On the evening of February 28, an up-and-coming local artist played his first show in Montreal for an expectant — and, by the end of the night, thoroughly impressed — crowd at Mai/son.
Lensky is a classically trained musician finding his sound and his footing in Montreal’s indie music scene. He has released two singles, “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day,” and is looking forward to more live performances in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. I sat down with Lensky to discuss his inspirations, his goals, and his advice for emerging artists.
Catey Fifield for The McGill Daily (MD): Tell me about yourself.
Lensky (L): My name is Lensky and I’m a Montreal-based musician — I’m a singer and songwriter, and I also play the piano. I studied classical music at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, and I recently moved to Montreal, where I’ve released my first two singles and started gigging.
MD: And what about your day job?
L: I work for an AI consultancy that advises executive leadership teams on how to implement and embrace AI in their organizations. And then I have another side job where I work as an editorial writer for a dance radio station in Chicago — I write for them and do interviews for them and some festival coverage as well.
MD: How would you describe the music you’re making, and what is your motivation in making it?
L: I think my music falls into the adult contemporary genre, which is such a huge umbrella term. But I struggle with defining it because the contemporary pop landscape is very specific, and I don’t think my music necessarily falls into that – there are folk elements and jazz elements and blues elements, too.
As for my motivation, I like to joke that the purest motivation to make music is to get laid. And that’s definitely true, though I think “getting laid” can mean a lot more than just the obvious. Maybe it’s validation you seek. Maybe it’s about engaging with the self in order to express your emotions and ideas. I also think, to be frank, that I write music so that I can do more shows. That’s my bread and butter, that’s when I feel like I’m in my element.
MD: How does your classical training inform your understanding of music and the way you produce it?
L: The name “Lensky” comes from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Ongein, which is based on a Pushkin novel. So there’s that immediate association to the classical space. I chose that name because I really don’t want to lose sight of classical music and its influence on my artistry. It was really important to me, for example, to play live as much as possible when we recorded “Valentine’s Day.” You can make music in this very insular way where everyone goes into the studio and records separately, but that feels restrictive to me. I love the idea that you can capture a “live energy,” almost like gospel music, when everyone plays together.
MD: Can you tell me a bit more about your songwriting process? What inspired the singles “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day”?
L: The songwriting process is ever evolving. “Tomatoes” and “Valentine’s Day” were some of the first songs I ever wrote, and both were inspired by a relationship I was in that I wasn’t getting the most out of. It was a challenging time for me because it was one of my first interactions with love, and an interaction that left me feeling deeply wounded – whatever beautiful things came out of it.
It’s been a few years since I wrote both songs, and it’s funny because as they’ve developed a life of their own, the association to heartbreak has lessened. I actually moved to Serbia for a year and a half after writing them, and almost forgot about them. It wasn’t until I got back to Canada that one of my friends in Toronto, Zoe Kertes, encouraged me to get serious about recording music and produced “Tomatoes.” And then “Valentine’s Day” was produced here in Montreal, at McGill’s MMR (Music Multimedia Room), with Chris Kengard. That was such a blessing – the McGill studios and equipment are really nice, and Chris is just so talented.
MD: How did you find your bandmates, and how did you know that they were a good fit?
L: It’s such a classic story. I met our guitarist, Thomas Harries, through a friend of a friend of a neighbour of a friend, and then he brought in the rest of the band. My bandmates are all super talented, they all study jazz at Concordia, and they’re equally happy to do a Kate Bush cover or learn one of my originals.
MD: Why is Montreal a good place for new artists to find their footing? What challenges do emerging artists face here?
L: When I got back from Europe, I wanted to settle in Montreal because I knew that, as a Canadian artist, this was the place to be. When you’re in the developmental stage, it’s really convenient that there are so many venues — I live in the Mile End and there are probably twenty venues around me. And the community is just great — very welcoming, very diverse.
I think that, for emerging artists, the biggest challenges are figuring out what to do and having the audacity to do it. You ask yourself, Where do I go? How do I find people to play with? The first official gig I played in Montreal was actually for a friend’s museum fundraiser in Saint-Henri, and I’ve learned that you just have to be okay with experiences that might be uncomfortable or untraditional. But, really, I can’t think of a city that’s more accessible for music in Canada.
MD: What are your goals for the next year? The next five years?
L: I basically have an album written. I’d like to get back in the studio and keep recording — I just want to have more available for people to find online. Really, though, my goal is just to play live. I believe in artists cutting their teeth, and I think one of the detracting features of the current music business is that you can achieve a certain level of success without ever having set foot on a stage.
In five years, I don’t know. I just want to be really good — that’s so important to me. I’m learning guitar, I’m taking vocal lessons again, and I’m trying to solidify my skillset. Hopefully there’s an album out by 2030 — maybe there’ll even be two. Who knows?