Interview - "Indie 5-0" - Independent Artist Buzz
Reid Lee has been making major waves this year with his new album Broken Arrows; a stunning record that showcases his work as both a songwriter and performer. Making traction with a series of singles and videos, most recently “To The Limit,” which premiered last week. We had the honor of catching up with Reid Lee for an exclusive Indie 5-0 which you will find below!
1. Your new album, Broken Arrows, is gorgeous. Is there a major theme that appears in each song?
I would say there is a major theme IN each song, but that each song has a different major theme. These are all stories, life lessons really, from my life. Things I’ve learned in moments when the landscape of my world shifted. So, while no two songs really have the SAME theme, each song definitely does embody a theme of one of those life lessons.
2. When did you start working on this album?
Technically, I started working on the album back in Late February/Early March of 2016, but the truth is I’ve been working on it my whole life, in one way or another, either living the stories to tell, or prepping myself with the performances of other music, I’ve been working on what I wanted to say as a performer.
3. What do you want your audience to take away from your music?
I’d like the listeners to know that you aren’t alone. Although the human experience has us trapped in our own bodies, we are all the same type of animal. We are all human. You aren’t the only one who’s ever felt the way you do. I want them to feel as connected to the music as I do, and in turn connect to me. That’s what my music is about, reaching out and connecting.
4. Do you write music or lyrics first?
That all depends on what I hear in my head first. Some days a melody will come to me and I’ll think “oh this should be a love song” and then find the kind of lyrics that fit the type of love song I want to write, but other days I’ll find a lyric and think “I have to build a song around this”, and depending on the lyric I’ll find the type of melody that matches. Once in a rare while, the whole song will come to me in a flash, one or two of the songs on the album did that, and I’ll have to sit down right at that moment and write the whole thing, those are the moments of what feel like divine inspiration.
5. I know you’re probably still celebrating your album release, but do you have any other plans coming up?
I do! I’ve just released my second music video for the song “To The Limit”, one of my favorites off the album, and coming up I’ll be releasing another cover song, and at the end of the summer I’ve got a concert in LA that will hopefully be kicking off a small west coast tour! Stay tunes to my social media @ReidLeeMusic on Instagram and Twitter, and Facebook.com/reidleemusic for all the latest updates about the tour and the music!