Karamelien | Interview | Leanie Kaleido | New Album, ‘Lionhearts’
Singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido has teamed up with long term musical buddy Mark Foster to create ambient, chilled-out indie pop duo Karamelien. They recently released their second single, ‘Lionhearts’.
“‘Lionhearts’ was inspired by the past couple of years, during which we’ve all been getting so despondent, confronted by negativity in the news and social media. Covid and other diseases, war, climate change and so on. When actually, there is so much love in the world, good things being achieved, communities coming together, positive things happening,” says Léanie Kaleido.
“A friend of mine suggested I write something to convey that and the song happened pretty quickly for me! The idea of the heart of a lion is something that has cropped up in my songs before and comes from my Buddhist practice, which uses that expression a lot and feels so empowering.”
This project brings Léanie Kaleido’s music into new exciting territory, following up her critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale,’ also produced by Mark Gardener.
Earlier, Karamelien debuted with the grooved-out ‘Ascension Heights’ single, featuring a sample from the track of the same name by Top Topham’, who is not only Kaleido’s father but also the Yardbirds’ original guitarist before Eric Clapton assumed his place. Only 15 at the time, he was pressured to leave the band to pursue Art studies. Eventually signed to Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon label as a solo artist, Topham again re-joined the Yardbirds a few years ago during their 50th anniversary tour.
A really moving Father / Daughter work of beauty, this song also features former Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Mo Pleasure, whose CV includes collaborations with Ray Charles, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. With guidance from Paul Statham (Dido, Simple Minds, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Natalie Imbruglia) in sampling her father’s track, Kaleido performed the pre-production work from her home studio.
“My lyrics often come from books I read”
Would you like to tell us how it was growing up with famous musicians around the house, what are some of the early recollections when you knew you wanted to become a musician yourself?
Léanie Kaleido: I only lived with my father for the very first couple of years of my life, before my parents separated amicably and, although I have always stayed in touch with my father, I was actually adopted and raised by my mum’s second husband. However, I met up with my father Top regularly, as we had a shared interest in music, art, nature and spirituality. My mother was also an avid music fan and, when I was in my twenties she went on to manage a blues band and we worked together on a music and entertainments magazine. So, music was always in my life and I heard all sorts of stories from both my mum and my father about B.B. King, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Christine Perfect and Chicken Shack, and other artists on the Blues Horizon record label.
My lovely adoptive dad, Alan, bought me my first full-size real piano and I started lessons from the age of 7, but I quickly realised reading music was NOT a passion and that playing by ear and making up my own songs definitely was! I started writing terribly cheesy songs in my early teens and made my first demos at about 17/18, at a lovely old studio called House in the Woods, owned by friends of my mum, Julia. I met some well-known artists there, such as Carol Decker, The Bluetones and Big Country. Great times! Carol Decker and I once tried to out-do each other with who could tell the worst joke. I think we were both very drunk at the time.
Tell us about Karamelien, how did you originally get in touch with guitarist Mark Foster?
I first met Mark in my mid-late twenties, when my then boyfriend Andy, a drummer, worked with him at FCN Music, and thought we’d play well as a duo. And we did! In spite of my horrendous stage fright, we started to play a mix of my originals and covers (like PJ Harvey, Lily Allen, Green Day, Foo Fighters) in local pubs and venues, and the odd gig in London.
Mark played guitar on some of the tracks on my first album, which I called ‘Karamelien’ after drunkenly making anagrams of our names one night after watching Withnail and I (I’ve seen it more than 100 times – honestly) and listening to indie records. The name fitted with a song that I’d been struggling with for a title/chorus and I ended up choosing it as the album’s title track. But I also thought it would one day make a nice band name. Which it has done, at last! So, when you look up Karamelien, you’ll get both my début album as well as this new project. Sorry for any confusion!
Mark didn’t actually play on my 2nd and 3rd albums but we stayed friends and he still played live with me. About a year ago I had the idea to start experimenting with groovier beats and basslines, with a band name to give me a sense of freedom and fun. So far, it’s been a lot of fun!
