Playing sold out shows in London and taking over the country's biggest festivals to name, electrifyingly dynamic songstress LION opens up to answers all of our intimate questions...

Named one of Gigwise’s 29 artists of 2019, LION has not only achieved high accolades from Radio 1’s Huw Stephans and Jack Saunders as well as recording a Maida Vale session for Radio 1’s Indie show, but LION has also filled floors after floors at her sold-out shows in the Lexington and Camden Assembly, London. Fuelling our airwaves with her incredibly fierce vocal delivery and deft guitar punctuating the chords with every string LION has performed at The Great Escape, Dot to Dot, Reeperbahn, Latitude and Boardmasters festival blessing the stage with her rock n roll ferocious energy. With a three-track EP and three edgy singles, this electrifyingly dynamic female energy is one which refuses to be silenced. Influenced by the legendary sounds of Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse and Jessie Reyez her bluesy riffs, soaringly emotional chorus followed by rasping vocals come to no surprise. Empowering voices, artists and women worldwide LION we sat down with the edgy chick herself to discuss some of our most intimate questions…

Do you remember your dreams? Tell us about a recent dream you’ve had….

My dreams get quite intense. I had a dream last week that I was climbing the side of a really tall building really quickly but kept being close to falling and as I was climbing I kept seeing people I
knew in the windows and everyone was shouting at me. It was actually a really terrifying dream. I woke up really out of breath.

What is the closest you’ve ever come to death?

I’ve had a few hefty ski and snowboard stacks which I guess have been pretty close but recently I went in the sea super late at night with my friend. The sea was pretty angry and we swam out quite far only to realise it was really hard to get back in and the waves were massive. He was panicking quite a lot so I pretended I was fine and tried to help him swim back in (I was secretly panicking too). Eventually, we got in, alive. He cried and I laughed. We definitely almost drowned but you’ve always gotta see the funny side. We didn’t die.

Tell us, what is your first memory of music?

I can’t really pinpoint my first musical memory as music’s just something that’s always been there.

What’s your star sign? (and are you a typical *whatever your sign is*?)

I’m an Aries. I guess I am a “typical Aries” We’re meant to be very spontaneous, energetic and a little bit fiery. I guess I can be all those things.

When was the first time you had your heart broken? (who by? how did it
feel? what did you do?)

I was 16 and he was a little older. I thought at the time I was completely in love with him but I look back now and it was definitely just young love. He broke things off because I too young and it completely destroyed me. It felt like my life was caving in and I cried so much I think I ran out of tears. Looking back on it now its kind of funny how extreme I reacted. I used to walk around on my own and cry. HA.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. I was so young but vividly remember seeing him for the first time and thinking he was the most beautiful human in the world.

Tell us one thing nobody / not many people know about you…

I’m scared of the dark.

What would your biography be called?

Probably “Whoops” or “Sorry I’m Late” (I seem to say those things a lot).

What was the first song you ever wrote?

It was called ‘I wanna get away”. I was about 13 and was desperate to get out of the little town I lived in.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t over think because you’ll create a problem that wasn’t there in the first place.

What has been your biggest achievement?

Living my dream of doing music full time.

Which fictional character do you most relate to and why?

Sleeping beauty because I LOVE sleeping!!

How was high school?

I was never a fan of it. I liked the social side of it but it made me feel pretty trapped. I felt like my teachers never really understood me.

Who is the most famous person in your DMs?

Probably Natasha Bedingfield.

Describe your own personal idea of hell…

Forever having people walking really slowly in front of me and not being able to overtake them.

What’s a lie you’ve told and what was the fall out?

I’m not too sure. I’m not very good at lying.

Which superpower would you most like to have, and why?

I used to watch ‘Bernards Watch’ as a kid and was always super envious of his amazing watch that could pause time but he could still move around. Either to have that watch or to be able to speak every single language. It would be amazing to be able to communicate with everyone.

What is one album that totally changed your life?

Theres a few but one of them is definitely ‘O’ by Damien Rice. I bought an iPod off of eBay and it had loads of random albums on it that I couldnt take off or add anything new too. ‘O’ was one of them and used to listen to it on repeat. It’s such a beautiful piece of work. I used to lock myself in my room and learn every song. I think it got me through my stroppy teenage years when I thought the world was against me.

When was the last time you cried and why?

Yesterday when I watched the London Marathon.

Where/what will you be doing at the end of the world?

Sitting in my parents house with my friends and family, dancing around to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and drinking delicious red wine and eating all my favourite foods.