Acoustic Memories of Lost Love
Stockholm-based pop artist Leen paints a landscape of nostalgia and heartbreak in “Still Make Your Tea”. The song features soft vocals and a solitary piano, in contrast to her previous singles. The sensory way Leen depicts lost love reminds of ballad-like songs like “drivers license” or “Photograph”.
“I wanted to write a song that draws a movie in the listener’s mind the same way the songs I was listening to at that period were doing to me,” she explains. “I want to draw moments, I want the smell, the colors, and the feeling to get to the listeners and touch them.”
In Leen’s words, “Still Make Your Tea” is mainly about the small things and how their meaning changes after saying goodbye. “When we fall in love with someone, we make memories full of beautiful small details. But when this person is gone, all we have left are those details that remind us of them every day. These small details that made us happy one day become a reason for pain.”
The music and lyrics were written by Leen herself, recorded in 2021 at her home studio. The track was later produced by Olivia Lundberg, the artist’s steady collaborator.
Leen came to Sweden at the age of 18, leaving her family behind in war-torn Syria. After attending a music vocational school, she released her debut single “Refugee” in 2020. It was chosen as the official song of Sweden’s Refugee Committee. She’s also been developing her acting career on stages like Nyköping teater, Skarpnäcks kultur hus, Övik teater and Tur teater.
The Syrian pop artist signed with Rexius Records in the summer of 2021 and released “Your Hell” in November. The song was featured by Swedish outlets like Popmuzik and HYMN.
“Still Make Your Tea” will be available on April 1st.
Photo & artwork: Ali Kamalmaz