Love, Loss, and The Kinks: Phebe Lya and her Debut Single
Interview ★ Leanna Hubers ★ @leannagirly★ 5 Minutes
Last month, Phebe Lya released Memories, a nostalgic single inspired by The Kinks and her own personal experiences. The track captures the emotional weight of looking back while still standing firmly in the present, a balance that defines much of her artistry. I had the chance to speak with her about the song and its origins.
Please note that this interview took place before the release
Phebe Lya via InstagramHow would you describe 'Memories' in your own words?
Memories is a song about the fear of losing things that are special to you. Memories are often beautiful things that we cherish, but sometimes you can feel so attached to something, whether it's a person, a place, or youth itself, that it's scary to let it turn into a memory, rather than clinging on to keep it with you in the present.
We get attached, but as George Harrison said: "All things must pass". That is a hard truth, especially for people like me who have attachment issues.
There is one line in the song: "We're moving on" and that is what this song is about. moving on from memories and realizing that we don't always need something to be in our present for us to be close to it. It's okay to let beautiful things go. It's okay to let them turn into a memory.
When did you start writing it?
I wrote it four years ago, when I was eighteen. However, I had only written the chorus and the bridge then. I loved the parts that I had written and always planned on finishing the song, but it was only last October that I sat down to write verses for it, too. Luckily, they came out at once, and I think it was meant to be for me to finish after experiencing four years’ worth of memories in between. At first, the chorus and bridge were about a simple feeling, but it's only now that I understand what I wrote about, because now I have experienced it for myself.
What made you know this was the one you wanted to release as a single? Your first release, nonetheless?
I never thought Memories would be my first single. I have songs that might be catchier, but I rediscovered the beauty of this song when I spent three months in my hometown in Holland, locked away in the middle of nowhere, reading and writing every day. The song became the one which was closest to me at that moment. That's why I told my friend Oliver - who produced, mixed and recorded the track for me - that I would like to work on this song first.
How are you feeling about the release? Are you excited?
I'm so excited for the song to be released. There was a time that I had heard it so often that I wondered if it was even good, but now that I can listen to it again with a fresh mind, I remember why I wanted this to be my first single. It's catchy, and while it reflects me as an individual, it also captures a feeling that everyone can relate to. I can't wait to share it!
(“Memories” is out now.!)
What inspired the song emotionally?
Feelings of love and loss inspired it. I felt quite hopeless, but in a way that I could sit with the feeling and try to make something good of it. I realized the sadness I felt was simple because I had so many things to care about, which I think is something special.
Was there a specific moment, memory, or feeling that started it?
It all began four years ago when all my pictures and videos vanished from my phone. I was devastated, because all of the memories of my favourite holidays were gone. I had been to Montreux and Liverpool, for instance, which I included in the chorus: "Montreux, Liverpool and tragedies" - and it hurt so much that I couldn't see the images which I took there anymore.
I was crushed, but it inspired me to write! I sat on the floor with my dog beside me - "sitting on the floor and you're beside me" - and began to write. The melody and lyrics came instantly. It's one of those songs that just had to come out, I think. And in the end, my pictures and videos came back, too! It all turned out well. I think it was meant to be.
What artists, sounds, or moods influenced this track?
The main influence for this song is The Kinks. I realized this a few days ago when I listened to the Village Green. It's such a quaint and whimsical song and when I heard an instrument that sounds just like my cello pizzicato, I thought it resembled my song very much. This makes a lot of sense considering The Kinks are one of my favourite bands. Or at least, I think they're the band that fits my own personal style and character the most.
Were you listening to anything a lot while writing it?
I was listening to a lot of Oasis, The Clean and The Verve when I began to write the verses for it, which I find surprising because I think the song is a lot more folky than those artists. But they have a nice simplicity to their songs which my song has too.
What kind of world were you trying to build with the sound of the song?
When I worked on the song further in autumn, I was spending a lot of time indoors, and because of that, the song has a cosy feel to it. I was also excited for an upcoming trip to Edinburgh at that point and submerged myself into the aesthetics of that ancient city in the autumnal months. I read and worked on a novel while listening to dark academia ambience videos. I was reading the book A Shadow of the Wind, a gothic-style book set in the '30s and this inspired me, too! I wanted it to have a medieval, gothic, autumnal, whimsical and folky feel, which is why it's so acoustic and features church-and tubular bells, ornate cellos, and dreamlike vocals.
What feeling did you want the listener to sit in after it ends?
I would like the listener to experience comfort within the feeling of loss we can often experience. That it doesn't always have to be a bad thing to move on from things, because we will always have the memories of it to carry with us. I hope they will feel understood, too.
With Memories, Phebe Lya portrays both deeply personal moments and universally felt experiences, proving that sometimes the past is most powerful in the way we carry it forward.
