Lackhoney
Indian-American Hip Hop artist Lackhoney dropped his latest project SWEETS on February 14th.
The one-track mixtape was entirely written, produced, mixed and mastered by Lackhoney. SWEETS touches on important subjects such as addiction, relationships, shame and confidence.
“I wanted to make the project concise and able to be spread as one cohesive body of work, rather than making people track the album down to listen to it,” says Lackhoney.
The Nashville-based artist revealed a documentary (shot by Trent Millspaugh) to accompany the mixtape.
After a successful showing at The High Watt on February 6th, the 21 year old Hip Hop artist will perform next at Nashville’s Exit/In for a headlining show on April 2nd. Get your tickets here.
Innovative and authentic, Lackhoney is, without a doubt, an artist to watch in 2020.
SWEETS is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Trent Millspaugh
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’m Aly Lakhani, aka Lackhoney and I’m a 21 year-old artist out of Nashville. I started making music 4 years ago when I was rejected from my first choice college, and at that point decided to torrent Logic and teach myself how to make music. I’m at a point now where I’ve learned how to do everything in the process from the most technical parts to the creative ones as well, and I’m so happy that people are interested in what I’m doing.
How would you define Lackhoney, the artist?
I think authenticity is the driving force behind everything I do as an artist. I like to inject pieces of my truth and individuality into everything I do musically, and I believe that as long as a song contains truth, it’s good. I have a different view on releasing music from most other people — which I get into arguments with people quite often about. I believe heavily in being transparent about the creative process, and that means two things. The first is that I like to let people in on the idiosyncrasies of my music, and document the process a lot — especially on IG live. It also means that I release a lot of music, I think part of the way I enjoy expressing myself is to release a lot of music. I dropped 30 songs last year and have plans to drop a lot of singles post-SWEETS.
SWEETS is your new project. How would you define it?
I think it’s the perfect piece of music to describe where I was when I made it, which is why I think it stands the test of time. It’s 12, 30-second songs that blend genres and musical ideas to create a cohesive image of me as a person.
What are the different topics you are talking about on SWEETS?
The topics on SWEETS are my favorite part, the process of making 30-second songs forced me to hone in on my story-telling and writing much more. The goal was to express the same emotions and feeling in 30 seconds as with a usual 2-4 minute song. I spoke about anything from my family’s problems with addiction, to my experience in an interracial relationship, to my personal image of what happens after death and then about other more universal topics like shame, confidence and the relationship between the two.
What made you want to release the whole project in one track?
It was made to be consumed as one full listening experience. I wanted to make the project concise and able to be spread as one cohesive body of work, rather than making people track the album down to listen to it.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process behind this project?
Each one was made individually, and then I figured out the order and transitions that would make the project pacing interesting and engaging, after high-energy songs I put the slower more meaningful ones, and vice versa. In terms of the literal process it was mainly me sitting in my bedroom trying a lot of ideas and picking the most interesting ones.
Does your Indian and Pakistani roots influence the music you are making today?
Not really. I think representation is very important. And I’m excited to be one of the new voices that made empower young, brown kids to pursue fields that align with their passions rather than what their families want from them.
You write, produce, mix and master your own records. What are the biggest challenges? And what are the best parts?
I’m the only one that’ll work this hard for free. The biggest challenge is that I don’t have anybody to call to help out with any part of the process after the songs are recorded. I work with my band a lot on production, but it actually is a blessing that the rest of the process is 100% on me. Other people won’t work towards your goals and time limits as hard as you will. I’ve always known that, but my little experience asking other people to work on my music has really solidified the idea in my head that I can do it faster and better than anyone else. Also, creatively I don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do whatever I want which is to let me experiment more freely and in spanned in ways that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
What is your definition of success?
Happiness and the ability to provide the life quality I want to for myself and my family.
As a human being, what do you want to accomplish?
I want to release music that will have a legacy and help people.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
More empathy and education on issues that matter.
Connect with Lackhoney: