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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with unsigned London singer Lexi Tréble to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I grew up in Acton for most of my life but was actually born in Congo. I remember when I was around 8 I would sing around the house to music that was being played and then started making little songs of my own and would tell everyone to come to the living room to hear my performance, ahhh what memories! My family was very music orientated and so I think that’s why it came naturally to me. As I got older I was invited to join the church choir and boom it went off from then!

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Coming from a versatile home I was influenced by a lot growing up, at church it was gospel music, and at home soul and jazz. The likes of Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Nina Simone and a cultural singer of the Congo Mari Musamu.

I would say that growing up this developed into more Rnb and Hip-Hop. I really got into music from Brandy, Estelle, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé and the likes of Biggie, Tupac and Jay-Z. Let’s not forget Amy Winehouse – I really looked up to to her as an artist when I was in my teens. I studied music at school so I never lost my love for Jazz, I remember my music composition was The Girl from Ipanema which is a song I love to this day! Timeless.

I would say that when I create music, what I listened to growing up has 100% had a direct influence on my sound. Now I think that I am also moved by different genres. Depending on the mood I would name Ben Howard, Blanco White, Aurora and Tame Impala. Hip-hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Tierra Whack, J-Cole and Kojey Radical and Rnb/Soul/Jazz artists such as Mereba, Celeste and Kaytranada. I really want to list more but I’ll say yeah that’s a few I can name. I would like to say though that Art and metaphorical poetry also Influences my music. I came across wax and gold poetry a year ago which is an amazing way to express yourself!

How would you describe your sound?
I would say that my sound would probably fit into the “new wave” category or Lofi/alternative Rnb. Having been exposed to so many different variations of music I think it’s all just kinda there in the background when I’m creating.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest release is a song called Do U/I Hear. I wrote that song to express my feelings and thoughts around the black lives matter movement. Being mixed race myself this is a matter very close to my heart and directly affects me and my family. I had gone to the protests and I really took in my experience whilst there. I remember seeing a Black man screaming Black lives matter, he had a mask on but I could see in his eyes, the raw emotions and what it meant for him, in that moment I cried – both tears of hope and sadness. Weeks after I got my phone out, started writing and recorded the song. I really wanted to get the audience thinking about what life is like for black people who directly are affected by racism and encourage people to continue walking with us in the fight against injustice.

What’s your local music scene like?
There is a very big presence of music in London, I really do love our music scene, especially gigs where unsigned artists get a chance to showcase. I love finding unheard gems and we have soo many!

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I have so much more unreleased stuff ready to go, I’m releasing a music video for my single Situationship in September and I have been booked for some live performances in London in the next few months. So yeah more music, more live performances and hopefully reach a wider audience!

Keeping a positive attitude that’s it’s going to be a good year for me.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Ooo this is a hard one, I feel like this changes every year for me haha. Currently I would say Mereba or Tierra Whack. In the UK I would say Kojey Radical. Can you tell I’m indecisive?!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Hmmm there can be so many funny moments performing live. What comes to mind for me is once my pianist had taken another turn in the song (my way of saying this PG) and we both looked at each other slyly like ummmm. I continued though and we both laughed after. Another time I remember a guy at the front dancing very fast and it didn’t quite match up with the tempo of my music. He must have been loving it though so if anything it was a good boost for me haha.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I create relatable music so if you wanna get into your feels I am available to listen to on your fav streaming platform 😉 I have even created a feels playlist for those who have had a complicated relationship with love on Spotify which features my song, ‘Situationship’.

Also I love random facts so if you’ve got one to share send me a dm on Instagram!

You can find out more about Lexi via Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify or Twitter.