LIANA, the Armenian-Turkish electronic duo are here to shake up your notions on music and aesthetics. Formed by sisters Lia and Lena, they described their sound to me as: “an oriental painting dripping into a haunted Surrealism sky”. And honestly, that sums them and their music up very, very, very well.
They tell me that their creations are a form of “gesamtkunstwerk”, which is the German word for a “complete work of art”. Visuals that coincide with the feeling, meaning and vibe of their songs is integral for LIANA; storytelling is ingrained in all aspects of the song: visually, physically and lyrically.
Both Lia and Lena began writing music naturally throughout the years, partaking in music lessons from a very young age. This led to them recording covers of songs, and then eventually their own creations. They also have a Bachelors in Music Education, which has aided them when creating new work.
Their music is special, enveloping listeners into a magical world that could only be created by LIANA. Drawing inspiration from their background, the duo insure to incorporate aspects of their culture into every layer of a piece of work:
“The first inspiration is our cultural background, because we are Armenian/Turkish and listen to a lot of Middle Eastern artists. You’ll hear that in the instrumentals in our music, in the melodies, dancing and the visual aspect as well.
But the biggest inspiration is having each other. Without each other our creations would not be the way they are. When writing music, we are constantly in this orbit of bouncing back and forth of what we are creating individually and balancing it together to one piece.
Besides having each other as inspiration, our own emotions, experiences, and desires are the tools for us to start a new piece. And it’s not about writing away experiences, because the emotions are still there and don’t just magically fade away. For me (Lia) it is therefore not therapy, but a way to connect my emotions to words and melodies.”
Their latest single, “Hand of God”, is an extremely powerful and personal track for the duo, and sees strong women taking charge in all aspects of their life – even if taking charge means having to go against all odds and still loving yourself authentically in the process:
“Do you know when the anger in your blood turns to poison in your veins and you must mould it into a beautiful lesson instead? It’s a journey in itself and that’s the emotion that led us writing ‘Hand of God’.
Knocking on closed door, then opening the door, just to close the door, open another one and another. With ‘Hand of God’ we are taking control of our own faith and changing the narrative.
It’s an ode to self-love, the divine self and an answer to outsiders that only see what they want to see; Come closer if you dare and you’ll get a taste of your own poison.”
LIANA have always ensured that their sound has always had the 3 same components: “Middle-Eastern inspired, haunting and cinematic”. With a clear vision from the very beginning on how they wanted their creations to sound, look and feel, LIANA have only grown since their first release in 2018 titled “Psycho“, maturing not only their sound, but themselves too. They also want to ensure that their music is always “translating our feelings and experiences into words, music and visuals”, and constantly providing listeners a step away from reality, a moment or a few minutes away from everyday life.
Besides creating incredible music that are sonically works of art, LIANA also run their own jewellery brand “LIMBS OF LIANA”, as well as showcasing their personal styles on their YouTube channel – and lets not forget their TikTok account and Instagram too!
LIANA are powerful, admirable and unstoppable. With their talents knowing no bounds, they definitely will be a household name with electronic music lovers in years to come.
Written by Tala.
