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Interview with Lelia Broussard

Lelia perfoming with The Midnight

The Midnight Wiki had the honor of interviewing Lelia Broussard of Jupiter Winter in January 2021. Lelia joined The Midnight as a touring member for the Fall 2019 Tour and also co-wrote and sang guest vocals on the song Monsters. She talks to us about beginning her music career at a young age, the pros and cons of being independent versus being signed to a label, appearing on TV on Jimmy Fallon and The Voice, her work with The Midnight, and her plans for Jupiter Winter in 2021.

What have you been up to lately?

I’ve just been making a lot of music! It’s been kind of nice to have all of this uninterrupted time to write. Royce and I are working on a Jupiter Winter album which is very exciting for me. Other than writing and working on music, I’m really into cooking. I go on a lot of hikes, I do a lot of workouts in my yard. Ha! Just trying to stay sane and not get or give anyone covid.

Let's go back to the beginning. When do you realize you wanted to pursue a career in music? How did you get your start in the music business?

I developed a big interest in music very early on. I sang incessantly as a kid and I started playing guitar around 12 or 13. I was writing songs as soon as I could string a few chords together and it’s been a lifelong love and pursuit ever since.

As far as my start in the business, when I was a teenager I would religiously seek out every open mic I could find to practice performing in front of an audience. I started playing shows around the Philadelphia area, made some recordings of my songs and started selling them at my shows. 88.5 WXPN - the public radio station in Philadelphia generously gave me some early support and helped to grow my audience in the beginning. When I was 17 I skipped going to college and moved to New York instead where I began collaborating with other writers and producers and doing a little bit of touring. That eventually led to my first publishing deal.

I was able to learn a lot about you that I didn't know when I created your article on the wiki. You released a few albums independently starting at a very young age. What was that experience like?

It was amazing! I don’t know if I deserved to record in a studio with the incredible musicians I got to work with just yet. I was a baby who had no idea who I was as an artist and I definitely wasn’t writing very good songs yet but it was a great learning experience and a huge privilege to be exposed to that world so early on.

I read that you had inked a publishing deal and lived in Los Angeles for a time. What other artists and writers do you work with? Did you/do you enjoy writing and making music for other people?

I did! The first publishing deal I signed was more focused on my own artist development, so I wasn’t really writing for others at that point. I started writing for other artists and projects a few years later, and yes! I love making music for other people. It can be kind of freeing to work on something for someone else because there can be a lot of overthinking and preciousness that goes on when making your own music. I love to help other artists realize their artistic vision and to help them say something that feels honest and true. With the right fit it can be very fulfilling.

You've dipped your toes in many facets of the music industry - you've crowdfunded an album, have done solo work, was in a band (Secret Someones) and signed to a label, toured extensively on stages big and small - what would you say is the biggest thing you've learned? Do you think an artist should try to stay independent as long as they can?

Don’t compare your path to anyone else’s. I’m still learning that one. Study the greats and always find and celebrate the joy in making music, especially when it becomes your job. Write a LOT and don’t be too precious with your ideas. That’s a lot easier to do when you’re prolific. Routines and staying connected to yourself, whatever that means for you really help with creativity. It can be good to stay independent as long as you can, but I think it just depends on the circumstance. There’s so much you can do now as an independent artist and getting as far as you can on your own obviously means more leverage for a better deal. My band Secret Someones got signed pretty much right away, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for us. Labels can provide a lot of support but they also suck in a lot of ways. I think it just depends on your circumstances.

You've been on TV several times - Jimmy Fallon, The Voice - am I missing anything? What was it like being on television?

Nerve wracking! The Voice is fucking terrifying. It’s a lot of pressure and they make sure you’re well aware of that. Jimmy Fallon was a blast. He was very nice and exactly the person you would hope he is. My band and I got to write a parody song about an audience member and it was the best. Questlove liked my song and that made my life.

How was it competing on singing competitions?

Honestly, it was a wild experience. I met some wonderful people that I love dearly, but reality tv is a strange beast. If you don’t fit into the mold that the producers have invented for you, you won’t last on the show. It was definitely an interesting experience, but I can’t say that I would ever do it again.

Your current project is Jupiter Winter. How did you meet Royce, and when did you guys decide to team up and start making music together?

