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From The Floppy Disk

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.

The Midnight Wiki: What have you been up to lately?

Lelia Broussard: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

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

LB: 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.

TMW: How was it competing on singing competitions?

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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!

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

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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!

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

LB: No, I didn’t!

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

TMW: 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!)

LB: 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.

TMW: 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?

LB: 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.

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

LB: 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.

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

LB: 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.

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

LB: 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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Missing Out (The Midnight Remix)

"Missing Out (The Midnight Remix)"
Remix by The Ivy
Released	September 11, 2020 (2020-09-11)
Length	3:29
Label	Wasted Talent Records
Songwriter(s)	Zach Siddiqui Wyatt Clem Shawn Abhari Tobias Kuhn

Missing Out is a song originally by The Ivy that was remixed by The Midnight. The remix was released as a single on September 11, 2020.

The remix has a running time of three minutes and 29 seconds and is in the key of D-flat major. The original song Missing Out is from the EP We Move Faster at Night. It was written by Zach Siddiqui, Wyatt Clem, Shawn Abhari, and Tobias Kuhn.

Lyrics

In the morning
When your mind is racing
Watching everyone else
And you can't escape it

All the people
Bathe in the bright lights
Make you wanna go
Ooh, but is it even real life?

Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Ooh

In the daylight
When your heart is aching
For the night to get here
So you can start the chasing

Always something
To make you wonder
Are you doing it right?
Oh and it pulls you under

Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Ohh

I'm stuck wasting another night
Glow of a phone light
And nobody to come around
I'm stuck wasting another night
Glow of a phone light
And nobody to come around

Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Ohh

Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy
Does it feel like missing out?
Does it feel like missing out?
Everybody wants to be living in a fantasy

Lyrics source

References

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Monsters

This template is about the album. For the song, see Monsters (song).

Monsters
Album by The Midnight
Released	July 10, 2020
Genre	Synthwave Electronic World Lo-fi Vaporwave
Length	57:56
Label	Counter Records
Producer	Tim McEwan
The Midnight chronology
The Midnight Remixed 02 (2019) Monsters (2020) Horror Show (2020)
Singles from Monsters
"America Online" Released: May 3, 2019 "Deep Blue" Released: May 6, 2020 "Dance With Somebody" Released: June 10, 2020 "Prom Night" Released: June 24, 2020

Monsters is the fourth album by The Midnight. It was released through the label Counter Records on July 10, 2020.

Monsters was preceded by the release of four singles: America Online, Deep Blue, Dance With Somebody, and Prom Night.

Background and composition

The Midnight's previous album Kids was originally planned to be a larger release with more songs compared to the final product. It was later stated that its production was scaled back so Tyler Lyle would have more time to spend with his newborn child. With the band having a lot of leftover ideas from the making of Kids, they decided to expand upon its themes and began work on a follow-up album as part of a planned trilogy.

Some of the prizes given during the Fall 2020 ARG have revealed details about the development of Monsters. It had a working title of Kids 2 and several early demos of songs that appeared on Monsters were also shared. A snippet of America Online was shared on the band's social media in April 2018, predating the release of Kids. An early instrumental snippet of the song Monsters included in the ARG prizes is named "Monsters (early instrumental demo for KIDS)", indicating that it was also initially planned to be included on Kids.

In February 2019, it was mentioned on the band's social media that new songs were being recorded in Atlanta (the home of Lyle). On March 20, a no-captioned photo of an America Online startup screen was posted, the first official mention of the song since the April 2018 snippet. On March 25, a new clip of America Online containing vocals was shared. On April 5, a photo showing an America Online branded floppy disk with a caption of "New single dropping soon" was posted. A tiny portion of the single artwork was shared on April 18, followed by another small portion on April 29, with a release date of May 3 being announced. The next day, the single was officially confirmed to be America Online. The full single artwork was revealed on May 2. The artwork showed a computer with an AIM-esque chat interface, along with a desktop showing a file called "Monsters.zip", which would later turn out to be the name of the album. On May 6, the band's Twitter account posted the single artwork and stated that the font used in it was the name of a track from the upcoming album. A June 4 post showed an old System 7 interface with a text editor open and the font Helvetica selected, confirming the aforementioned song's name.

