guessing because I think you can pick apart anything, but then if you do that too much, nothing will ever really come together. It's learning to let go.
[UNPUBLISHED]: If you could describe this new music or artistic era that you're in in three words, which would you choose and why?
[BLAIR]: Letting go. Trusting.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What do you hope listeners can take away from The Puppy Game?
[BLAIR]: I just hope that people will actually connect to it in their own way.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career? What does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with us?
[BLAIR]: I definitely see things growing right now as we've been releasing. I feel like I'm feeling a little bit more confident, that's sometimes a hard thing to feel as someone making music. I feel like the more that things are coming together, the more I feel like I want to lean into this more for sure. I would say it's a transitional period in that way. The rest of the year is having one more release called “Flower Mind” coming out Nov. 10, and then the whole project is out Dec. 2.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your wildest dream as an artist? If you can have one thing happen to you, like a milestone or dream collaboration you hope to achieve in your career, What would that look like for you?
[BLAIR]: A milestone would be playing a decent size show. I work right next to a music venue called Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, and it's a decent sized venue of 1,500 people. Remi Wolf and Steve Lacy played there recently. One other thing would be that the people in the audience know the lyrics and are screaming them back to you.