Yes! Royce and I met on tour in 2015 at The Wonder Ballroom in Portland (which was coincidentally my first gig with The Midnight years later!) I was playing with my band, Secret Someones and we were opening for our Canadian label mates, Marianas Trench. Royce was working with Marianas and we became friends over the tour and after that we started dating. Shortly after we started dating my band broke up and I was trying to find my own creative voice again, and we just started making stuff. It’s taken a long time to evolve into what it is now, but it’s been the best growing and learning experience!

What are each of your roles in this project? What type of sound are you going for?

Royce is more focused on production and I’m more focused on the songwriting, although both of us contribute to both aspects. Lately I’ve been writing and fully producing out a demo, then I’ll take it to Royce and he’ll add in new elements and help to polish and finish it. Sometimes Royce will write and produce a track on his own and I’ll write a topline (lyric + melody) over it. We love a mix of organic and electronic elements. We want to make smart pop music that makes you feel things. I guess that’s indie pop? Tyler says we’re pop wave. I hadn’t heard of it before but I think that feels like an accurate genre for us.

Let's get into your involvement with The Midnight. I've read that you got the touring role through an audition. Can you tell me a bit more about that process and experience?

A wonderful artist manager friend of mine recommended me to their team. We chatted on the phone and they asked to see a few videos of me playing their songs. Tyler and I had been in the same singer/songwriter community for many years, although I don’t think we had ever formally met. He was familiar with me as an artist and songwriter and I had a lot of other mutual friends with the guys. After sending a few videos of me playing, singing and doing my thing over their recordings they asked me to join them for their upcoming tours and after that I had I think two weeks to learn about 25 songs. It was intense but so much fun!

Prior to joining The Midnight on tour, did you have any prior experience or exposure to the synthwave genre?

No, I didn’t!

The synthwave genre and style is quite different from the music you've made for most of your career. Did you find it difficult to learn and get in tune with the songs?

I didn’t find it to be extraordinarily different than learning any other genre or style of music. Most of their songs have a very classic pop structure but their palette is very specific. Recreating all the sounds is one of my favorite parts of doing this gig.

OK - let's talk Monsters, the song. I remember when I saw The Midnight in Fall 2019 Tour, Tyler originally sang all parts of the song. When was it decided that you would sing on the album version? (you sound great by the way!)

Thank you! Yes! While we were on tour in 2019 we were playing a few new songs they were working on, Monsters being one of them. They had the idea to make it into a duet and they gave me the opportunity to take a stab at rewriting and singing the second verse which was so very cool of them. I did it on one of our days off in a hotel room somewhere in the US and thankfully they liked what I did. I’ve played with a lot of artists and it’s not very often that you’re welcomed into their creative process, so it’s been a real honor to get to collaborate with the guys in that way.

Let's talk about the amazing The Midnight Online concert you guys did last fall. When did you first hear that the band was interested in doing a livestream concert? Was it odd to play in a big outdoor venue with no fans?

They let us know a few months before so we thankfully had plenty of time to prepare. Oh my gosh it was so incredible to play music with my favorite people again. All of us had missed it so much. It was very weird and a little sad with no fans, but it was such a huge joy to be able to come together to do that.

What is your favorite The Midnight song to perform and/or your favorite The Midnight song in general? (other than Monsters!)

That’s so hard! I really have so much fun playing the whole show. I love playing America 2, Lost & Found, Los Angeles, I have a blast playing the solo in Gloria. From the new record, Last Train is VERY FUN for me. Neon Medusa is crazy. Royce shreds and that riff is so fun to play.

What are your plans as a musician for 2021? Do you think you and Royce will release an EP or album sometime this year?

Yes, we’re working on an album for Jupiter Winter and I’m so excited to have a whole body of work to finally be able to share. Hopefully we’ll have it wrapped up later this year. I just want to continue growing as a person and an artist and writing, more collaborating with my friends and making things that feel honest and true.

Anything you'd like to say to all the Kids and Monsters out there in The Midnight universe?

Just that I have so much love for all of you! Thank you for being so sweet and welcoming to me. Best fans in the world.

Be sure to follow Lelia and Jupiter Winter on Instagram!

