Q&A: Breaking Through Nightfall, Duncan Laurence Reaches for Dawn in “New To You”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY RILEY HUNT ☆
Photo by Clayborne Bujorian
DUNCAN LAURENCE’S DREAMY TRAIL OF RELEASES CONTINUES—with his latest track “New To You.” Following a three-year break, Laurence announced a new beginning in music with that fantastical feel he’s known for, but with more introspection than ever. “New To You” is the first release leading into his upcoming album, one that is guaranteed to foster our wildest imaginations.
Duncan Laurence is a Dutch singer-songwriter widely known for winning Eurovision 2019 with his internationally viral song “Arcade.” Laurence has spent the majority of his life exploring fantasy worlds beyond our own, and “Arcade” was only the first stop on this adventure. Since the win, he has released two albums, each staying true to his roots of magical optimism. Laurence has taken three years since the last album’s release to look inwards on where he stands as an artist, creative, and dreamer.
“New To You” reflects on every type of relationship and how people can evolve within them. It’s an eye-opening look into human connection while allowing the listener to reconnect with Laurence’s impeccable storytelling abilities. From the very first beat, you just know the track is something special. His signature strings paired with a more amplified electronic sound beautifully introduces this new era of Duncan Laurence. While the sound is familiar yet slightly evolved, Laurence’s kind and honest heart continues to shine through.
Luna had the opportunity to speak with Duncan Laurence about all things “New To You,” otherworldly inspiration, and emotional honesty. Read the full interview below.
Photo by Clayborne Bujorian
LUNA: First of all, congratulations on the release of your new single “New To You!” Could you walk us through the creation of the track?
LAURENCE: Of course, I wrote “New To You” together with my husband. We write everything together. One day—we still lived in Stockholm back then—I had this feeling of wanting to go and start over with a bunch of things. I had a team around me and it just didn’t feel like the right vibe. I lost track of who I was as a performer and an artist. I think a lot of artists go through that phase. For me specifically, after such a big song, my first song, “Arcade,” blew up everywhere. I was kind of like, oh woah, that was my first one. What do I do now? So I started listening to music that I related to when I was a kid making music. For me, that was a lot of Bon Iver, James Blake and a lot of Icelandic artists. I wrote it as a love letter to myself in a way, like how I can change myself, shape myself, evolve in a way that not only can benefit the relationship I have with my partner, my friends, or the people around me, but also with myself, my music, and my fans eventually as well. It goes multiple ways. Somewhere in a dark studio in Stockholm, the first lyrics came onto the page.
LUNA: As you mentioned, “New To You,” in its entirety, is about wanting a new beginning in relationships. It also marks a new beginning for you, as it’s been about three years since you released solo music. What was the moment you knew this track needed to be made?
LAURENCE: It’s been three years! Oh my god, when you say that, I’m shocked too. You know, time flies. Time flew a lot more, especially after I did Eurovision, and right after “Arcade” blew up, and then COVID hit. All these massive life changes hit. So for me, it took a little while before I could find myself and all of that again. I looked at a lot of people like Adele, Harry Styles, and especially Raye. I was like, she took 10 years to write this very first album, and it gave me the courage to take my time as well. To kind of go back into that bubble I was in before, when I wrote “Arcade.” I was still in college, studying music, and it was just this dusty old piano, me, the bubble, the song, the lyrics, and the story, so I just wanted to feel that again. I just gave myself time to be in that bubble again, to create, and to really go back to who I am at my core and what drives me to make music. Probably that’s why I took three years, but eventually, when the album was done, I was very, very excited to get it out there right away because I had been brainstorming about the visuals and the world around it. That moment was last month. So I’m happy that it’s finally here.
LUNA: Speaking of visuals, the accompanying music video beautifully mirrors the hazy, soft, and complex layers of desiring change in a connection that seems to be drifting out of your reach. It only makes sense for your music videos to match the cinematic feel of your songs. Where did the idea for the music video originate from?
LAURENCE: Well, I’ve always been a really big fan of mythology and noir, black-and-white, kind of weird and strange photography in a way. Like pictures of Andy Warhol that I’ve seen in black and white that were very beautiful. Also Duane Michals, who does these kinds of light figures. There’s something so beautiful and so mysterious, but at the same time you know what this is. It feels familiar and new. I think for me, this track really represented that feeling: something familiar- the music, the sonic elements, the lingering, the story I could relate to. At the same time, I was stepping into this whole new world. I’ve studied Greek mythology for a very long time, so fairy tales, mythology, Greek, Nordic, everything. I just like pulling magical elements into daily life. Translating something ordinary into something that is more mystical or mythological is what I love doing. So that’s what I tried with this. In this case, it was fireflies, which really represent something fleeting. I felt like this was representative of the light guiding you somewhere; it’s kind of temporary, but the light can be forever in a way. I loved that kind of balance.
LUNA: What aspect of “New To You” were you most excited or anxious to be out in the world?
LAURENCE: The time since the last single was what I was nervous about. It’s been a while, and you find different versions of yourself, and you evolve, and everyone evolves around you. These days, things move so quickly. I think that’s one of the reasons why it was scary to take all that time and literally say, “What would it take to feel new to you?” What was exactly the feeling I had? Was it going to take? Are they going to love it? Are they not going to think it’s me? But luckily, they received it with open arms, and I’m getting so much positive feedback. Another element was the more electronic world that I’ve loved ever since I started making music. For whoever listens closely to “Arcade,” they can kind of hear those elements in the second verse, and there are those elements in “New To You.” Really stepping into that world and trying to find the combination of symphonic and electronic and trying to morph it into one sound where it feels like a living, breathing being in a way. That was scary to me, because I didn’t know if people were going to get that.
