London based alt soul artist Levina returns on 4 September with her sophomore album Invincible Summer, a deeply personal ten track record tracing a journey from disconnection and uncertainty towards healing, self trust and renewed joy.
Marking a decade since the beginning of her solo career, Invincible Summer is Levina’s first album created outside the major label system and finds her taking full creative control. Written largely on her upright piano and co produced with Steven Bamidele, the record brings together alternative soul, folk and jazz through warm live instrumentation and organic textures, with Rosetta Carr on bass and Romarna Campbell on drums. Even Brighton beach stones and birdsong recorded in Levina’s garden find their way into the album.
Born from an identity crisis following the pandemic, the record unfolds chronologically as Levina gradually finds her way back to herself. Previous singles ‘Back In My Body’, ‘Spectacular Society’, ‘You Know Everything’, ‘Rush Hour’ and ‘Wrong’ explore everything from toxic relationships and societal pressures to reconnection and self discovery, before the title track brings the album’s emotional journey full circle.
Accompanied by a visualiser filmed in Palma, Mallorca, a place Levina describes as somewhere she could “feel like myself again”, ‘Invincible Summer’ captures the warmth and freedom at the heart of the project.
“I want to tell whoever is listening that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and whatever you’re experiencing right now will pass,” Levina explains. “Nothing lasts forever. Everything changes.”
Warm, intimate and deliberately human, Invincible Summer feels like Levina reclaiming both her creative voice and her sense of self, turning a difficult period of her life into a hopeful record about finding a path back to joy.
Levina sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:
1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?
Music was always there as my natural way of expressing myself and processing the world around me. I remember making up songs in the garden about the birds when I was about six years old, writing poems and putting melodies to them. I was very lucky to have an upright piano in the house I grew up in, so I could just spend hours playing and writing songs. And the more music I made, the more I fell in love with it – especially with the way music can connect people and its power to transform.
2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?
Oh there are so many amazing artists, and there are always new ones to add to that list! Bel Cobain, Willow, Lucy Rose, Cleo Sol, Sampha, Nilüfer Yanya, anaiis, Nala Sinephro, Louisa Williamson, Yussef Dayes, Turnstile, Nick Drake, Fugazi, Radiohead, Portishead and Arthur Verocai have all influenced me in different ways. And if Bel Cobain or Willow fancy a collab anytime soon sign me up!
3. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?
My second album Invincible Summer is out this Friday, 4th September, and I’m so looking forward to finally sharing it with the world. It’s a record about reconnecting with yourself, the people around you and the world with a new perspective. I wrote the songs at the piano and then brought them to life with my co-producer Steven Bamidele, an amazing group of musicians and a brilliant team of engineers. We recorded a lot of it live, as I really wanted to keep the performances raw and human. Hopefully there’ll be some live shows coming up later in the year too. Give it a listen. I hope you enjoy it!
4. How would you describe your sound?
I’ve started calling it Alternative Soulwave. It’s somewhere between alternative soul, indie, jazz and folk, with a lot of live instrumentation at its heart.
5. What’s your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?
Realising that I don’t have to take part in the chase, fit into a box or live up to other people’s expectations of me, and finally allowing myself to make music that feels completely true to who I am. Music that is there to connect.