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Vampires

"Vampires"
Single by The Midnight
from the album Endless Summer
Released	June 10, 2016 (2016-06-10)
Length	5:17
Label	The Midnight Music
Songwriter(s)	Tim McEwan Tyler Lyle
Producer(s)	Tim McEwan
Endless Summer track listing
Endless Summer "Endless Summer" "Sunset" "Daytona" "Jason" "Synthetic" "The Equaliser (Not Alone)" "The Comeback Kid" "Vampires" "Crockett's Revenge" "Nighthawks" "Lonely City" "Memories"
The Midnight singles chronology
Sunset (2016) Vampires (2016) Crystalline (2017)

"Vampires"
Remix single by The Midnight
from the EP The Rearview Mirror
Released	July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
Length	4:02
Label	The Midnight Music
Songwriter(s)	Tim McEwan Tyler Lyle
Producer(s)	Minna Choi
The Rearview Mirror track listing
The Rearview Mirror "Endless Summer" "Vampires" "The Comeback Kid" "Sunset" "Memories"
The Midnight remix singles chronology
The Comeback Kid (Isolation Relief Mix) (2020) Vampires (from The Rearview Mirror) (2021) Deep Blue (Droid Bishop Remix) (2021)

Vampires is a song by The Midnight. It is the second single and eighth track from their album Endless Summer. The single was released on June 10, 2016.

The song was written by band members Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle and produced by McEwan. It has a running time of five minutes and 17 seconds and is in the key of B-flat minor. The saxophone on Vampires was performed by Thomas Edinger.

On July 9, 2021, an orchestral arrangement of Vampires was released as a single from The Rearview Mirror.

Lyrics

Strangers in a dark room, laughing at jokes they didn't quite hear
Frosted window panes and cheap champagne a face appears
And anything could happen in these cathedrals we roam
Where shadow people dance and trade their glance and walk home alone

She's staring out the window of the Roosevelt Hotel
Watching midtown empty out and I kiss her farewell
They say we come from nothing and to nothing we'll return
And in between is gravity and bridges left to burn

Lyrics source

Official versions and other media

Vampires

from Endless Summer

Vampires (instrumental)

from Endless Summer (the instrumentals)

Vampires (Vintage & Morelli Remix)

from The Midnight Remixed

Vampires

from The Rearview Mirror

Vampires (Live)

from Red, White and Bruised: The Midnight Live

Live at Corona Capital (Fall 2020 ARG prize)

References

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Days of Thunder

This template is about the EP. For the song, see Days of Thunder (song).

Days of Thunder
EP by The Midnight
Released	July 15, 2014
Genre	Synthwave
Length	37:18
Label	The Midnight Music
Producer	Tim McEwan
The Midnight chronology
Days of Thunder (2014) Endless Summer (2016)
Alternative cover
Original EP cover

Days of Thunder is the debut extended play (EP) by The Midnight. It was released independently by the band on July 15, 2014.

No singles from Days of Thunder were released prior to the EP's release, but in 2016 electronic music label Silk Music issued remix singles for the songs WeMoveForward and Days of Thunder. The singles included the original songs and remixes that would later appear on the 2017 remix album The Midnight Remixed.

Background and composition

Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle met in 2012 at a songwriter's workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time. Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. They bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and after initially struggling to define their sound, decided to enter the synthwave genre at the suggestion of McEwan. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning synthwave genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote as a duo was WeMoveForward, and the same day they also wrote the chorus for Gloria. Over the next two years, they continued writing and recording songs, leading to the release of Days of Thunder. Prior to the release of the EP, several songs that were being worked on by McEwan (who was known as iAmData at the time) and Lyle were previewed on McEwan's Soundcloud account, including WeMoveForward, Gloria, Synthetic, and Comet. While WeMoveForward and Gloria made the Days of Thunder tracklist, Synthetic was held back for the next The Midnight release, Endless Summer. Comet would not get released until 2021 as part of the 5 Year Anniversary edition of Endless Summer.

The EP was not promoted with any singles but still managed to make a modest impact upon release. At the time, the synthwave genre of music was still emerging and in the early stages of gaining traction. Days of Thunder was given positive reviews on the websites DRIVE Radio and NewRetroWave, and also caught the attention of several Reddit communities throughout 2014 and 2015. When The Midnight's first album Endless Summer was released in 2016, synthwave and its online communities were much more established, drawing many new listeners to Days of Thunder. Gloria, Days of Thunder, and Los Angeles became popular songs of the genre and continue to be regularly performed by the band at live shows.

