I’m loving your sound, it feels really fresh. Who are your musical influences?
I’ve got so many. Essentially the people that I’ve listened to through out my life that have a permanent place are people like David Bowie, Jane’s Addiction, Concrete Blonde. I used to listen to a lot of Hole and the Pretenders. Then about seven years ago, I started listening to Jeff Buckley. He’s been my constant. I find his music unbelievable. I listen to that album
Grace and it’s always new to me. And lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Bloc Party and The Strokes.
How did you get your start in Music?
I started very young. I come from a very musical family. My father is a singer and a trumpet player. My brother and sister are also musicians. So we had a very music positive upbringing. I started singing when I was really young. I started playing my sister’s keyboard when I was about eight and when I was about 11, I started playing guitar. Then I added the bass and drums.
When I was 18 I played my first live show in Toronto. I used to play folksy acoustic music back in the day. I slowly progressed to what is more of my roots, which is more of a rock sound. Which is what I do now.
I have two solo albums that I recorded under my previous name, which is Lilia. And then I recorded a Cliks album before this one, but that was a different lineup. And that was a very independent album. This is officially the second Cliks CD, but it’s our first major release.
I hear a lot of angst in your music. Is that related to being trans, or not at all?
I think part of it is. But I don’t know what it is about us crazy songwriters and artists that happen to be so intensely sensitive and emotional. It’s just a way I tend to express myself in general. I think my angst came from a lot of things. Not only where I sat in my body with my gender, but it had to do a lot with the end of really intense relationship that I had with someone for six years. It was a really ugly ending and it made me become aware of myself in many ways.
I love you version of Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River. Why did you decided to cover that song?
I had an ex-girlfriend that kind of did the same thing to me that Britney did to Justin. I remember hearing that song and I so identified with it. As a song in general, I thought it was a brilliant little song. I love singing stuff that sounds like that. I started singing around the house and one day I came to rehearsal and said, “Have you guys heard this song?” and they’re like it’s cool and they started playing along. We weren’t planning at all to put it on the album. When our producer came along, he said, that just fits the entire feel of the album, you have to put it on. And it really, really fits the feel of the entire album.
How are you feeling about all the success of the past year?
I feel great. I just hope it continues. It’s all I’ve wanted to do with my life. I finally go to quit my day job this year. So now I can say that I’m a full time musician, I’m very happy with that. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
