Lil Heart Eyes
Photo Credit: Casey Doran
Lil Heart Eyes has been making music for her whole life. The singer/songwriter is a drummer and self taught guitarist who has played for a variety of bands before starting her solo career. Her current group, Pull Up, is the collaboration of four Yeah! Burger employees who all love to make beats. The artist’s passion for music making is unmistakable. Her music, while heavily produced, maintains its emotion and song writing quality through clever lyrics. She is a genre-bending talent, using indie-pop and rap influences to create her unique sound. She hopes to “keep making music that inspires people and one day, hopefully, make a living off music so [she] can keep doing what [she] enjoys doing for the rest of [her] life.” She is certainly on the right track. We recently spoke with Lil Heart Eyes about her latest solo project, good advice, and more!
How did you start making music?
I started making music when I was young. Taught myself to play guitar when I was 14, and then in highschool I started a band called Kudzu Kids. After that, I've been drumming for this band called Boygirlfriends for about 3 years, I play guitar and sing for a band called Pull Up, and then I make folk music under the name King Luka and write and record everything in my room. I started Lil Heart Eyes when I was working at this restaurant called Yeah! Burger. My coworkers (Ezra, Gedia & Zach) and I became really close and they all made beats- so we eventually started making music together and the music I made with them was so different from any of my past projects, and it was exciting. My coworkers from that restaurant are also all in my band Pull Up, haha. I downloaded Ableton last year and started teaching myself to do everything, and so now I pretty much just collaborate with different producers and send them my stems and collab in that way because of Covid.
Take us through your typical songwriting process.
With Lil Heart Eyes, the only way I can really write music is by driving around at night. I go on a lot of drives and listen to beats people send me or beats I have made, then I make voice memos in my phone and listen to them once I get home and then pick and choose what I wanna include in each song. I always record a demo as soon as I get home and then change things around until it sounds right. After that, I send the song stems off to my friend Jackson to get mixed and mastered.
Congrats on the release of "Where U Been"! What was it like working with snowza?
Thank you!! I'm so happy with that song. So, the way I met Snowsa was actually because my old coworker Mae from Yeah! Burger told one of her friends about me. Snow just moved here from Connecticut and reached out to me after listening to my music. Her and one of her friends came over to my house and I was showing them some demos. When I showed her "Where U Been?" she fucked with it, and then asked to do a feature. Ever since then Snow and I have been hanging and have become friends. She's definitely one of my favorite people I've collabed with. She always hypes me up and literally carries the most upbeat and positive energy with her at all times. I love snow.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired a song.
Okay so, I feel like a majority of my songs are just bits and pieces of situations I write about and combine. I am making a song right now about a particular breakup I went through this summer, but overall I just try to make my songs fun and silly. “Swipe Left” was kinda just about dating and how every person I would meet was kinda the same. I like to throw in elements of morality in my lyrics, like "When I'm stuck in my head, layin' in his bed, I just pause for a minute till he asks for consent, yuh." I think more people need to talk about stuff like that in music.
Which artists have most shaped your sound?
With Lil Heart Eyes, I really REALLY love the Life of Pierre 4 Deluxe album. I listen to that literally every day and I feel like it influences me a good bit. I really love The-Dream, Tupac, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, and Jeremih. I also get a lot of inspiration from new artists I've been listening to. Hook, Bktherula, babyxsosa, Duwap Kaine, Bby Goyard, Tony Shhnow.... and then I've also been listening to a lot of Glitch/Hyperpop like Glaive, David Shawty and oaf1.
What can we catch you doing on your day off?
On my day off I like to go walk in the woods, study and I also play Minecraft literally every day for at least three hours.
What has been the best piece of advice that you've received?
The best piece of advice I've received has been from myself, haha. And it's the realization that this is my life, and I am in control of what happens. If I'm in a bad place, I have the power to make it better and do what's best for me
What made 2019 the year to start releasing music?
I started making music in 2019 solely because that's the first year I was able to meet supportive people who encouraged me and helped me. Shoutout to Curtis Waters, Zach, Ezra, Gedia and Dan Hartzog for taking the time to help me learn.
What's next for Lil Heart Eyes?
My goal right now is to make more videos, put out a little EP or a small album, and then just make more music I genuinely enjoy. It makes me happy when people actually listen to my songs regularly and find some form of inspiration from them. I hope I can keep making music that inspires people and one day, hopefully, make a living off music so I can keep doing what I enjoy doing for the rest of my life.