Further sharing of information about the next album was infrequent for the remainder of 2019, largely due to the band's ongoing tour. During the tour, a few songs confirmed by the band to be on the pending album were performed, including Seventeen, Monsters, and Brooklyn. The band shared in October that the next album would have a song "that feels like the spiritual successor to Lost Boy", and also stated in December that the album has "taken a lot of inspiration from world music."

In January 2020, the band said that "there may or may not be an homage to Ecco the Dolphin on our upcoming album." It was mentioned in February that the new album would have pan flute and saxophone, and it was also confirmed for a 2020 release. On April 24, a new snippet of the next single cover was posted on social media. On April 27, the single was confirmed to be Deep Blue with a release date of May 6. A short instrumental clip of the song was included in the post. The full single artwork was revealed on May 3. On May 6, the release of Deep Blue was accompanied by the announcing of Monsters as the next The Midnight album, with a planned release date of July 10. The artwork and tracklist were also revealed.

On May 29, Dance With Somebody was announced as the third single from Monsters alongside a short snippet of the song and a release date of June 3. However, The Midnight announced on June 1 that the single's release would be delayed a week to June 10, with the postponement being done in solidarity with racial justice protests happening at the time in the US. Prom Night was revealed to be the album's fourth and final single on June 18, with a short snippet and a release date of June 24 being shared.

Monsters promotional poster

Monsters was officially released on July 10, 2020. Receiving mostly positive reviews, critics noted that the album moved the band's sound in a different direction and expanded its horizons, breaking the traditional mold of the synthwave genre. The album was also the biggest commercial success to date for The Midnight, charting at number 134 on the Billboard 200, number 12 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and number 18 on the Independent Albums chart.

According to Tyler Lyle, a few that songs were written or sketched during the creation of Kids were held over for Monsters. He also noted that the production of Monsters took longer than previous releases due to the band's tour schedule. Monsters was released with fifteen tracks, the largest number to date on a The Midnight release. The title track is a collaboration with Jupiter Winter, a music duo consisting of Lelia Broussard and Royce Whittaker. Broussard co-wrote the track and sings vocals on the second verse. She had previously joined the band as a guitarist and backup vocalist during the Fall 2019 Tour. Broussard and Whittaker would both join The Midnight for the concert special The Midnight Online. Brooklyn, the album's eleventh track, was originally a solo song by Lyle from his album The Floating Years.

A continuation of Kids, the album explores the trials and tribulations of growing up as a teenager and young adult. McEwan noted that the songs on Monsters "range from calm to sad to aggressive, and reflect[s] some of the internal struggles of adolescence." When asked about the significance of 1991, McEwan opined: "The KIDS have grown up. They're teens now. And 1991 was the year the internet went live. Hence the modem sound and opening the album with America Online." Lyle has described Monsters as "an examination of the half in darkness, half in lightness war of individualization through adolescence." During an interview with Icon Vs. Icon, he said about the album:

We wanted MONSTERS to be about adolescence, where the adult world starts knocking on your door and you have to face questions about intimacy, closeness and alienation. It’s a continuation of KIDS in a lot of ways. We wrote a lot of songs for it and hopefully we have a lot of songs for the next record as well to complete the arc. This collection we really felt spoke to the theme of connection.

Monsters has been noted for having a new and different overall sound compared to previous releases by The Midnight. Tim McEwan said a goal with Monsters was to "broaden the palette a bit and sonically evolve the sound of not just us but what is allowed in synthwave and question what is synthwave" and also to not be "encumbered by rules of a genre." McEwan elaborated further stating "I think there's a tendency with all genres to be bubbled into this chamber of one specific genre, and I felt it was important for us to move forward and to have the ability to move freely." Tyler Lyle said with regards to Monsters that McEwan "is evolving the sound a little bit more" and that "We’re opening the palette a little bit more — in some ways becoming a little bit more acoustic and in other ways becoming more dance-focused in different areas.” During a fan question-and-answer session on Twitter prior to the release of Monsters, he mentioned that he "wrote about 250 songs between 2016-2019" and "20 something of those songs got properly demoed/ realistically considered for Monsters."

