Name: Eva Lunny
Occupation: Composer, harpist, producer
Nationality: British
Current release: Eva Lunny's Sonics & Meditations is out June 9th 2023 via Bella Union.
Recommendation: A Little May Time Be - Anne Laplantine (album); I Hope You Are Well - Lionmilk (album)

If you enjoyed this Eva Lunny interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and tiktok.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

It depends on what kind of music I’m listening to! Most ambient and instrumental music gives me relief and a sense of clarity. I like to think of the meanings behind instrumental tracks because its not given to you like a lot of songs with lyrics.

I listen with my eyes open, I can’t sleep with music on as I think it gets me thinking and reflecting too much!

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

I think my first steps would have been learning piano when I was young. I must have been about 5 or 6 when I started. I was pretty bad at the piano to be honest!

Starting learning the harp at 11 was really exciting and helped me to feel more like myself from a young age so maybe that’s why I’ve been able to stick with it. I value the experience and hard work I have done throughout the years as I can play and create sounds with confidence, however I still feel quite inexperienced when it comes to producing music and playing live gigs. I taught myself how to produce via videos on Youtube so there’s a lot left to learn which is exciting.

I’ve also been doing live gigs around a year and a half within Brighton and London so there are a lot of places I would like to explore.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Music has always been a massive part of my life. I covered my room in posters from a young age and was a bit obsessed with listening to music whenever I could.

I remember reaching a turning point in my early teens when I stopped listening to the radio and the more mainstream side of music and found my way into psychedelic pop, experimental music and folk music. I’ve always loved listening to classical pieces and learning classical, folk and Paraguyan pieces on the harp - the harp is the national instrument of Paraguay and there are a lot of incredible harpists over there.

Practising was a massive part of my teenage years and it taught me the importance of perseverance. I’m glad I put in the work at a young age, however it did definitely take over at times especially when I was trying to achieve my Grade 8!

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

My most important instrument is definitely the harp. It’s a massive part of my identity and life and I couldn’t live without it.

I use Logic to create my music and it’s integral in creating my sound. I love to lose myself to just manipulating the sound of the harp even if it ends up sounding a bit too weird. I just like the journey in experimenting and want to see how far I can push its boundaries.

I think after practising so hard for so long, all I want to do is make strange and free sounds, creating space and a sense of journey.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

My approach is to just give it a go and see what happens, whether that’s from improvising on the harp or trying something a bit crazy with production and experimenting digitally.

I feel motivated to create usually when I’m feeling a lot of feelings at once. Sometimes I go through periods of feeling numb and making music can help to bring me back to the present and keep going.

I can’t say I’m the best at expressing when I’m struggling, so making instrumental music with a lot of feeling and depth is very important and cathartic for me. It’s helped me keep going through tough times and keep me centered as it genuinely feels like my life purpose which is a weird and indescribable feeling.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

That resonates with me as I don’t really pay attention to the chords I’m using and I don’t have lyrics. I usually end up reversing or changing the pitch of what I’ve originally played and so my compositions are quite fluid and change frequently.

I’m just channeling a feeling inside which results in a landscape of sound and frequency. I think it’s quite magical that humans can do that and even with lyrics, there’s still so much left in the music for the listener to decipher and apply to their own story.

Paul Simon’s music would be incredibly nostalgic and meaningful to millions of people and most people won’t be conscious of specific chords or what exact words he said. Overall, it’s his own spirit, feeling and sound as a whole which have a lasting effect on people.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I think growing up in Brighton has given me a deep attachment to the waves and the beach. The waves have a looping, layered and cyclical sound and I’d definitely consider it musical.

A lot of the patterns in my pieces remind me of the waves and I’ve written pieces about them such as my track “New Waves.”

I believe that life comes in waves of intensity and so that inspires a lot of my pieces and my perspective on life.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

At the moment I’m drawn to slow and droney repetitive sounds. They create a very deep warm resonance which comes from the natural sound of the harp. I think they are calming and allow for reflection and meditation. As I mentioned before, something about making these sounds reminds me I’m on the right track, expressing myself from the most genuine place I can.

Everyone has their own ways of communicating how they feel and mine happens to be through cinematic harp drones!

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

Improvisation is always where I start from. Some of my pieces have a more traditional structure but I can’t say I sit down and notate exact patterns or melodies until I have the aim to replicate them live.

I hear certain ideas and build on them until I remember them, I don’t write things down I just record them and work on the audio for hours, days or sometimes weeks.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

When I wrote my single “What You Needed,” it was all sort of a mistake! I started off writing a simple tune and recording it and then I applied different types of delay to my recordings. I didn’t know what ‘delay’ meant at the time as I was just starting off with learning how to produce. It’s one of my favourite pieces, probably because of how it all came together.

I felt like I was collaborating with something else outside of myself as I didn’t know what I was doing. I just kept layering recording more parts and then I had a piece I was really happy with.

I don’t try to question each sound as I’m not a very methodical person, I try to rely on what sounds good to my ears rather than using rules or structures. However, I have to remind myself to not get carried away with effects as restriction can be really helpful and effective when creating a coherent and distinctive sound.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Yes I almost exclusively experiment.

I don’t know a lot about science and I don’t know if I ever will. I can’t really remember facts and places as I have a very poor memory!

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Music definitely has taught me so many valuable lessons. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my autonomy through teaching myself to compose, record and produce. I didn’t know what a ‘producer' was until I was 19 and I found out from a random man talking to me about his job in a club smoking area!! I didn’t realize people were paid to make music.

Growing up, it’s very hard to know the actual possibilities of where you could end up in life and it’s difficult for non-male people to see representation within production and composing. I feel proud that I’ve ventured into an unknown field and pushed my own boundaries.

I do feel the imbalance is changing as a lot of awareness is being raised around gender in music production but there’s still a lot to be done and I’m often the only woman on the lineup or in the venue when I’m playing gigs.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think writing music is the most meaningful way I can express myself. Nothing else on earth feels as expressive and emotional to me! I can create a story and sense of depth that I can’t with my words or other actions.  

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

I think “Deep Blue Day” by Brian Eno always brings me on a journey somewhere else. I also love “Impressions of Susan” by John Fahey as it’s so filmic and emotive, I feel like I’m being told a story without anything actually being said.



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I would love to see more women and non-binary people giving production a try as we are more than capable of creating something great and meaningful.

It may feel scary at first but it is so worth it. Just setting aside 10 minutes to try something random without consequences and pressure might be a good start to just see what you’re drawn to and what you’re capable of!