In light of the lockdown Lady Sanity has emerged with a new seven track EP, Lying In Truth.
We spoke to the Birmingham born, Missy Elliot inspired MC, who gave us a glimpse of her work and how independent musicians can seek unity during these times.
Recording for more than 10 years, and now reaching her fifth project, she’s continuously striving to express her growth in music and as a person. Sanity explains how this fits with the sentiment of her latest project:
“This one is a little more about me being content with being an adult – finding out about myself, my roots, background and finding out a little bit more about what makes me the person that I am. I was actually reading a lot of books on Black British history and talking to my grandparents a lot. I was really just trying to figure out my own journey, why I’m here and what makes me, me.”
Being a vibrant artist with an array of musical influences, from her family, to living in Birmingham, she uses music as a journey of self discovery.
“That’s what the EP is about really, it’s just about being truthful in its purest form, learning about my environment, the people around me and my city.”
While some musicians were growing at an exponential rate, a global pandemic doesn’t take this into account. Management teams are having to think differently to make things happen, Sanity explains;
“These are testing times, but I think if anything, it’s testing both my own and my management team’s creativity. I like a challenge so it’s just really making us think outside the box, and not just thinking about being beaten by this thing, we have to keep a positive mindset. I’m fortunate enough to still be able to create music at home, and really just learn from this whole experience.”
Whilst writing and creating music has been easier for Sanity during lockdown with this new found ‘spare time’, the performance side of her craft has ceased all together.
Lady Sanity, who has headlined some of the UK’s biggest festivals such as Glastonbury and Wireless Festival, has faced numerous cancellations due to the virus:
“This pandemic has unfortunately effected loads for me. In terms of festivals that I was meant to be doing this summer, a lot of them have been postponed till the end of the year and some until next year which is a shame. I had a goal at the start of this year to perform abroad at least three times, luckily I got to go to Budapest before everything got crazy.”
Lady Sanity @ Wireless Festival. Credit: Mukesh Mistry
Lady Sanity shares how she sees togetherness in our separation, “It’s stressful, but at the same time, it’s something that effects everyone, so when I think about it in that sense, I can find unity in it.”
“It’s not just effecting me as a person, it’s not effecting just me financially as a self employed musician, because it’s affecting a lot of people and I find comfort in that, knowing we’re all in it together.”
“The one thing an artist can take away from this is to just be prepared, and to always expect the unexpected.”
Lying In Truth is funded by the organisation HelpMusicians, a facility that supports musicians year round, but have helped enormously during the pandemic awarding grants to furloughed musicians.
Sanity comments on the work they do, “It’s an amazing program to help bring balance and gender equality in music.”
You can buy Lying In Truth from Bandcamp, who are waiving their fees again this Friday 1st May, to support musicians who’ve been effect by covid-19.