Lilah Pushed Your Hands Interview

Ambient/Electronic Multi-Instrumentalist Lilah

Ambient/electronic multi-instrumentalist Lilah is pleased to return with her sophomore single Pushed Your Hands. The follow up to her debut single Hold Me released earlier this year, Pushed Your Hands takes a darker turn for the Brisbane-based musician, and is available on all streaming services.

Listen to Pushed Your Hands on Soundcloud here and triple j Unearthed here. Pushed Your Hands will be available on all streaming services on Friday 24 November.

Gloomy and lovelorn, Pushed Your Hands grew out of the darkness of tortured love. Lilah's desperate-come-empowered vocals sit abed layers of seductive strings, weaving ambient synth lines and romantic crescendos. Her stoic voice realises the calm after a tumultuous reckoning. She sings of a darker time, the struggle to remove herself from the overpowering force of tragic love.

Written on the couch of her Brisbane loft, Lilah has spent the last four years re-working Pushed Your Hands. Whilst deep in an experimentation with an electronic looped version of the song, Lilah reversed her lead vocal track hearing the chilling words 'you need some help" harking back at her. As if a deep-seeded sign from her subconscious, she knew it was time to let the song into the sun and release it from this darkness. Pushed Your Hands a strong and exciting follow up to Lilah's August release -Hold Me' which Project U called "one of the biggest debuts of the year".

After growing up on the Sunshine Coast, Lilah - aka Zoe Ward - moved to Brisbane at 17 to explore her love of music. It was there she found her love for all things electronic and ambient, which quickly began to inform her song writing. Combined with formative influences from ambient and pop acts like Sigur Ros, Flume and The 1975, Lilah was born. Having previously performed under the moniker Indigo Daze, Ward was named an artist to watch by Tone Deaf alongside Gold Class, Yeo, Food Court, Baro, Friendships and more.

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Interview with Lilah

Question: How would you describe your music?

Lilah: Ambient, electronic, honest and a mixture of my thoughts and feelings. At times it changes from more traditional pop sounds and structures to more instrumental and alternative. I like to mix around new ideas.


Question: What was the main motivation behind the track Pushed Your Hands?

Lilah: This was one of the first complete songs I've written. I needed to voice how I felt and talk about a certain point in my life and writing Pushed your Hands was a wonderfully therapeutic experience. The song sounds metaphorical but it is actually quite literal and explores things I didn't know how to get out without music. Ultimately my motivation was to let go of an experience in my life by creating a song rather than carrying it around in my mind.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Lilah: A song that I wrote a few years back called New York. I love this song, it has some seriously beautiful violin in it that my band member Jason plays and I always feel really alive when I sing it. It talks about my love of New York and the feelings of being lost in a place full of life.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend your show, who would it be?

Lilah: Bob Dylan for sure! But I honestly wouldn't mind if Jared Leto turned up either...


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Lilah: Deep down I feel that performing and music are the only things that come naturally to me. Recording is amazing but it's more of a process and nothing can beat the natural high you get from being on stage.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Lilah: Usually it's just me writing about my life and my experiences but sometimes I need to get a message across or feelings out. I also write about things I feel passionate about...like animal rights, politics, the Universe...all of that.

Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Lilah: Right now I have "Keep Me In The Open" by Gang Of Youths playing. They are my favourite Australian band, I love the way Dave writes, it's so unique and they make me feel so many things. I'm always listening to The 1975, Architects, Banks, and lately I am really loving Kimbra's new stuff and Vancouver Sleep Clinic. I love so many genres of music so I'm always listening to very diverse stuff.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Lilah: When I was 17 I would just dream of being Lana Del Rey. I saw her play and cried like a child knowing I wanted to pursuit music. Bob Dylan and Leonard Coen have also always been inspirations growing up!


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Lilah: Flume has always been on top of the list, but I can't just say one. Dave Le'aupepe (Gang Of Youths) and Matty Healy (The 1975) are sitting right next to him. I would die happy if I had the chance to write with such incredible song writers like Dave and Matty.


Question: What's next, for you?

Lilah: I am looking forward to recording EP and playing some shows. I'm also looking to do some more travel and writing new material on the road. I find my best inspiration comes when I am lost in a new place. Keep an eye on my Instagram @lilahhhx for where I will be!


Interview by Brooke Hunter