
Meet genre-blurring composer, conductor and arranger Uèle Lamore as she prepares to release her debut album ‘Loom’ on Sony Masterworks XXIM
The 27 year old Franco-American creative talks to us about her exploration in sound, making a record with artificial intelligence, and why there are no musical ‘geniuses’.
Words Hannah Kane
Photographer Vincent Dolman
Stylist Pia Aung
Digital Beauty Editor Tania Grier using SUQQU
Hair by Emma Small at Stella Creative Artists using SachaJuan
Nails by Nichole Williams at Stella Creative Artists using OPI
Photographer’s Assistant Caz Dyer
Picture Desk Assistant Callum Smith
Stylist’s Assistant Miroslava Kratinova
Interview transcription Lena-Marie Müller
We first meet Uèle Lamore on the set of the PHOENIX cover shoot, the low winter sun flooding our east London daylight studio. She stepped off the Eurostar the night before from Paris, and is easy going with the crew and a natural in front of the camera. When we connect for the second time for our interview on Zoom, she sits in a room filled with art and computers, the home she shares with her playful Italian greyhound. It’s Monday when we talk, and she’s recovering from a friend’s wedding festivities at the weekend, admitting it’s a rare big night out, she’s more likely to be found at home playing retro video games.
Lamore has earned the time off, her anticipated debut album Loom is set for release on the 28th January on Sony Masterworks XXIM (pronounced ‘Twenty-One M’), a brand new imprint that Sony says is “focused on the development of innovative, progressive instrumental music around the world”. Their mission is to develop, “a bespoke roster of a new generation of artists whose work explores and integrates neo-classical, post-rock, electronic, and ambient sounds among others.”
Tantalisingly, two singles from Loom are already released. The First Tree, featuring the poetic vocals of Gracy Hopkins (see video below) features poignant strings layered with piano, rising to a cinematic crescendo. The latest single, The Dark is more abstract and expansive in form, tinged with both organic and inorganic sound textures, a sound that resides somewhere between classical and electronic. They set the tone for the rest of the record, a spectrum of sound textures from cellos, flutes and piano to synths and basslines. The preview of the record reveals other gems such as The Creation, a joyful, richly classical work, the uplifting and uptempo Breathe, Pollen featuring the soulful vocals of Cherise, the track written with the singer in mind. Similarly, the softly trip-hop Warm Blood featuring French singer-songwriter Ana Benabdelkarim, AKA Silly Boy Blue.
Lamore is a guitar player by default, she grew up in the characterful Parisian district Le Marais with her French mother and American father. From the City of Lights she moved aged 17 to the City of Angels to continue her studies at jazz conservatoire The Musician’s Institute in LA, before earning a coveted scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Read our exclusive interview below and listen to the new tracks, as Lamore explains in her own words about her work as a pioneer at the edge of the post-genre musical revolution.

Knit Dress, CHLOE
Necklaces, PICCADILLY VAULTS
Beige & White Boots (unseen) STIVALERIA CAVALLIN
HK
What was your original aim with the new record?
UL
Very different from what it became (laughs). Basically, I wrote an unfinished version about two and a half years ago. I wanted to do something way more minimalistic, ambient and intellectual. I guess it was because I was very much in my own world, you know. Super nerdy, in my studio with myself and not really seeing anybody, and then I left it on the side and I had no idea what was going to happen with it. I just had maybe 75 percent of demos partially completed. I ended up getting a record deal and I listened to it again and I was like, ‘what the fuck, what is this?’ I don’t even get it. (laughs) So, then I said, get your head out of your ass and make music that people will actually dig, hopefully.
HK
And what did you want to achieve musically with the record?
UL
I guess at the end of the day I just wanted to make something that sounded a bit different. I wanted something that was approachable and could be popular, but at the same time fuse it with stuff that I had learned from studying music; like the craftsmanship that comes with classical music. Just try to offer something different and make it accessible without losing quality.

