Q&A: LEAH NAWY TALKS GROWTH, SOUND, AND BREAKING PATTERNS IN NEW SINGLE “MIXING PATTERNS”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANY MIRELES ☆
Photo By Ben Crocker
“THAT’S THE THING ABOUT MAKING ART: IT’S HARD TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHAT MAKES SOMETHING FEEL LIKE YOU.” – From growing up in New Jersey, performing in iconic rock music venues to crafting a unique sound, Leah Nawy has been on a journey of self-discovery that resonates with listeners.
Her latest single, “Mixing Patterns,” is a testament to her artistic growth—a song that embodies her journey toward clarity and understanding. In an interview with The Luna Collective, the singer opens up about her roots, the inspiration behind her sound, and the growth she has undergone as an artist. We explore the creative process behind this song, the vision for her next steps as a musician, and the dream collaborations she hopes to bring to life in the future.
LUNA: I read that you grew up in New Jersey and that you grew up playing rock music. What’s one core memory from that time that still lives with you today and has inspired you as an artist?
NAWY: I was in a lot of music groups where kids and high schoolers could join, and they'd give you gigs and stuff. So that's how I got my chops. I was, like, 16 in front of all these old rock dudes at the Stone Pony, which is such an iconic venue. If you know about the Jersey Shore on the East Coast, Bruce Springsteen played there. That was such a big turning point for me in terms of being a performer, it was a good self-confidence moment of like, Wow, you can do this and you can command a stage and you can take on a big song and do a good job. The music scene where I grew up was so big, and I didn't realize how special that was because it was just where I grew up.
LUNA: I also read that you are a graduate of The New School and BerkleeNYC. Was there a specific course or project during school that helped you unlock something in your songwriting or production?
NAWY: Absolutely. I wouldn't even say it was just a course, but my time at Berklee, which was not even a year ago. Our final thesis project was our culminating experience. We had to create five songs, to write and produce a majority of them, and we could collaborate with people if we wanted to. At the end, we also had to have visuals and a 20-minute presentation. You couldn't just make five random things. It had to be cohesive. When I came to Berklee I was still a new producer, and I had decided for my thesis project that I was going to write and produce all five songs completely by myself. Because I just thought, What better time? Worst case, it's not that good, and no one will hear it. I did it because I wanted to discover how far I could take myself and what I could create when I was just completely on my own. I spent a year taking audio engineering and production classes where we’d recreate the first minute of a song as accurately as possible. It was tough and intimidating at first, but it got easier over time as things started to click. I’ve realized how closely connected production and songwriting are, it’s hard to separate them. Learning both has helped me start shaping my sound.
LUNA: Your new single, “Mixing Patterns,” is about awakening and personal clarity. What moment or realization sparked the beginning of that song?
NAWY: I had the first verse—the first few lines came to me early on—but I didn’t use them right away. I don’t usually start with a specific topic and then expand on it. Instead, I write a little bit every day, and if I find a few lines I like, I’ll take those and build around them. I often work backwards, asking myself, Okay, what are you trying to say here? One line that stood out to me was, “Today is all I gotta see through.” That felt powerful—it captured the idea of taking things one day at a time and just doing your best. And “Every day I try to tell you I'm not mixing patterns anymore” felt like a personal battle cry, a definitive statement that I’m done with confusion and ready to start a journey that makes sense for my growth. So I guess from those first two lines, the rest of the song came together in pieces. I remember writing the “brick” part separately, with that imagery of staring further out and pushing forward. That section also came on its own. But once I put everything together, I realized that, subconsciously, it formed a cohesive story. It reflected exactly how I was feeling at the time, that I needed a reset, a clean slate, and that I was ready to grow and figure out how to move forward on this crazy journey as an artist.
LUNA: You said this was the first song that truly felt like you. What makes this song different from your other songs?
NAWY: Totally. It's weird because it came out this year, but I actually wrote most of it and went through the whole creative process three years ago. I was in a completely different place in my life. I had been writing songs since I was 14, but I never really loved them; I was just doing it because that’s what I did. But this was one of the first songs that felt different. I guess once I got the chorus melody down and heard the way it opened up, it felt deeply connected to something I was trying to express inside. That’s the thing about making art: it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes something feel like you, but this song just felt like such an accurate representation of who I was. It was also when I first started producing. It was the first song I decided to put into Ableton and try to flesh out on my own. I think that’s why it became the song that allowed me to explore, discover, and play. And even though it took three years, and I made so many songs in between, that one kept growing and evolving with me. It changed as I changed. So now that it's finally out, it feels like it grew up with me as I grew up. That’s why it’s so special. It marked the beginning of my journey, and it’s also the song that brought me to what, so far, feels like the highest point in my career, where I can finally say I’m happy with how something sounds and represents me. It's really interesting.
LUNA: Is there a specific lyric in “Mixing Patterns” that you wrote and immediately knew had to stay?
NAWY: Yeah. It’s funny because when I was working on the song, I brought it into a few songwriting classes, and I had some people, even professors, say things like, “What are you talking about?” or “It’s not clear enough.” But I always stuck with it, because the lyrics in the chorus are just two lines, and I believed in them. The first line is “I’ve been watching the paint peel from the ceilings,” which I love because of the imagery. It captured how I felt at the time. I was just sitting there, watching life pass me by, feeling like time was dragging and nothing was changing. Then the second line is “No one’s talking, the walls are walking, docking away.” That contrast stood out to me. The first line is passive and still, but the second one feels like everything is shifting and moving, things are finally breaking down, the walls are knocking, and there’s this sense that you’re about to break out of the monotony. I thought that was a strong visual, and I liked that tension. I don’t know, I’ve always been more of a Radiohead-indie girl, I’m not the type to say things super directly. And sometimes that leaves people confused, like, “What is she saying?” But I get it. And I feel like the right people will get it, too. So when I wrote those two lines, I was probably the most proud of them. They’re visual, not overcomplicated, short, and to the point, and they capture the heart of the song.
LUNA: Talking more about the writing process, did the lyrics come quickly, or was it a long writing process?
NAWY: The song came together in parts. I had the verse, the chorus, and the bridge, almost like three separate sections that eventually fit together. The lyrics and music didn’t take too long to write. For a while, I had the whole song sketched out and finished, except for the bridge, which didn’t have any lyrics yet. It was just just the melody. That’s how I would play it for a long time. The bridge probably took me the longest to finish because I wanted several lines that shared the same rhyme scheme and number of syllables, something that felt catchy and flowed naturally. It was tough to land on the exact words I wanted. All in all, it probably took about four to six months to finish the music, lyrics, and melody. But honestly, the biggest challenge was turning the written song into a final recording. That part dragged on, partly because I was graduating from college and starting grad school, so life just kept getting in the way. Every time I came back to it after a few months, I’d make new changes. But I think that’s just part of my process. With the songs I make, it always feels like you could go back and improve something. I’ve never felt like, Okay, this is perfect. But at some point, you have to stop and release your little song babies into the world.
LUNA: The bridge in the song is such a climactic moment. How did you build towards it, and what was your vision for it sonically?
NAWY: I’m glad you could tell, that means a lot. To me, it’s obvious, but I’m happy you picked up on the fact that the whole song kind of leads up to that one part. When I was writing it, part of what shaped the process, and even became a big part of my thesis in grad school, was this idea of creating songs that aren't necessarily made for commercial appeal.
If they end up being accessible, great, but that’s not the point. I wasn’t trying to fit into a traditional structure or formula. So when I got to the bridge, I knew I didn’t want it to function like a typical bridge. I wanted it to be a distinct section, almost like a dedicated C section. I don’t return to the chorus after it; I just let that moment be the ending. We get there, and we stay there. We ride it out. I didn’t want to just go back to the chorus, I liked the idea of entering this new space instead. To me, it feels like turning on the car radio and driving away; that’s what you're hearing as you leave the song behind.
LUNA: Did you come into the studio with a clear vision for the song, or did it evolve through your collaboration with James Sleeman?
NAWY: James and I used to play in rock bands together growing up, way before he went down the audio engineer and producer route. He was my guitar player when we were 14. When I brought him this song, I didn’t know anyone else to make music with, and I asked him for help. I knew he was getting into production and audio engineering, and what he brought to the table was total audio wizardry. It was all these little details, in the second chorus, there’s this one single guitar note that just sits in the background with reverb, constantly lingering. That was his idea, and I loved it. It’s one of those things you might not consciously notice, but you can feel it; it elevates the song. What he brought was expertise. You can have a great part in a song, but if the tone is off, it can sound like trash. James just has this amazing sense of mixing and knowing what tones to go for with each element. I think one of my strengths is arranging and creating interesting parts, but making those parts sound good on a record, that’s science. And that’s where he shines.
LUNA: What do you hope people take away from “Mixing Patterns” the first time they hear it?
NAWY: I guess at first, I just hope people find it interesting like it catches them off guard a little, and maybe they want to put it on again because they’re surprised by where it ended up. Do they want to run it back and take in the story a second time? That’s always what I do when I like a song, I’m like, “Wait, what just happened? I need to hear that again.” I know it’s a little cliché, but I also hope it makes them curious to hear what else I’ve done. Maybe they get a sense of the world I’m trying to build with my music, something that blends the comforting and relatable with something different, something that pushes a bit outside the typical pop box. Little changes, subtle shifts. That balance matters to me.
LUNA: Speaking of collaborations, is there a producer or artist you would love to work with in the future?
NAWY: I'm a huge Japanese Breakfast fan. She just put out that album produced by Blake Mills. He’s worked with Alabama Shakes, too, and honestly, Brittany Howard would be my dream collaboration. She's the artist for me. The way she writes is exactly the kind of thing I connect with. It’s not overly coded or poetic to the point where you don’t know what’s going on, but it’s still unique and never basic. She just hits that perfect balance. For my next project, I’m probably just going to dissect the latest Japanese Breakfast album and study what he did.
LUNA: Now that “Mixing Patterns” is out in the world, what does the next chapter look like for you creatively?
NAWY: I mean, a tour would be the dream right now. I’m based in New York, so I think my first goal is to build up by playing more venues, getting to that next level. Maybe if I can open for someone at places like Irving Plaza or Webster Hall, they might take me on for a few tour dates. That seems like the first step before doing my full tour, just to dip my toes into that world. As for music, it's funny because I’ve been releasing my last three songs about every month or two, so I’ve been in a good flow. But now that "Mixing Patterns" is out, I’m kind of going back to the drawing board. I’ve got six to eight songs that are works in progress from over the years, so the next step is finishing them up and putting them out. It might end up being an album when all is said and done. But right now, I just want to focus on starting fresh and creating new songs, song-making, and gigging as much as I can, getting better each time.
