You may not recognize Leah Mason (and not because she’s on the cusp of breaking out of our “indie-artist” status). But with her usual chestnut tresses pinned back with hair clips that look more like safety pins and dark eyeliner smudged across her eyelids, she’s a far guitar strum away from her usual country roots. Instead, she’s letting the spirit of experimental pop possess her. The lit-up candles surrounding in a witchy circle give this transition more pizazz.
We’re leading into her debut album, HEXED, a 13-track inside look into some gnarly feelings that shaped her past year. We chatted with her about this new sound, which other It girls inspired her there, and her ideas around one of the album’s central themes: being chosen.
HEXED
You found yourself in Sweden working with producer Simon Jonasson. What made you pin the place on the map as the ultimate spot to make your debut album?
I initially met Simon Jonasson in Nashville at a Warner Chappell pop songwriting camp. We were randomly matched for a session, and immediately after working with him, I knew that something big was about to change for me. I was so excited about the music we’d made and about the possibility of what else we could create together. After 3 more days working with him at the camp, I knew we had a musical chemistry worth chasing, so I flew all the way to Sweden with my co-writer Sara Bares. We were there for 2 weeks and wrote the entire album!
HEXED, aptly named after its first track, weaves a unique blend of witchy jargon and production elements. The lyrics, such as “someone’s got a voodoo doll / pushin’ pins in my eyeballs,” conjure a spell of never-ending bad days, while the sudden production change from experimental to synth ballad territory feels like an exorcism. This intriguing blend begs the question: what gave ‘HEXED’ the spiritual stamp of approval to be the album’s overarching theme?
I feel like it’s a theme that is reoccurring through the album… and throughout my life, unfortunately, haha. My mid-twenties have been a rough time. It was like one thing after another. Even the one love song on the project has a hint of self-deprecation, which I think is an overarching theme across the songs, so it seemed fitting for “HEXED” to be the opening track and the name of the album.
Which song from the album do you feel needs a cleansing? The emotional depth is so intense that it demands a sage ritual for a fresh start.
Honestly, probably “Hexed!” While I won’t actually believe that I’m hexed or ever was hexed, it’s one of those things where it’s like, I’m half kidding, half not. So yeah, I think with all the verbiage in “Hexed,” it should probably be that song!
Conjuring A Cauldron Of Sound
‘Holy Water,’ which has over 2 million plays on Spotify and came out last year, also feels like it was the stepping stone for HEXED. They both, in some way, delve into spiritualism, with the single in question speaking about a toxic boy with faux Christian values. How much did that song inspire the album, and even more so, what song would you now mash it up with if given a chance to in a live performance?
“Holy Water” is still one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made. I love the lyrics and the visuals so much. Stylistically, it also feels very relevant to the music I’m making now. It definitely played a role in inspiring the new direction I’ve gone in. I’d love to see how it would sound mashed up with “Spirits,” one of the new songs on the album.
This album catapults the alternative pop genre, departing from the familiar country sound. Yet, you skillfully bridge the HEXED world with these ambient sound interludes. ‘Kissing Friends’ echoes with the noise of sirens, while ‘Dime Bag’ resonates with the sound of water against a shower’s drain. How do you believe these elements add a unique storytelling dimension that lyrics alone cannot?
I feel like mundane sounds that you usually hear subconsciously can really immerse you into a moment or a song. I think it helps take the listener on a journey with you.
Do you have any pop muses that made the switch from country exciting for you?
Well, I’ve been loving everything Sabrina Carpenter is doing lately! Taylor Swift is the OG country-to-pop-princess role model, and Miley Cyrus is another big inspiration to me, too!
Saging Insecurities
‘Midas Touch’ connects with ‘Klepto’ because they both speak of jealousy. We can take the latter’s lyrics, “I’m the role that you rehearse / and what you say are lines that you’ve learned,” to then perhaps spin it from the frenemy’s POV into describing the feelings of being a stepping stone when seeing an ex move on. And then, too, when playing with color symbolism. With the first, gold is a strong point in the visualizer. On ‘Klepto,’ the frame is soaked in green to describe one’s envy with the pops of red in the bikinis, which are opposite colors. Would you say they live within the same emotional realm of feeling second best that you describe on the record?
I would say, on a surface level, they’re both very emotionally different songs to me. “Midas Touch” is more about self-loathing, while “Klepto” is a song led by anger. But at the root, I think that both songs stem from a kind of sadness, especially after reflecting on my own emotions after finishing the album.
At the same time, this jargon of being second best is almost flipped upon ‘1st Prize Money,’ a song that reflects on constantly feeling chosen if you were already where you envision yourself ending up. Do you think some of your relationship insecurities further drive you to make it?
For sure. I feel like I put a lot of pressure on proving myself to other people. I want to be successful not only for myself but also to show the people who didn’t think I was good enough.
Crystals Of Tunes Left On Our Playlists
What’s your ‘Guilty Pleasure Place’ outside of imaginarily putting Nair in an ex’s shampoo?
Hahaha! Probably watching Love Island. It’s my secret favorite pastime.
While it may not be an ‘8 Ball,’ the album HEXED carries a profound message. What tarot card do you think best encapsulates this message?
I’m not going to lie; I don’t actually know much about tarot, so I did have to look this up… but maybe the judgment card? As horrible as some of these experiences have been, they’ve made me who I am and have helped me to see myself more clearly.
If there’s one light witch’s coven that we definitely want to join, even if it means being HEXED, then it’s Leah’s, especially having chatted with her! What’s your favorite track from her debut album? Send us your initiation application through one of our various social media platforms, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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