After breaking it all down, we’re just a collection of atoms, traveling throughout space with no discernable purpose in hopes of connecting with another similar collection of atoms. Right? A bit of this existential longing can be found at the heart of “Rise,” the utterly charming new release from singer, songwriter, producer (and astronaut?) Lido. With spacy production that amplifies the emotion in his vocals, “Rise” could possibly be the anthem of our socially-distant times.
The song comes with a video that matches its cosmic feel, one that sees Lido explore a faraway planet in search of life. And like a comet in the night’s sky, “Rise” heralds the coming of something majestic – a brand new album. Lido’s next major release will be PEDER, and album named after — himself. “It’s a very personal album,” he tells HollywoodLife, “both in terms of the stories and lyrics (which are all from my own life) and also trying to find back to a naivety I had when I first discovered music.”
In an EXCLUSIVE interview, Lido also dives into the inspiration behind his new song, the last piece of music that gave him goosebumps, his thoughts on the Verzuz battles, and more.
HollywoodLife: “Rise” is the first single off your upcoming album, PEDER. What’s the inspiration behind this new song?
Lido: This song was inspired by the feeling of meeting and connecting with someone new and almost being in disbelief of how great they are. The type of connection that makes you want to talk to someone until the sun comes up.
Peder is your real name. Does that mean that this album will be more personal than previous projects? Why did you decide to name this album after you? It wasn’t an Aphex Twin Richard D. James sort of thing, was it?
Not quite the same vibe [laughs], but there might be some parallels. I wanted to focus on making music with the type of freedom and naive approach as I did when I was a kid. To help do that, I made up a story about a boy who lives on a spaceship by himself, who falls in love with music from another world. That’s how it sometimes felt growing up in Norway, watching everything happening in the US over the internet. So it’s a very personal album, both in terms of the stories and lyrics (which are all from my own life) and also trying to find back to a naivety I had when I first discovered music.
You recently said that you usually “make it different from the last thing you heard from me.” What would you say is the main difference between PEDER and your last album, Everything?
The main differences are what feelings inspired the music. Everything was driven by frustration, sadness, and conflict, while PEDER is more motivated by curiosity, hope and naivety.
It’s going to be a while before (if we ever) things go back to normal, concert-wise. Have you any plans to do any virtual shows for PEDER? And have you caught any of the virtual concerts or Verzuz battles that have gone down?
Yes, I’ve watched a bunch of the Verzuz battles. The Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin one is probably my favorite, but the Beenie Man vs Bounty Killer was incredible too. I’m a musician at heart, so no matter how things evolve I’ll find a way to perform this music. I think there are a lot of really cool possibilities that come with virtual concerts and I’d love to explore them; but there’s nothing like the real thing.
You also recently said, when asked who you’re listening to, that you have to “plug your homies.” If you could pick one person that everyone should check out RIGHT NOW, who would it be?
Gwen Bunn. We’ve written some of my favorite new music together, and she’s absolutely fire. Check out “All Your Secrets” from her first album.
What was the last song that gave you goosebumps? Or inspired a physical reaction from you?
“Stay Alive” by Mustafa.
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“Rise” is out now, and you can also pre-order PEDER.