My Exclusive Interview With Lavender Fire

Lavender Fire isn't afraid to let her performances speak for themselves, and when you listen to her music, you can't help but admire her clean, stripped-down production that allows her piano and vocals to shine through. Most of her songs also tell a personal story, turning her albums into a tapestry of lessons and life experiences. This interview explores her background, her inspirations and the recurring symbolism in her work—and once you're armed with this knowledge, you'll never listen to her albums the same way again.

1. Water imagery appears frequently throughout your work, showing up in album covers, lyrics and song titles. Some tracks, such as "Woman Overboard," even have delicate notes that sound like pattering raindrops. What kind of role does water play in your life, and what do you want to convey by incorporating it into your music? Do any particular bodies of water inspire you?

Yeah, it does show up a lot in my lyrics! I'm a very emotional, empathetic person, and so I have always identified with water! I think it started when I was a little girl. I was obsessed with Ariel and mermaids, and I still am.

For me, water is ever-changing, moves constantly and can convey so many emotions. It can evoke a calm, windless night, or a devastating storm. Water also sustains all living things. By incorporating it in my music, I want to convey the big emotions we all go through. I usually write from a deep, emotional place, and I feel like water works well in that. I'm not inspired by any particular body of water. Any will do!

2. Conversely, your work also includes fire imagery (your name, songs like "The Arsonist" and "Lavender Fire," etc.) Did you deliberately create this contrast, or did it come naturally? What draws you to fire imagery in particular? Do you think that fire and water both have cleansing properties?

That's a really great question! I think it came about naturally. While I identify with water the most, there’s also a lot of fire in me too. The older I get, the more I see the opposing forces in our universe and how everything is balanced. You can’t have one without the other.

That's how I feel my music is. There are a lot of contrasts in it. Music that will sound all pretty and calm, but if you really listen to the lyrics, they're actually kind of dark! Or the reverse of that. 

Also, I draw on many different musical elements to create a cohesive whole. Classical music. Piano ballads of the 70s. Women's music and other sapphic musicians. Folk music. 

I think of fire as raw and primal. Fire consumes to rebuild, and for me, it represents the burning away of old habits and enlightenment. Like water, fire can have a cleansing property, but can be destructive. Both can be absolutely devastating. 

3. Speaking of fire: how did you choose the name Lavender Fire? Does this name have a specific personal meaning for you?

I came out later in life, though I'd always had inklings that I wasn’t straight. I also used to do music under my real name, but it was always horrible to spell, and I couldn’t find a proper musical identity with it. So after years of suppressing who I was, I decided to do music under a new name that was easier to spell and Google and which evoked my LGBT identity. Lavender has long been a symbol of the LGBT community, and adding that to “Fire” evokes being proud of who you are, especially in a world that wants to forget you exist. 

4. In an era of elaborate production, your recent albums feature crisp, stripped-down tracks that let the piano and vocals speak for themselves. What draws you to this type of production, and how do you think it affects the listening experience? Do you think it helps the emotion shine through more clearly?

I think it definitely helps the emotion come through. There's nothing else but voice and piano, so with nothing to hide behind, you can really hear what I’m trying to say. I gotta say I was afraid to put out music like that, but after getting a positive response from fans and people at local open mic nights—people who love what I do and who told me they prefer my voice/piano songs—I decided, OK, maybe there’s something here; let’s put this out then!

I am working on a slightly more produced follow-up, but it’ll still be piano-based, just with drums and a few other synths behind me. :)

5. "East," which is one of my favorite songs in your discography, has a nostalgic, autumnal sound and lyrics that seem to tell a story. Combined with the photos on the album cover, I couldn't help but wonder: did you write this song about a specific event in your life? How much of your life experience do you incorporate into your songs?

I did! I wrote that song about my parents. I wanted to write something playing on that expression “Go west, young man.” I flipped the genders (“Go east, young girl”), and when I did, I thought about my parents. They moved across the country to start a new life, so this song is from the point of view of my mom! One of the few songs of mine that’s from another person’s POV instead of mine.

Those photos on the cover are actual photos of my parents during their cross-country trip! I asked them if they had any pictures from their trip, and they had a few to share with me. And with their permission, I used those pictures for the single cover! Also: no effects were used on those photos. I love how warm those pictures look! 

6. As a sapphic woman, do you think your music helps you celebrate your identity? Does your spouse ever play a role as your muse? What do you want LGBT listeners (like me) to take away from your work?

Yes, it does! Because I’m talking about stuff that NO ONE ELSE talks about. “Lavender Fire,” the song, is about letting go of who you were before and embracing the identity that was always there but you just didn’t have the words for. That song, when it came to me with that opening riff, THAT’S what broke the whole thing wide open with the Lavender Fire identity. I’d never encountered another song about coming out later in life, and I knew that I needed to write about that. I needed to write the songs that no one else was writing.

I have a number of other songs about my LGBT identity as well. "Roommates" for sure (a song that always goes over well, especially for audience members who REALLY get what I’m singing about). Then there’s the gayest song I’ve ever written: "She’s My Ocean"! I wrote that about my spouse! She definitely plays a role as my muse. If I write a love song, it’s about her. She’s the love of my life, and I want the whole world to know! :)

7. How long have you been playing the piano? Are you a self-taught artist, or did you receive formal training? Does the piano help you achieve a certain effect or vibe that you don't get with other instruments?

I've been playing piano for about fifteen years! I'd always wanted to learn, but I never did anything beyond basics like "Chopsticks." But I did know how to play music. I played clarinet in the school band, and I sang in the choir. I just couldn’t do anything but very basic stuff on the piano. 

On a whim, I decided to buy a keyboard so I could finally learn how to play. And that's how it started! I'm completely self-taught on piano. 

Not for voice. I did classical lessons as a teen and then took a break until my 20s. Then in my 30s, I trained for a few years with Charlotte Martin, an artist in her own right. So I’ve always had some kind of vocal training. 

It can sometimes be a pain in the ass to carry a keyboard around, but I wouldn’t trade that instrument for the world! I have all the notes right there in front of me, and I can play whatever I want. That’s what draws me to it. I don’t get that same freedom with other instruments. 

8. If you had to choose, what's the saddest song that you've ever released? Likewise, which song is the happiest? Have you ever used music to convey feelings that you struggled to put into words?

Saddest song award would go to "Water and Words." It’s a B-side from my first EP release and was a song I wrote over a beat rather than at the piano. I’m working on a piano and drum version as we speak because I’ve never done it live and would like to. I wrote that about a longtime friend and I drifting apart. 

Happiest song award goes to "Streets and Bridges." A happy song about spending time with someone you love, plus it’s a super fun song to play live. I purposely wrote something challenging and constantly moving.

If you want to stay in touch with Lavender Fire, you can check out her website, follow her on Instagram, Threads, YouTube and Bluesky, buy her albums on Bandcamp, and stream her tracks on Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and Amazon Music.