Alev Lenz: The gates are only closed if you believe in what they say about you
Photographer: Lee Kirby
I met Alev on Instagram like many people do these days. The thing that struck me most about her before I even knew her music was her generosity - she invited me to her album launch before we’d even met in person, and from the outset has been really open, authentic and generous with her time and ideas - and that generosity is evident in her music, there’s a care, a thoughtfulness. You’ll hear it in the words, the song arrangements that are as considered and as authentic as she is - I trust you’ll get a sense of that in this interview.
Alev released her first album in 2009, Storytelling Piano Playing Fräulein, her sophomore record Two-Headed Girl came out in 2016 and her latest album 3 came out at the end of last year. Her music has featured on critically acclaimed tv shows, Netflix series Dark and Black Mirror. She’s written, co-produced and performed with acclaimed sitar player, Anoushka Shankar and has also worked in close collaboration with Spitfire Audio creating an interactive sound library, but I’ll let her tell you more about that herself.
Guest: Alev Lenz
Title: ‘The gates are only closed if you believe in what they say about you’
Song Excerpt: 'The Chair' by Alev Lenz
Album on her Playlist: Claudja Barry: Sweet Dynamite