Léa Sen is a polymath: the 22 year old writes, plays, produces and mixes everything on her own records. But she’s clear where her inspiration starts: “Guitar is my number one thing,” she says. “It’s the thing I pick up before anything else. It influences everything I do. I actually struggle writing melodies on top of a song, but when I have a guitar in my hands, the way they work together just comes very naturally. That’s really my challenge: ‘how can I take those electric sounds in my head, more experimental ambient stuff, with guitar fingerpicking and make it all work together?’ That gets me going every day.”
Born in France but living in London, Sen’s music has a broad-minded quality that draws from many styles. Latest single Hyasynth teases her forthcoming EP. Although it uses a simple two-chord groove, the chords themselves are expansive, jazz-influenced voicings. Léa often challenges herself to find new chord shapes. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Why am I trying to be unique? Let me just play pop songs!’ I grew up listening to jazz where harmony could get really interesting and complex. I connected with it, like ‘oh my god I just I don’t hear that on the radio!’ I’m really trying to have songs that people can listen to, because I used to make songs that were so weird. I would have musicians be really excited about them and then my mom wouldn’t care about them! So I’m trying to have songs that my mom can listen to but also I do really think about harmony and melodies and how they connect together.”
Léa’s guitar collection is simple: a 70s Telecaster which she records direct to the computer, a Taylor electroacoustic which she records with a Shure SM7 mic, and a nylon-strung guitar she bought from a friend for £10.