20-year-old alternative hip hop and folk artist, Lillian Blue Makin returns with their first single of the year “Nicotine”, ahead of their debut Album, “Primary Language”, to follow in spring of 2022.
Co-produced and co-written by Kieran Cousins and Lillian Blue Makin, “Nicotine” explores the story of yearning for a lost love, of putting oneself in situations in which they could simply run into the person they are missing. Nicotine tells a story that we’ve all experienced but may not be upfront about; whether that story materializes in taking the long way home because you know they work on a street you’ll pass, or visiting places you know they love to go just to up your odds of catching a glimpse of someone you can’t get off your mind.
Speaking on the inspiration behind their latest single, Lillian explains: “The song was inspired by a coworker of mine who visited the city where her ex lives and couldn’t help but go by his restaurant and walk past his house, reminiscing and hoping to bump into him. The nicotine and chain-smoking aspect of the story came to be from how I imagined the scenario. She would often tell me these stories of her lost love on smoke breaks and I couldn’t help but think that chain-smoking would be the perfect cover for standing in one place stretching out the minutes just in case the ex comes out on that last cigarette.”
Makin adds, “Nicotine is a very different sound from what I’ve put out thus far, a folk story-telling format which allows me to tap into different parts of songwriting. I am very excited to explore this folk sound in juxtaposition and in harmony with my love for hip hop.”
Lillian Blue Makin’s previous release, “Cover Under Comfort” showcases the Toronto rappers’ talent for story-telling and true lyricism. It currently sits at almost a million streams on Spotify, and has received editorial support from Spotify’s Discover Weekly and Fresh Finds: The Wave.
In our interview, Makin discusses their approach to songwriting, fan support, and how they are trying to make their shows more accessible.
Explain the title of your album.
My upcoming album, to be released in spring of 2022, of which “Nicotine” is the first single, is set to be called Primary Language. The album has strong overarching themes of growing up, of learning and unlearning, and even more so it is simply a collection of work that was primarily made before I even turned 20. I feel as though these songs are musically my “primary language.” They are the basics of what it means to me to grow up and the basics of my songwriting. Musically this album is the start for me, I hope to evolve so much as an artist that my second project will be written from a different point of view as a songwriter, metaphorically morphing into a “secondary language.”
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Write what you want and get personal. Write like no one’s gonna hear the song, like it doesn’t matter if someone else understands it or relates to it, and write for yourself first, with authenticity. When I released my first single “Cover Under Comfort,” the lyrics and subject matter were so specific to a story and relationship in my life, I didn’t think anyone would really understand what I was talking about but I released it for myself. And now I get messages everyday of people relating to such specific lines in the song, it showed me that our experiences as a species really are similar. So write as deeply and as specific as you can, authenticity shines through so clearly in music and it’s what differentiates a quality song from an average one. A tip I have melodically is that usually the first melody you come up with is the best one, music really is all about vibes, when you try to construct that too much, you run the risk of losing the feeling.
What’s the best way a fan can support you?
The best way for someone to support me is to of course come out to any show or event you are able to attend, and purchase any available merch, but mostly I just appreciate when people give any of my songs a chance. With my album coming out all I can ask is that people give every song a chance as they are all so different, when people take the time to see if they will enjoy my music it means the most.
What do you think you could do to make your music or shows more accessible to a more diverse audience?
A real goal of mine is to have interpreters at all my shows and always play wheelchair accessible venues, at least when I have the control to oversee this.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I feel like my queer identity is simply who I am, it is a major part of my individual. It ties into my music as much as any other part of my identity does. And in my music and songwriting I don’t hide parts of myself or force others to shine through so I feel like my queerness comes out as much as it does when I am hanging out with my friends or on a date with my girlfriend. This being said, it is really important to me to be that representation in the music industry, the same way its so important to me when I hear other queer artists.