LA-based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and filmmaker Holly Blair recently released her latest EP Then Comes The Lightning – a record full of spark, which explores the complex nature of being human (or in some cases AI).
Holly Blair took the time to answer a few questions with LOUD WOMEN! Check out the interview below.
Share the inspiration behind Then Comes The Lightning.
I wrote this EP in a period of time when I knew I needed a forest fire. I was tired of repeating so many of the same patterns of much of my early 20’s and was in a period of contraction. I knew if I wanted something new to grow in me and around me, I needed to burn it down to the root, to let the house fall that had held me up for so long. The EP is really the first moment in time where I can see myself meeting all the parts of me I had left hidden in the shadows for so long for fear of not being “good.”. It came from personal fears around substance abuse and romantic trauma, and more universal topics like AI, modernity and identity. These songs came from quiet moments spent alone with my instruments, from conversations with friends, from dreams that stuck with me in the morning light. It came from the part of me that had lived quietly in the shadows waiting to have a voice.
Describe your writing process:
I generally write demo’s alone, with a single instrument, revising until I feel ready to share in the studio. For example, ‘Used To Dying’ I wrote at my parents piano in my childhood home while watching a movie in my head about an AI gaining consciousness. The song, the story, and the chords all came at once and the actual song didn’t change much from the time it was written right there and then to the time it was released. I then brought it to my two friends, Caleb Knott (BROODS) and Kyle Berzle, and we began production on it. Generally my songs come from moments spent alone, and just sort of letting whatever wants to come through me move. The story I realised later, wasn’t just about my fears surrounding AI, but was actually about me. About all the times I feel I’ve been reset or reborn in this life, coded and built by the information around me, processing and learning, only to get closer to myself in the end.
What’s your favourite song from Then Comes The Lightning?
To me, ‘Line Again’ holds a special place in my heart because of the process around making it. It’s the first self-produced track I’ve released and I made it with my best friend and talented producer Charlotte Reed. The two of us just clicked into something, and the air got really still. Charlotte sat with me patiently while I worked through the emotionality of writing the song, which was honestly super painful. Now when I look back I can feel that moment of honesty, of looking at the situation from a perspective I had been so scared of seeing, let alone saying out loud. Also, the two of us making music just feels really cool because it’s really empowering to just be two queer women in the room making music and throwing shit against the wall and learning as we go. We make music really unconventionally, and ‘Line Again’ is the start of something that we’ve been working on since, that I’m really proud of.
How does music shape your filmmaking?
The two are definitely interconnected and ever evolving in their relationship with one another. Since I started as a filmmaker before doing music, I think that my background helped me build a sonic landscape that feels cinematic. When I write, I often see songs and their production visually, and sometimes they even play out like a movie in my head when I write them. I think that’s definitely because my head is wired up like a filmmaker, so story is always at the forefront of what is important to me. I think music has always influenced my filmmaking because it helps me remember that revision is perhaps the most important part of writing, which is something I’ve always disliked doing. In my preferred world, I would write something then never have to read it again. But music has helped me get better at going back and tweaking until it feels right, which I can take with me to screenwriting, directing, and acting.
Who is your favourite filmmaker at the moment?
I’ve been really into Mockumentaries at the moment, so I’ve returned to my childhood by watching the films of Christopher Guest. I think from start to finish those films are so brilliant, and the chaotic energy of anything goes and the improv that lives so well amongst the scripted story is so impressive to me.The world around us is really heavy right now, and so its been a bit hard for me to dive into things that make me feel the weight I’m carrying around most of the day. So as of late, if I can escape to something both playful and thoughtful, I will usually choose to do that.
What’s next for Holly Blair?
I’ve been working on my next body of work, which right now is either looking like an LP or a record. I have been spending lots of days in the studio just messing around finding the sound that feels more and more like me everyday. Producing my own music has been a huge period of growth in my relationship to music and so I’m excited for this next one to come out. Currently though I’m in Denmark taking a little break from the studio, spending time with my family here and helping my sister out with her newborn baby boy. Once I get back to LA in a few weeks I’ll return refreshed and ready to finish this record. More to come on that soon…
Stream Then Comes The Lightning on Spotify.
Find Holly Blair on Instagram | Spotify | YouTube