McEwan stated that he took inspiration from various genres including soft rock, lo-fi, hip-hop, and trance. Influences of vaporwave can also be heard on tracks like America Online and City Dreams (interlude). The song Dream Away is mentioned by McEwan as being a "homage to the 90s wave of world influenced electronic music like Deep Forest and Engima." Lyle said that his work on Monsters was inspired by a string of Bruce Springsteen albums from the late 1970s to early 1980s, with the song Prom Night regarded as "an openhearted nod to Springsteen's gift as a dark and complicated writer who could also write a full throated pop song without those two words seeming to contradict." Lyle's vocals are supplemented with vocoder effects on the songs Monsters, Fire In The Sky, America Online, Deep Blue, and Night Skies, with the effect heard on Fire In The Sky actually being McEwan's voice.

Singles

America Online
May 13, 2019

Deep Blue
May 6, 2020

Dance With Somebody
June 10, 2020

Prom Night
June 24, 2020

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle except where noted.

Monsters

No.	Title	Length
1.	"1991 (intro)"	0:27
2.	"America Online"	5:49
3.	"Dance With Somebody"	4:17
4.	"Seventeen"	4:02
5.	"Dream Away"	3:39
6.	"The Search for Ecco"	4:04
7.	"Prom Night"	5:02
8.	"Fire In The Sky" (Lyle, McEwan and Collin McLoughlin)	4:09
9.	"Monsters (feat. Jupiter Winter)" (Lyle, McEwan and Leila Broussard)	3:17
10.	"Helvetica"	5:16
11.	"Brooklyn"	4:14
12.	"Deep Blue"	3:57
13.	"Night Skies"	3:04
14.	"City Dreams (interlude)"	2:17
15.	"Last Train"	4:22
Total length:		57:56

Additional instrumentation was provided by Thomas Edinger (saxophone on Dance With Somebody), Oliver McEwan (synth bass on Dance With Somebody, Bass & fretless bass on Brooklyn), Daniel Heløy Davidsen (Lead guitar solo on Seventeen), Izzy Fontaine (additional guitar and guitar solo on Brooklyn, guitar on Prom Night & Last Train), and Jesse Molloy (saxophone on Deep Blue). The album was mixed by Tim McEwan and mastered by Emily Lazar and Chris Allgood at The Lodge in New York, NY. Songs were recorded in Los Angeles, CA, Atlanta, GA, and the back of a tour bus all over the world.

Artwork and layout by Aaron Campbell.

Release history and variants

Digital release history for Monsters

Date	Edition
July 10, 2020	Standard
-
October 8, 2020	Instrumentals
Unlike previous instrumental releases, songs that were already instrumental on the original album are included as well.
April 2, 2021	Stems
Contains the 15 songs from the album denoted with BPMs plus 278 stem parts comprising all songs except for 1991 (intro) and Helvetica. The stems are not royalty free but projects and remixes made with them are allowed to be used on non-monetized platforms. First The Midnight EP/album to get a full stems release, which was done for The Midnight Remix Radio Vol. 2 remix contest.

Physical release history for Monsters

Year	Format	Color/Design
2020	Cassette	Translucent Purple
First tape variant.
2020	CD	-
-
2020	LP	Purple Swirl
First vinyl variant. First pressing was plagued with issues, with some listeners experiencing warbly playback, skipping, and various other problems, which might have been caused by misaligned holes on the vinyl. Those who ordered the first pressing were sent an email offering a no-cost replacement.
2021	Cassette	Transparent Purple/Transparent Orange
Second tape variant. First double cassette release of a The Midnight EP/album, with the second tape containing the instrumentals.
2021	LP	Purple Splatter
Second vinyl variant.

References

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