Are you usually working on music together or how do you typically approach songwriting?
I’ve always written very much alone at my piano or with a guitar/uke, depending on the feel I’m after. However, more recently I’m starting to get Mark involved sooner, so we can start to record ideas together. I’ll play him the chords and lyrics I’ve been mucking about with, and he’s very good at getting the right feel with his guitar and his pedal board. I’m getting more confident with using Logic software at home to begin the recording process, before we finish it off at the studio. So that has changed how I write too, giving me more beats to play around with.
My lyrics often come from books I read, newspaper articles (‘How to Weigh a Whale Without a Scale’ was inspired by a similar headline on the BBC news website), or just things I hear or think. I like to keep my lyrics quirky but still relatable and I think that’s my main strength. People tell me they love my lyrics and that makes me proud.
You have already released three albums, would you like to share a few words about each?
‘Karamelien’ (2005) was a mixed bag, raw in places, but being my début release, I was very proud of it. Three tracks were demos from years before that I didn’t want to record again as I like the 90s “muddied” feel of them. My father Top played on ‘Cold Hands,’ a little song about my grandmother after she passed away and it broke my heart. I’ve never been afraid to write with a childlike naivety. It helps me deal with adulting. That song is a perfect example. It’s not cool but it’s honest and it’s true. One of the demo tracks was a song about breast implants exploding on an aircraft, ‘Silicone Valerie’. A plane can be heard exploding at the end. That was fun! Not honest or true, but fun!
‘Quicksands & Shadows’ (2014) was recorded entirely at home with my then-husband, Joolz. He’s an amazing musician and producer, and we’re still good friends as we have a son together, Arthur, now 12. It’s fuller in production and I’m really proud and grateful to him at how well it turned out.
‘How to Weigh a Whale Without a Scale’ (2021) was recorded and produced by Mark Gardener, frontman of my indie heroes Ride. When he agreed to record it for me, I think I fell over with surprise. He told me he only records stuff he really likes, and at that point I think I may have even wet myself slightly. He’s a lovely bloke and I had such fun recording that album with him. It was very much just the two of us in the OX4 Sound studio, as we were recording between covid lockdowns. That was a dream come true!
What led to Karamelien? It’s quite a different project in its base, isn’t it? You are experimenting with low-tempo beats…
I just wanted to escape my name for a while, to feel a bit more free and have a bit of fun with what I really love to listen to.
When I love a song, it’s often because of a really cool drum beat or a deep, rolling bassline, as well as a melodic hook and atmospheric guitars. As well as indie music, I’m also a big lover of old skool 80s/90s hip hop and 60s/70s soul and psychedelia, but I’ve never really allowed that to feed into my songs.
And I thought what a shame it is that I’ve always started a song sitting at the piano, which can often dictate the feel of a song. I wanted to start not giving a stuff about how I had been writing before, and to try a new approach with no pressure.
I truly enjoyed ‘Ascension Heights’, which featured your father Top Topham, original lead guitarist with The Yardbirds. How was it to work with your father?
Thank you so much! Sadly, he isn’t very well these days, so his playing on ‘Ascension Heights’ is sampled off his original track of the same name, which I adore. That track was actually used as my wedding walk-in music when I got married to Joolz! I’d worked with my father before though, when he put down the guitar on ‘Cold Hands’ for me. The track was already recorded, but we sat in his lounge and he put the additional lead guitar track down for me while I sat back with a cuppa. And he’s always been a huge supporter of my music, which has been an amazing confidence builder, as I’ve always revered his talent, both in music and in his work as an artist.
Are you planning to release a full album later this year?
Good question! At the moment we’re doing things track by track but possibly next year it would be lovely to compile all the singles onto an album. I’m also working on several tracks for a potential TV series, which is very exciting, if it comes to fruition. But, like my terrible attempts at piano theory and sightreading, I’m literally playing things by ear!
I hope that’s the sort of thing you wanted and that I haven’t rambled too much!
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Eveshka Ghost
Karamelian Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Leanie Kaleido Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube
Great interview Leanie. Enjoyed that.