In a dreamy London hotel, a French musician ascends floor by floor, each level unlocking fragments of her past like save points in an endless game. This isn’t the plot of a new indie film or the latest immersive art installation – it’s the conceptual framework of ‘LEVELS’, the extraordinary debut album from Léa Sen, where personal history transforms into a metaphysical journey through time, space, and memory.
The Paris-born, London-based artist has crafted an album that functions simultaneously as emotional excavation, surrealist adventure, and pure musical innovation. Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole (a reference Sen echoes in her album artwork), listeners find themselves in a world where reality bends, and memories blur into dreams.
“I imagined it as a surreal hotel where each room holds a memory,” Sen explains. “You move through the hotel in an elevator, going from one level to the next, and each one bringing a new emotional challenge. The journey unfolds like a video game, which is another theme: you’re progressing through stages of life and self-discovery.”
This isn’t merely clever conceptual window dressing – it’s a deeply personal account of Sen’s own journey, including her bold decision to relocate from Paris to London with barely two weeks’ notice and limited English skills. The album serves as both chronicle and catharsis, addressing what she describes as “my late teens and early twenties that were full of escapism – including literally moving to another country and leaving a lot behind.”
As the ten tracks of ‘LEVELS’ progress, each one reveals new dimensions of Sen’s artistry. From the experimental pop of opening track ‘HOME ALONE’ to the nostalgic depths of ‘VIDEO GAMES’, the album demonstrates remarkable range while maintaining a coherent artistic vision. Even the cinematic influences weave naturally into the narrative: “I loved writing my personal stories and merging them with movies I’d watched. For example, I reference Grand Budapest Hotel for ‘Lobby Boy’. It helps me have a clear picture of the scene I’m describing.”
Central to the album’s creation was Sen’s collaboration with her producer brother, Florian Fourlin, a partnership that evolved alongside the music itself. “He basically raised me,” Sen laughs. “We are very different yet very, very similar. We love the same music and gravitate towards the same sounds and songs, but we also have very different approaches. I’m super chaotic and emotional, and he’s super focused and practical.”
This sibling dynamic proved essential in pushing the album beyond its initial boundaries. “He brings me clarity, guidance. He challenges me all the time, but he always gives me space when I need,” Sen reflects. “It’s just so much more pleasant to make music when you have someone so solid and so skilled by your side. I wouldn’t have been able to make a project that sounds that great without him.”
The creative process wasn’t without its challenges. After initially believing the album was complete, Sen and Fourlin made the difficult decision to return to basics. “There’s a point we thought the album was done and then realised it really wasn’t,” Sen admits. “I had to go back to scratch for every single song. I realised that if it’s not good enough on acoustic guitar and vocals, then it’s not good enough. Too much magic, not enough substance. That was a tough one.”
“Too much magic, not enough substance. That was a tough one”
This commitment to substance over style reflects Sen’s broader artistic evolution. While her early EPs (‘You of Now pts. 1 & 2’) established her as a promising voice in London’s alternative music landscape, ‘LEVELS’ represents a quantum leap forward. The album seamlessly blends experimental pop with touches of R&B and trip-hop, all while maintaining the intimate storytelling that makes Sen’s work so compelling.
Perhaps surprisingly for a French artist, Sen works exclusively in English, a choice that dates back to her childhood. “I couldn’t write anything in French to save a life,” she reveals. “I started writing songs in English when I was eight and haven’t looked back since. French is just for speaking to people I love.”
Despite the introspective nature of her music, Sen’s ambitions for where she wants the album to take her extend far beyond personal catharsis. “I want to be a better musician and artist,” she declares. “I want this to push me to perform with more rawness and take more risks in my singing and playing. I want to be even more honest with every song I write. And in terms of where, literally, I want to play on the biggest stages possible. My music is great, and I want everyone to hear it.”
This confidence isn’t unfounded – Sen has already tasted the potential of those bigger stages. “Playing Glastonbury opened my eyes,” she reflects. “Though a short appearance, I had so much fun.” Now, with a headline show scheduled at St Pancras Old Church on 29th May, she’s eager to share these new songs with a live audience. “Come to a show,” she urges. “That’s how you can truly experience this music.”
‘LEVELS’ emerges as more than just a debut album – it’s a meticulously crafted journey through the landscapes of memory, identity, and artistic growth. Like the rabbit in her album artwork, Sen understands “how memories and imagination can merge along the way, which is why have to always question your own perception.”
In creating this surreal hotel of memories, Léa Sen has built a space where past and present dance together, where every floor holds new revelations, and where the elevator only goes up. The doors are about to open, and everyone’s invited to check-in.
Léa Sen’s debut album ‘LEVELS’ is out 30th May.
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