LUNA: On September 19 and 20, you’re performing at the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam to perform “New to You” as well as music from your upcoming album. I’ve noticed your excitement for it on social media, so what exactly do these performances mean to you?
LAURENCE: I’ve always wanted to perform at the Carré ever since I was a little boy. It was one of those things I was thinking about as I was creating the music. What dreams did I have when I started, before everything became so intense, quick and blurry? I went back to that moment where I was walking past it one day, and I was like, what if I can do that? What if I can go back home to the Netherlands and play new music there for the very first time? Not only with the music, but I’m also going to translate that feeling of, let’s step into this new world. There’s going to be this beautiful backdrop I designed that’s made out of curtains, and it’s going to be cut into this cave, which represents almost the opening to the underworld. It’s going to be like a hero’s journey, which will be a big theme in my next album. The underworld represents all these doubts and demons I had to slay to get where I am now while I was writing that album. It’s like saying to everyone, here’s the new music, but also look at this. Step into this world with me, go on this journey with me.
LUNA: How do you think being from the Netherlands has influenced your career?
LAURENCE: I think it has its pros and cons. The Netherlands is a great country. I am so happy that I’m from there. I represented my country in the biggest music show we have on Earth, Eurovision, and that really kicked everything off for me. It was such a beautiful experience to feel the support of not just your neighbors, but your entire country watching you perform. I always have a soft spot in my heart for the Netherlands, but at the same time, what can be difficult is the music industry. It’s changing now with the streaming services and everything with social media. Back then, it was still very English and English-speaking countries. It can be challenging being from continental Europe. Finding your footing and finding an international audience was always something that I dreamed of. That’s why I chose to sing in English instead of Dutch. So it can be challenging, but I’m really happy to see other Dutch artists thrive. There are so many more artists coming from not just the Netherlands, but all over Europe and all over other countries. Like Tyla from South Africa and Zara Larsson from Sweden. She’s finally getting her flowers!
Photo by Clayborne Bujorian
LUNA: With each of your songs, you’ve created a dreamy sound that lies in the details and the instrumental layers. Is this reminiscent of the sounds of any of your favorite artists or inspirations?
LAURENCE: It’s a combination of artists that I used to listen to, but I’ve always been in love with classical music and film music. And I have a motor disorder. I can move my left hand really well, but my right hand is a little slow. So that’s why I started playing piano and started falling in love, for example, with the piano theme of Forrest Gump and all of these beautiful songs from movies. I would just walk around with that in my headphones and just walk my dogs outside in the mist. It would just be so magical! It gave me this layer of fantasy within reality. I could see things from a different perspective through classical music and through those strings. I always chase not just writing something that sounds good, but really trying to think, what does this make me feel? So, that’s probably why dreamy and emotional is still the thing, because I’m just a very dreamy, emotional person, honestly.
LUNA: You’ve talked about films pretty often, and your music itself is quite cinematic. Do you have a favorite film that you find yourself always going back to?
LAURENCE: Definitely, Forrest Gump is very high on there. I think that’s such a beautiful movie. It’s very much a perfect example of a modern-day myth in a way. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of those as well. I always forget the title because it’s a lot of English words, but Everything Everywhere All at Once. That one leans a little more sci-fi, but there’s just subtlety to the magic that gets applied where it still feels very real. Those movies I love. I’m also a big fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It’s really those films where a street light could flicker a little bit and say something symbolic.
LUNA: Of course I have to ask about Eurovision 2019! You won the competition, bringing “Arcade” to international praise. Was there anything you learned throughout the experience that you still apply to your life seven years later?
LAURENCE: I think the whole foundation of who I am as an artist was laid there. From feeling supported by people, which I always struggle to believe because I was bullied as a kid. So it was hard for me to take that in, but then walking on the stage, doing your thing, and hearing these people chant for you and scream your name. The warmth that audience has is incredible. So it gave me the courage to be like, I did that for 200 million viewers. I can do that here, too. I took all these little pieces that I learned from not just music, but also my interviews, and the TV performance, the visuals, the styling, and how to just enjoy the moment without letting it pass. It’s very easy because it’s three minutes. It can just be gone. I really got to enjoy it, and I really got to feel super safe and cared for, and that is something that I’ll never forget. It’s something that I feel like I almost conjure whenever I feel a little bit doubtful or stressed or nervous. I just think of that moment sitting there in that spotlight and seeing the faces and the flags everywhere in the arena, and just thinking, wow, look at what music does. This is incredible.
LUNA: Following your music career from your debut album Small Town Boy all the way to “New To You,” your ability to be emotionally vulnerable through your lyrics is a distinguishing factor of your success. Has conveying your emotions through music so efficiently always come naturally to you?
LAURENCE: I think conveying through music has been something I learned, because I didn’t really have a lot of people to talk to when I started writing music. I was just the weird kid who liked music. I started writing songs because I had all these things and ideas and stories in my head, and all these emotions I felt. That just became second nature to me, writing songs. It was really when I started performing for the first time in front of the school and the bullies. Then I felt like, oh, they’re starting to see me differently. They see Duncan, but they also see what I do, who I am and the stories I want to tell. That will stay with me forever. With every song I pick for albums I release, I need to have that sense of a story people can relate to. When I work with people, I ask everyone to hone in on: What do you feel? What is your perspective? How can we make sure that it lands within the story that I’m telling? I feel like if you do that, a personal story becomes something universal in a way.
LUNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today! Is there anything else you’d like to share with Luna about what we can expect next?
LAURENCE: There’s a lot of new music coming! I’m very excited that I am finally able to share it all. It’s just the beginning. It’s just the start. I’m really, really happy that I get to live my dream. The House of Laurence has found its footing, as they say. Right now, the door’s wide open, and I’m ready to let everyone in, show the world and release a lot of music.
