Luwten Draft Interview

Under the moniker LUWTEN, Dutch artist Tessa Douwstra records, writes, performs, and produces cunning pop that incites both the head and the heart. In the past Douwstra's music was an attempt to cast a light on the introverted, embracing comfort in your own solitude and selfhood. Forthcoming second album Draft takes on a different challenge: how to be that person with others in the room.

"For this album I wanted to open the door a little and came up with the idea of Draft. Draft is about opening the door a little, let in some outside air and influences." Said LUWTEN. "I also liked Draft as being the beginning of something. I don't think we're ever going to be finished and I like that idea of people as a never-ending draft. I noticed I'm writing a lot about thinking versus feeling and being alone versus being together with other people. I love the idea of  music as self-exploration. For the maker as well as the listener."

LUWTEN takes its name from a Dutch word which simply means 'place without wind'. Amsterdam-based Tessa Douwstra adopted it as the moniker for her solo abstract pop project - which fuses organic instrumentation with field recordings and sampling - so enamoured was she with the creative process of "working in a total vacuum". Her EP of late 2020 Door bore the unambiguous title that reflected, in Tessa's own words; "A study of a perfectionist who acknowledges that everything's in a constant state of flux."

The embrace and empathy in LUWTEN's music lies in the process itself. She's looking for new ways, without reading the manual first. Douwstra's new material for 2021 marks a determined move towards opening up a little, allowing a little fresh air, some outside influence, to rush in underneath the door left ajar. Speaking about the ideas of agency, control and freedom - increasingly applicable to the global crises of 2020/2021 - which have preoccupied her recent creative processes, Tessa notes; "How much of being alone is because it's helpful? How much of being alone is because you're afraid? Does being alone help being authentic? Or is looking for authenticity something you could or even should look for with others?"

Through her work, LUWTEN searches for the answer to one of life's biggest challenges: how to reconcile a yearning for both solitude and companionship. It's a quandary the world of today is suddenly coping with on a massive scale. Though the balance between spending time alone and with others is ever-changing, Douwstra finds solace in small, bemused observations she can clutch onto like cherished mementos.

LUWTEN has fast built a profile throughout Europe, with spins on various radio stations throughout the Netherlands, and now BBC Radio 1 in the UK. The indie-pop star has also seen support across streaming, including spots on New Music Friday in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, as well as cracking the Netherlands Viral 50.

Interview with LUWTEN (Tessa Douwstra)

Question: How would you describe your music?

LUWTEN: Describing music is a tricky thing since it's such a physical experience, but I would describe what I do as looking for a perfect combination and balance in a lot of different things: the physical and the philosophy, the head and the heart, sound and writing, comfort and contrast and I try not to shy away from things that surprise me.


Question: Can you tell us about your album Draft?

LUWTEN: Draft is my second body of work. It's an album about being alone versus being with other people. How much of wanting to be alone is because you need it? And how much of it is because you're afraid of the outside world? At the same time, I'm also wondering if we, as humans, are ever going to be finished or whether we are in a constant state of draft with an identity more fluid than fixed.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

LUWTEN: When I make music there're always certain parts of myself I discover that I didn't know were there. It expands the way I look at myself and the world. I hope it does that to other people too - helps you explore. I also find it extremely comforting to read old lyrics and poems and books to find we were always human. There's an inner human side to art and I hope people are able to find that in my music too.


Question: Has the Covid-19 lockdown influenced your music?

LUWTEN: Not yet! The music that's on the album was finished right before the first lockdown. It has been a big influence on my images and videos. Since I was not able to play I invested a lot of time in the visual world of Draft and that has made this album more visual than I could imagine it to be two years ago. I got to direct my first music video too!


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

LUWTEN: The exploration. Creating is always about hope. That there's something to listen to at the end of the day that didn't exist in the morning. That's kind of magical!


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

LUWTEN: I've listened to a lot of Adrianne Lenker, Frank Ocean and Joni Mitchell the past couple of weeks. I also fell in love with a song from a friend of mine, Sofie Winterson (produced with Aussie Golden Vessel by the way). It's called Lisbon and it's so good!

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

LUWTEN: When I was younger, it took me some time to find someone who I felt was a bit like me and made me feel like I could do this too. I grew up in the time of Britney Spears and didn't really see myself as a pop star but as I discovered the Folklore album by Nelly Furtado that's when I knew I could do this too. I could write songs, produce music. After that came Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, Feist and after that Radiohead, Solange, D'Angelo, Erykah Bady, Sparklehorse, Bon Iver. They all still inspire me!


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

LUWTEN: Nelly Furtado. I would love to write a song with Nelly Furtado. I'm keeping a list. David Longstreth is a close second.


Question: How does it feel to hear your song played over the airwaves?

LUWTEN: Insane. It's crazy! It has been yours for so long and as soon as you hear it on the radio it's everyone's and that's a wonderful thing and puts things in a really comforting perspective.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

LUWTEN: I think that might be taking good care of myself. I think all makers have both this entrepreneurial and sensitive side and it sometimes is challenging to take good care of both.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
LUWTEN: That would be being enabled to process and capture my experiences in a song and sharing that with the world again. It's such a privilege to be able to spend my time on earth doing that.


Question: What's a typical day like?

LUWTEN: They're all so different but my favorite day would be walking to my studio for 30 minutes, buying myself a coffee and entering my space with no plans and/or restriction.


Question: What's next, for you?

LUWTEN: I hope I will be able to bring the music we have worked so hard on to your ears and eyes, in real life. And if that's still out of the question, I hope to continue making new videos and songs that are worthwhile.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

LUWTEN: Instagram 
Facebook 
Website 
Twitter 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort