Why L.Y.D. Has Put Being a Music Educator in the Backseat

Mumbai/Munich-based artist Lydia Hendrikje Hornung aka L.Y.D. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Last week, Germany-bred and Mumbai/Munich-based artist Lydia Hendrikje aka L.Y.D. dropped her latest single, the R&B-meets-soul offering “Luna.” The track comes two years after the singer, DJ and music educator released her last song “Forgive.” In this interview with Rolling Stone India, L.Y.D. tells us about what she’s been up to recently, talks about the new song and updates us on what’s to come in the future.

We’ve seen you performing at gigs in India for a few years now, most recently at this year’s Jazz Day at Mumbai’s anitiSOCIAL. So, I’m curious to know what was it that brought you to India initially? 

I initially came as a music educator about seven years ago actually. So, it’s been a long time since then. In the beginning, I was with True School of Music (TSM). I’ve always done a lot of music-related projects on the side. Then a couple of years after TSM, I started my own company so that I could stay and work as a musician on a freelance basis. Since then, I’ve just been gigging and started DJing too, a couple of years ago. So, it’s all kinds of different things. 

Your last release was “Forgive,” which came out in 2020. What’s been happening since then? 

Actually, I got super lucky in the pandemic to get two teaching jobs, which was of course the only way to survive then because there were no gigs. I had initially planned before the pandemic to teach much less and just do gigs and write my own music. Only now, like this year, did I really stop teaching. It was a hard decision for me. I’ve made the conscious effort to say, ‘Okay, you have to stop for a while just to get enough time.’ Because like with everything, it takes a lot of time to sit with your music, to produce it in the way that you like it, and just to get inspiration.  

Talk to me about “Luna” and how it came together, as well as what the song means to you? 

So, it’s quite dramatic and emotional. I’m basically currently shifting between Munich and Mumbai after six years. Last year, I took the decision to also start working again in Munich. It was sort of this decision, how you carry ideas inside of you, but then there’d be like a dramatic trigger for me to actually act upon it. So, [in this case it was] a breakup. I was living in Goa at the time and there was a cyclone, and it was also monsoon and it was another lockdown. So, a lot of things [were going on] and it was not the most warm, cozy atmosphere. And when that was combined with the breakup, I was just like, ‘I’m going to relocate for a while,’ and I moved to Germany.  

I had honestly lived in Germany for 13 years because I lived in Holland before that to study, and then I was in India for six years. So, for me it was like, you know, you think it’s easy to reintegrate, but it’s not at all. And it was like the feeling of being completely uprooted. I mean, after a breakup and then you also don’t really feel at home there. You don’t really have your base yet and you don’t feel grounded. So, it was kind of like a mantra to believe that every day is just passing by and that’s why it’s ‘Luna.’ It’s basically a little bit like a lullaby to the moon. Give me some good sleep, give me some strength for the next day to get through it. So, it’s really that you just sometimes need to endure it and to typically just pass time to get somewhere where you’re feeling good again.  

What was the production process for the song like? 

I worked with a producer friend of mine, Luca Petracca from Italy. I write all my music and compose the lyrics and produce it, but then I always like to get some other ears on it. He worked with me a little bit under my sort of co‑production leadership, so I kind of already knew what I wanted. We worked together and we’re really good friends. He also used to be in India, and we’ve worked together before. So, he helped me out to, let’s say, solidly just to get it in the exact spot. 

Although you’ve stopped teaching for now, how did you earlier balance being a music educator while also being an artist? 

It is difficult, I really won’t lie. I love teaching. It’s given me a lot and to a certain extent, I think maybe I almost needed those years. Teaching also teaches you something about yourself, how you have to treat a certain challenge with someone. It teaches you a lot about yourself and it gives you some skills, but there wasn’t a lot of time to stand still. I noticed this now, just taking a walk outside and being in your own zone. When you’re a teacher, you’re not in your own zone; even if you have the time, you have lessons and somehow in your head you’re already there. You’re there for others, you’re in the future. You’re anticipating how you can facilitate someone else.  

Are you working on any projects currently? 

Yes, it’s actually been really great. In the sense that when I gave up teaching, it was a huge decision; of course I can always go back to it, it wasn’t an easy decision, especially when it feeds you through the pandemic. So, I’m working a lot on other songs. I’m currently composing all the time, already putting together the album that’s coming out next year. I have a couple of producers that I’m working with. I have chosen some people to possibly collaborate with on the album. So, just lots of new songs. I’m DJing on the side, so I also keep working on that. I’ve opened a music school in Munich called Home Music Teachers, where I’m not teaching, but I kind of just facilitate. So, there’s a lot of different things right now. But yeah, my priority is really the writing. 

Stream “Luna” on Spotify below and on other platforms.