Singer Lea Lu flying high
«I travel with the music»
The Swiss singer Lea Lu returned from a six-month stay in New York in autumn – her irrepressible desire for new musical collaborations makes the Zurich native more popular than ever.
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Lea Lu is about to fly high: the Zurich native returned to Switzerland this fall with new songs and a lot of new musical contacts.
Laszlo SchneiderEditor People
It started with a phone call. The Zurich singer-songwriter Lea Lu (37) was in New York when a voice on the other end of the line asked if she could travel to Milan for a concert. Lea Lu said she was in the US and was making music there. After another failed attempt, she was told during the third phone call that the client was the luxury label Louis Vuitton. The Zurich resident was on the plane to Italy faster than she would have liked and played an exclusive concert. Speaking of Milan: When Blick reached Lea Lu, she was back in Milan – this time she was invited by Ralph Lauren. She had made contact at the Louis Vuitton show.
Anyone who follows the singer on Instagram rarely discovers her in the same place several times – Lea Lu and her combination of jazz and pop, to which she often gives a pinch of melancholy with her almost hypnotizing, crystal-clear voice, is in demand like never before. Blame? Especially New York, as she tells Blick: “I was able to experience myself musically in a new way there,” she enthuses. From the beginning she was looking for encounters with other musicians. What counts after the talks with the artists is speed, Lea Lu laughs: “You really have to meet to make music within the next week, otherwise you’ll be forgotten.”
Always follow the music
Nobody has forgotten her, the Zurich native seems to have left a lasting impression in their encounters. After trips from concert to concert, bar to bar and joint sessions, she not only returned to Switzerland with new songs in her luggage – her network has grown considerably. In particular, meeting the Indian singer Prateek Kuhad (32) had more than positive side effects: the singer-songwriter asked Lea Lu if she wanted to accompany him spontaneously on his tour of Europe. The Zurich resident did not show any signs of fatigue – even if she had to check into a new hotel almost every night: “I love to follow the music,” enthuses Lea Lu – “and as strange as it sounds: I draw more energy from it than that it costs me strength.”
The flight will continue – she plans to play shows in India in December – and meet up with Kuhad again for songs together. Is there still time for the new album, the actual main reason for your educational trip to New York? “Something’s coming up right now,” she laughs, which can be expected in 2023. The indie folk band Carm will also be heard on it, with whom she was already able to support the well-known American indie folk band Bon Iver at a performance.
Lea Lu’s thirst for further musical encounters has not yet been quenched – the time in New York has kindled a new, different fire. She therefore advises: “I recommend everyone to break out of their usual environment, even if only for a short time.”