Jumpsuit and Sleeves, NAFSIKA SKOURTI
Pearl Necklace, MOTLEY
Ring, IANDI
Shoes, STIVALERIA CAVALLIN
HK
And a lot of the tracks have naturalistic titles. What was the natural connection to the record?
UL
(laughs) Well, there’s a funny story behind it. So, when I first did the first version of the record, basically I wanted every track to represent its title in a very literal way. When I started reworking it, I first kept the same title because I was too lazy to do command right click and rename (laughs). But then when I started thinking about it, I thought it would be nice to have titles where everybody knows what the word means. But it can have many different interpretations just as the tracks can have many different interpretations depending on what’s your musical background and what kind of style you dig. There’s going to be different things that you’re going to like and going to think this track is more this or that, you know. That’s why I thought having super broad titles that everybody gets in terms of nature.
HK
Let’s talk about your background with music: can you tell me about your journey, what instruments you play, and when did you start playing?
UL
I started super early. I started music when I was like five or six. I’m a guitar player. I played the electric guitar for a long, long time. And then I started learning production, but really just on the side. I basically learned production with YouTube. (laughs) It’s how I taught myself. Then I studied classical music when I was in college and I studied it because I thought I’d learn stuff that would be super useful for my field in music. Writing techniques and stuff like that. Then I started picking up more and more synthesizers and electronic machines and having this complete set up. I went through a phase where I learned on my own with electric guitar and production and then I learned in a very scholarly way classical music.
Tuxedo, BELLA FREUD
Shirt, JOSEPH
Brooch, PICCADILLY VAULTS
Ring, IANDI
Boots (unseen) LOUBOUTIN

HK
Is your family into music?
UL
No one. Everybody is kind of in the arts. My dad is a painter; my uncle is a sculptor; my mom used to work in textiles and leather and high fashion; my brother is into the nightclub scene. Nobody has a 9-to-5-job. (laughs)
HK
After studying you’ve done some amazing projects ahead of this release. Could you tell us a little bit about your work with the London Contemporary Orchestra? How did that come about? What did that involve?
UL
Obviously a super famous and prestigious name, right? I always knew who they were, and I always dreamt of working with them, but would have never felt that it would arrive so quickly. I got in touch with them, because I wanted to ask some very factual questions on how to book an orchestra in London, but without any afterthoughts. I just wanted to know how they did it. I talked with one of the guys on the phone. About six months later, they came back to me and asked me a couple questions about where they could play in Paris, so I gave them some tips. Then they were like, we have this gig with this American artist, would you like to do the orchestration and arrangements? And I just went, ‘yeah, duh!’ (laughs) So, I went over there, and I did it, but it was super freelance stuff. I did it and I was super happy for this one-time thing. And then, I just ended up doing more and more stuff with them. It was great to be surrounded by such a high level of musicianship but also super chill people that are into so many different styles of music; like experimental, film music, electronic stuff. And then they ended up recording my record.

Polo Neck, ERDEM
Corduroy Trousers, BELLA FREUD
Heels (unseen), PATOU
Diamond Necklace & Bracelet, PICCADILLY VAULTS
HK
You’ve done so many interesting partnerships already – who are some of the highlights?
UL
I mean the LCO [was a] big one. Through them I worked with Alfa Mist, which was super cool. Recently I did a collaboration with Max Cooper, which was really great.
HK
What would a typical day look like for you, in terms of your work?
UL
I’m very regimented. I usually take one day off in a week and I feel bad every time for doing it. I’m super OCD about certain things. I get up, I don’t have breakfast, I don’t drink coffee, I just get up and put my pants on; get on my bike and get to the studio. Then I drink coffee at the same time every day. I turn on the computer at the same time as every day and get on a highway mood. I don’t stop until six pm and then I go home, watch a movie and play video games. (laughs) Once a week I see my friends and we get trashed at a wedding. (laughs)
HK
Talking of video games, you recently used artificial intelligence to create the soundtrack to a fictional video game called Heqet’s Shadow: Return of Glycon via the Sony Computer Science Lab. Can you tell us more about the AI project?
UL
Basically, the super hard-core research division is based in Japan and they have an office in Paris. I started working with engineers around artificial intelligence and creating production tools that used artificial intelligence. It was a year-long project. I was assigned six or seven different tools and my job was to quote-on-quote ‘test them and tell them what worked, what didn’t and what was useful and useless’. It went really well, and we just made an EP. The idea behind it was to feature a tool on the track. I was like, well, it’s Sony, I like PlayStation, so I’ll just make an imaginary soundtrack to a video game that never existed but that could have come out for PlayStation. It was really cool – super nerdy.

