@flowerleena_ is the first flower on the wall for 2022! Leena is a young singer and songwriter born in Bulgaria and studied her BA levels in UK. She is part of the @wearestereofox label and works closely with @kamenmakesmusic @evgeny_enchev and @soundninjaacademy on recent music projects.
#young #talented #aware of her desires and where she is headed. Sensual and emotionally intelligent with her music and not only. Leena is currently making such a jump start in her career at the right time, with the right people. That is also happening in Bulgaria, which makes me personally too happy. Surely the audience here needs that injection of soft and confident voice, and I could also say #bravery.
Enjoy the read and follow her on any music platform you prefer. Links are listed at the end of the interview!
Photography: Anna Krenkel
Graphic design: Boris Mihov
Text edit: Maria Sopadzhieva
Education and collaborations… They seem to be interacting in your career path with synchronicity. Would you drop some light on that? University and the bands, the freedom there.
University in the UK gave me a LOT. It is so far my favorite life experience as it combined tons of amazing memories, new friendships, collaborations but also growth in a way that I would have never reached at this age if I haven’t had studied abroad.
I was in a funk/jazz band with some of my course mates which eventually became one of my closest people there. Thanks to the university program and modules, we had the chance to experience touring around the UK and get a taste of how hard it actually is. We also had unlimited access to studios and some of the best performance gear there is. I was also really impressed by the way tutors teach there. They really give you the freedom to experiment, express your mind and be your 100% self with no judgement from their side. Moreover, they would never compare someone’s art to anyone else’s. Everyone’s art was highly appreciated.
You mentioned the work done on the last album made you grow. This means your own work made you grow. Which means you grew because of you. Would you elaborate on that?
One can’t go without the other. They’re intertwined. If I grow, my art grows and evolves with me.
Dropping an album in 2022. Would you share who are the main people blame for it?
The album I’m dropping is made with Evgeny Enchev - Gena and Kamen Kolev.
Two amazing music producers that I’m extremely happy to have the opportunity to work with. I met Kamen almost five years ago in university. We didn’t really clique until the final year in university when we started working on my final project, which evolved into my debut EP ‘Sooner or Later’. We were in the studio at every possible moment for as long as we could book it, and that was the time I completely fell in love with this exact songwriting process - being in the studio with the people you work with, just creating together. Since then, me and Kamen haven’t stopped collaborating, and he’s a very dear friend of mine.
Gena, on the other hand, is someone I've known since I was very young as he and my brother were classmates and friends. However, I reached out to him after I released my debut EP, and we started working together. He’s an absolute workaholic and professional in what he does, and I’m genuinely amazed by his work ethic.
What qualities do you possess, which are essential for the new generation of music makers?
I possess the quality of adapting to changes easily, but I also never cheat on myself, my identity and my vision. I think it is important to have such a quality, especially in the fast-paced world we live in.
What are you looking to develop if you base yourself in Berlin?
I really want to get a bigger taste of the art scene there and absorb as much I can from it. I visited Berlin this summer, and all of the galleries and art installations I saw there excite me on a different level. Artists are brave, innovative and provocative, which makes their art really thought-provoking.
I really believe that it is very important for an artist to be surrounded by a setting and community that is daring and challenging.
Learn more about this artist on:
Record Label Stereofox