Music and lyrics

The primary themes explored by The Midnight on Days of Thunder are escapism, love, isolation, existentialism, and nostalgia, particularly when looked at through the lens of city life.

The EP begins with The Years (prologue), a slow moving tribute to Lyle's wife Anna, whom he met after moving to Los Angeles in the early 2010s. The inclusion of "prologue" in the song title indicates it as being not only a precursor to the other songs on the EP but also establishing the relationship of Lyle and Anna as preceding The Midnight's formation. The main synth riff slowly crescendos as the song progresses to include drums, guitar, and a chanting vocal. The final lyric in the song, "aimless and upward", is a recurring motif in Lyle's solo work and unifies his musical background with the production style of McEwan.

Gloria increases the tempo and octane of the EP with pulsing synth stabs and heavy guitar riffs, with lyrics expressing a near existentialist cry for help. The song leans heavily into the the themes of isolation and escapism, trademarks of the synthwave genre. WeMoveForward has a significantly more progressive house feel and recounts a tale of love discovered at the beach. Proclaiming "we move forward, because we can't go back", the song emphasizes the ideal of living life in the present and taking chances.

Beginning with the sound of a car engine starting, the title track evokes high speed chases from 80s action films with strong synth patterns, loud percussion, and distinctive saxophone riffs, which would become a trademark of The Midnight's sound. Discussing the dark side of love, Days of Thunder also explores the idea of feeling alone in a big city, describing "the ghosts of the boulevard" as "living with lonely hearts". Kick Drums & Red Wine, another synth driven song, explores the ways people search for answers in life by pretending to be something they're not, with the narrator choosing to find relief through authenticity and "kick drums and red wine".

The EP concludes with Los Angeles, an ode to the birthplace of The Midnight written by Lyle upon moving from Los Angeles to New York City. The moderately paced song has a more sparse production compared to the previous songs on the EP, recounting memories shared at various places including the beach, Sunset Boulevard, and the canyons and mountains of Los Angeles. Often regarded as one of The Midnight's signature songs, Los Angeles ties together the EP's themes and the band's mantra of mono no aware with Lyle declaring, "if we live forever let us live forever tonight".

Official description

The Days of Thunder

There is a Japanese term: Mono no aware. It means basically, the sad beauty of seeing time pass - the aching awareness of impermanence. These are the days that we will return to one day in the future only in memories. How do we capture them? How could we possibly be able to fully appreciate them in the present? This project is our attempt to put time under glass.

The Midnight is a marriage between a songwriter from the Deep South and a producer from Denmark who both live in Los Angeles. The songs were written in North Hollywood and Santa Monica over two years and represent the first fruit of The Midnight. This is our love song to our city and a testament to the weight these years can hold.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Years (prologue)"	6:08
2.	"Gloria"	4:49
3.	"WeMoveForward"	8:07
4.	"Days of Thunder"	5:24
5.	"Kick Drums & Red Wine"	6:21
6.	"Los Angeles"	6:29
Total length:		37:18

Release history and variants

Digital release history for Days of Thunder

Date	Edition
July 15, 2014	Standard
Artwork was changed to current revision in February 2016 due to potential copyright issues with the original image. The artwork it was changed to was first used for the release of Lost & Found (The Midnight Remix).
March 20, 2016	Instrumentals
The instrumentals were originally uploaded to Soundcloud in June 2015 prior to getting an official release on Bandcamp and streaming services.
May 7, 2021	Stems
Contains the six songs from the EP denoted with BPMs plus 94 stem parts comprising all songs. The stems are not royalty free but projects and remixes made with them are allowed to be used on non-monetized platforms.

Physical release history for Days of Thunder

Year	Format	Color/Design
2018	Cassette	White
First tape variant. Was first offered for sale at the Spring 2018 shows with the remaining stock being sold online.
2018	Cassette	Transparent Red
Second tape variant.
2018	LP	Transparent Red
First vinyl variant. The EP was remastered for this release. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track. Preorders began in June 2018 and were shipped in September.
2022	CD	-
Lost & Found is erroneously included on the printed tracklist. A download link to the song is sent when purchasing the CD.
2022	LP	Blue Swirl
Second vinyl variant. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track.
2024	LP	Evil Dead
Third vinyl variant. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track.

References

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