HEXED: In Conversation with Leah Mason About Her New Album
- Emma Zoe Polyak
- Aug 15, 2024
- 6 min read
I’m in love with the amount of fun pop songs coming out this summer, and although the lyrics in Leah Mason’s new album HEXED may hint towards something darker, I would argue that it absolutely fits into the fun pop category.
Emerging from Nashville with her debut EP Honeydew & Hennessy, Leah broke out of her comfort zone to work on her debut album in Sweden, turning her country sound around into a hard-hitting, fiery pop one. Each track delivers a heartfelt, genuine story of being in your early twenties. Anthems and ballads alike chronicle the ups, downs, and everything in between.
I had the absolute pleasure of talking with Leah about her album before its release. Keep reading for the full interview, and scroll to the bottom to watch the video!
The original interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Emma Zoe: Leah Mason, thank you so much for being here! I want to dive right into it. Your debut album is coming out this week, what are the emotions surrounding that?
Leah Mason: Anxiety, but I’m also just happy that I’m finally putting out a full project. This is my first one, so it’s really exciting, but also nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing, but mostly exciting.
EZP: I can imagine. It’s also a big shift from some of your earlier singles, they leaned a bit more country, whereas this is just right in your face pop. I’m wondering what inspired that shift?
LM: I’ve always loved pop music and had an affinity for it. I met this producer from Sweden, he was visiting Nashville doing a pop camp, and we got put in a session together randomly where we clicked so well, and I love what we made. We had four more days together after that, and I was just obsessed with everything, and I felt very fulfilled in the music that we were making, which is something I guess I was lacking, and didn’t even realize I was lacking until I had it. And I just loved the music making process so much that I literally flew to Sweden and made this whole album. But yeah, it’s been a process for sure.
EZP: What was that like, moving to Sweden and leaving everything behind? How long were you there for?
LM: I was just there for a little over two weeks. We were working every day basically, like 14–18-hour days, just going non-stop. People keep asking me, “how was Sweden?” but I didn’t really see Sweden, to be honest. I was in the studio the whole time, and it was freezing while we were there. But just like, working with them in the studio and being around so many talented people was quite the experience. It was really amazing.
EZP: Did the entire album come together within those two weeks? Or did you have some material from before?
LM: I think two of the songs we wrote in Nashville made the album, and then the rest of it we wrote there. So basically, a song a day.
EZP: Wow, that’s impressive!
LM: And that wasn’t even the plan! The plan was to maybe get like 4, maybe, because you never know, like you can write bad songs. But we just didn’t miss, so it was good.
EZP: I wonder if being in a new environment affected your creativity or if it jump-started the process at all.
LM: Totally, a hundred percent. I was just so excited to be there, I’d never been to Sweden before. So yeah, I think being in a new environment and being surrounded by so many people; like the producer got Grammy nominated while we were there, and it was just inspiring, and that motivates you even more.
EZP: That’s awesome! Speaking more about your album HEXED, I’m wondering about the inspiration behind choosing that as the album title; it’s also the name of the first track on the album, what inspired that?
LM: I feel like it’s a recurring theme throughout the album. And unfortunately, my life kind of was a series of unfortunate events in my early 20s. I feel like it was just kind of one thing after another. Your early 20s is a very hard time in your life, you’re losing a lot of relationships, you’re meeting a lot of new people. I feel like there’s so many changes during that time, going from adolescence to truly being an adult. So yeah, it’s had its ups and downs for me, for sure.
And I just felt like it was fitting for the album and the themes throughout. So that’s why I chose HEXED as the title, and I also thought it was cool, and it was one of my favorite songs that we wrote. And we did a music video for it, actually, which is very exciting.
EZP: Something to look forward to! Tying into that, when I listened to the album, a lot of the songs have this anger underneath. I almost want to say passion, but it really just feels like a release. Is that true or am I reading too much into it?
LM: Totally! I was angry for a lot of the writing and recording process of this album. I’m definitely over it now, but at the time I was definitely angry, like I was seeing red for sure. But I mean, I feel like that’s what music is. I was feeling that at the time, and I still feel emotionally connected to the songs without actually still feeling those feelings. I mean, it’s like therapy really, I know everyone says that but it is. I got this thing off my chest, I said exactly how I felt, and I feel like that’s the thing; sometimes you just have to feel something fully and let yourself be angry. Let yourself be sad. Let yourself be bitter or jealous, then reassess and ask “why am i feeling this way?” and be more rational and mature. But right at the beginning, it’s ok to just feel your emotion for what it is.
EZP: I love that. Like, I journal and some people write songs out of their emotions! But it’s all very real and just letting emotions flow into your work is honestly the best thing you can do.
I want to switch gears a bit: I always like asking what type of music you’re listening to right now. A bit selfishly, so I have new music to listen to, but also as a fan, I’m always curious what the artists I listen to listen to. So, let’s start with an easy one: what is the last song you listened to?
LM: This is gonna be a really basic answer, but “Please, Please, Please.” It’s such a good record, like that song is so good, and the music video is really good too. Me and my boyfriend like singing it around the house, he’s obsessed with it too. We’re like the number one Sabrina Carpenter fans!
EZP: Perfect answer! If you could bring three albums to a deserted island, what would those three albums be?
LM: Oh, that’s hard! Probably just because it’s a classic and it kind of reminds me of family, the third Led Zeppelin album [Led Zeppelin III]. So random, but I was in a ’70s rock band when I was younger, so I do have a love for that era of music. And Hozier’s first self-titled album [Hozier], he’s a fave for sure. And then, gosh, I feel like it would have to be something calming like Fleetwood Mac. Those would be my three because I feel like it has to be something that I could listen to forever.
EZP: Switching to a controversial pick, what is a song that you like, but others tend to hate, or that you dislike, but others tend to like?
LM: I really like that Camila Cabello song, “I LUV IT,” I feel like that’s controversial.
EZP: Yeah, it definitely has gotten a lot of unwarranted hate.
LM: I think the music video is cool, and I think it kind of gives a bit of hyperpop, like Charli XCX.
EZP: Last question, I like to finish with a big one: what in your opinion is the best song of all time?
LM: I feel like it would have to be a song that’s stood the test of time… “Billy Jean”! That song always gets stuck in my head randomly, and I love Michael Jackson. Fun fact! I dressed up as him as an 8-year-old for Halloween. All my friends were girly princesses and I was literally Michael Jackson. It’s so embarrassing, everyone thought I was a little boy, but yeah, I love Michael Jackson, and that song is really good. I also like the juxtaposition of how no one knew what it was about, and it’s actually kind of a touchy subject, not claiming a kid, but then it’s this really fun pop song, just about something totally unexpected. So, maybe that, or just something by Michael Jackson.
EZP: I think that’s so fair, because I have never met a single person who doesn’t like “Billie Jean” or just someone who doesn’t like Michael Jackson’s music in general.
LM: He’s just like, he’s Michael Jackson!
Watch the full interview below!
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