Sweater and Skirt, ERDEM
Necklace and Bracelet, PICCADILLY VAULTS
Rings, MOTLEY
HK
How did the tools work?
UL
To put it very simply: I had a tool I was testing and feedbacking on called ‘BaseNet’. The whole idea behind it was to create bass lines. For example, you have a one-minute bit of your track and you put it in the software. It’s going to listen to it and generate a base line. Then, if you don’t like it, you have different toggles where you can say, I want less notes or I want more groove, and it is going to re-do it and re-do it and every time it’s going to get a bit closer to what you want. At the end – like two weeks later – it’ll know what you want every time you want a baseline. But the cool thing about it, is that you can take what it suggested as a base line and make a synth line with it. It’s really cool, because it feels like you have something that’s alive on your computer. (laughs) It’s weird, but it’s cool.
HK
It’s not disconnecting humanity from music. It’s kind of machine-learning to give the musician more tools.
UL
It’s not at all that! First of all, it’s really hard to make it work. I make it sound like it’s super easy, but it takes a long time of experimentation. (laughs) It’s a pain in the ass, although I don’t think that’s going to be the case anymore in five years. If you don’t put the time in, it’s not going to work. It’s not this magical stick that creates magic, no, you’re the one who’s controlling it.
HK
Is it something that’s going to become more widespread in the music industry or is it just a novelty at the moment?
UL
I think it’s going to be a specific range of either plug-ins or synthesizers who would want to use that technology, but I don’t think it’s going to become [mainstream], because there are so many other things available, I think it is going to be for a really specific kind of music-making person, because not everybody is going to like that method. I mean, right now we’re in one of the extremes where everybody wants to buy super-vintage gear instead of super-futuristic stuff that’s being made. So, I don’t think that everyone is going to work with Artificial Intelligence.

Suit, BELLA FREUD
Bodysuit, ANNA KISS
Pumps (unseen), LOUBOUTIN
HK
What are the trends do you see coming through in the music industry that affect you?
UL
I don’t know, because the trends I see you don’t see in the UK. It’s super French stuff. For instance, something that’s super happening in France right now is that people are obsessed with the 80s. Every new artist that comes out makes a track that’s a gimmick from the 80s. They literally just go crazy. (laughs) I just think, guys, just do something new! It’s like we’re stuck in the 80s. It’s really funny. They even dress like it in their music videos.
HK
Talking about style, do you have a style aesthetic?
UL
I mean, I alternate between putting absolutely no effort and just being in my pyjamas and actually putting in an effort. I really like the way South Koreans and Japanese dress; very in control, monochromatic and ungendered shapes. That’s the kind of stuff I like. But living in the States taught me that you can go into the street in your PJs. It’s fine. (laughs)
HK
I know the tagline of Masterworks is “genre-blurring” and you don’t want to get put into any genres, but if you were to describe your music to somebody you’ve never met before, what would you say?
UL
It’s really hard to do. (laughs) If you listen to the record, you understand why. Usually, to get to the point as fast as I can, I say Massive Attack 2021, even though it’s not true on every track. I was speaking to this guy the other day and he was like, ‘it’s post-genre’. I said, yeah, that sounds super elitist, but I guess it is! (laughs) I guess there’s a name for it, but I have to find it.

Jumpsuit and Sleeves, NAFSIKA SKOURTI
Pearl Necklace, MOTLEY
Ring, IANDI
Shoes, STIVALERIA CAVALLIN

Jumper, BELLA FREUD
Diamond Necklace, PICCADILLY VAULTS
Gold Necklace with Crystal, CAPSULE ELEVEN
HK
Do you have any mottos or philosophies you live by?
UL
I have a lot, I’m kind of like this weird monk. (laughs) I’m a pretty firm believer that if you keep trying and put the work in, it’s going to happen, no matter what. It’s just a question of pushing yourself.
HK
You do have a tattoo that says, ‘luck is a myth’.
UL
I do! I think luck doesn’t exist. I think you create situations that mimic the idea of luck but luck as a concept is a myth. When people talk about amazing musicians, they say, ‘Oh, they were geniuses’. I’m like, ‘they’re not geniuses, they just worked their asses off!’ They probably had a great learning method, but they were not geniuses. When you say that it takes away the value of the hard work they put into their craft. You just feel like it came from the stars, but no, they worked for it.
HK
Any other mottos you can share?
UL
It sounds stupid, but when you’re in the music business it makes sense: When I don’t want to do something, I just don’t do it. (laughs) I’m a Yes-No-person. If I have the slightest amount of non-interest, I’m just not going to do it. It makes my manager go crazy sometimes. I’m somebody that puts so much attention into everything that I do, it has to be something I’m a hundred percent passionate about. Otherwise, it just drains me completely.
HK
Are you good at trusting your intuition?
UL
I do trust my intuition; I look into my sixth sense. Sometimes you just don’t feel stuff or people, there’s no particular reason for it.