Navigating the landscape of belonging: tinyumbrellas' quest for a musical home.

Beyond love's cliches, tinyumbrellas paints a vivid palette of emotions, blurring the lines between romance and friendship. Her tunes caress the heartstrings with a profound ode to all forms of love - platonic, romantic, or simply an admiration for life's poignant beauty. With her latest EP Somewhere To Fall Asleep this enigmatic artist takes us on a soul-searching journey that'll leave you pondering the intricacies of existence and the eternal quest for a place to call home.

In a heart-to-heart chat, tinyumbrellas spills the beans on the EP's genesis, forged during the tumultuous finale of her school days. The metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood, amplified by the pressures of A-levels, became the forge where the essence of tinyumbrellas took shape - a sonic identity primed for the real world, eager to transcend the virtual realm that once nurtured her music.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your new EP Somewhere To Fall Asleep?

Somewhere to Fall Asleep was written during my last years at school before moving away from home for the first time. This period on the whole was quite overwhelming due to A-levels but was also a transformative time in terms of self discovery and also slowly growing into what tinyumbrellas is now. During this time I knew I was close to experiencing the biggest change I had experienced in my life so far, moving away from home to university and finding a place in the real world (not just online) for my music!

How would you describe the overall theme and message conveyed in your EP? You mentioned that the EP explores themes of belonging and the concept of 'home,' how did your personal experiences influence the creation of these tracks?

There are definitely overarching themes in this project: the bittersweetness that is change, fear of moving on and away from the dearest people in your life, nostalgia of fond memories made in the place you grew up in and the keen eagerness to feel at home in new communities and places. I think the overall message conveyed throughout this EP is that the feeling of belonging can come both extrinsically and intrinsically. It’s so important to learn about yourself, and connecting to the most authentic parts of yourself only helps to enhance and deepen relationships with others. Being comfortable in your own skin helps to be able to express love, whether that’s towards the sweet taste of fruit, a loved one, or a fond childhood memory.

What was the creative process like for lead single ‘Zombies’? Can you share the story behind the song?

Zombies was written in one of my first ever collaborative sessions, which happened in the summer after I’d finished A-levels just before moving to Leeds. Though this song is so dear to me, it’s actually not a story of personal experience but rather my reminiscence of childhood friendships and fondness of the friends to lovers trope manifesting itself into this story. I’m a massive advocate for platonic love, and I feel this song really highlights the ways that we experience love and intimacy as children and how this love evolves as we grow up.

Can you discuss your collaboration with producer Josh Scarbrow?

I worked with producer Josh Scarbrow on a couple of songs in this EP: 'Zombies' and 'Life of an Extra'. We wrote both of these songs together and produced them in his studio in South London. It was such a fun experience creating these songs with Josh as collaborative songwriting still felt really new to me, and I loved bouncing ideas off one another. The songs started with setting a vibrant visual scene, and writing songs in those imaged settings really felt like writing a story. I loved building the production of these songs with Josh as my discography before this was all self produced, and I felt like I was learning so much in the time we spent together. Josh was able to bring a new side to tinyumbrellas in the world of production which was so exciting!

The EP visuals and artwork are said to create an alternate reality reflecting the mood of the songs. Could you elaborate on how you approached the visual aspects and how they enhance the listening experience?

I always tend to have an imagined setting or colour scheme in the back of my mind when writing songs, finding that this helps my creative process in transforming emotions and ideas into words and melodies. When working with photpgrapher Marieke Macklon to shoot the photos that would become the artwork for the EP, we built a set which included lots of handmade creations like crocheted flowers and the iconic cardboard sun and moon! I had the idea to associate each song of the EP to either as a daytime song or a nighttime song, as I realised I tended to imagine the settings of my songs as either bright, summery and outdoorsy or snug and dimly lit like in my childhood bedroom. For the artworks in the songs which came out before the final EP release, you’ll see that they either feature the sun or the moon, which matches up to the imagery of the song's sonic soundscape. The EP cover features both the sun and moon, unifying all of these songs into one special project.

As a climate activist, how does environmental protection intersect with your life and art? Can you tell us more about your involvement with organizations like Climate Live?

I can’t say I do as much as I wish with climate activism, but I like to live my life as sustainably as possible by reducing waste, shopping second hand and using public transport amongst other things. I love connecting to nature and being outside with the elements, gardening from time to time and going for walks. I feel that a lot of my art centralises around nature and things that are grown from the earth, especially with work that’s not out yet! I’ve been working with Climate Live on a couple of occasions, performing with them at big events and festivals to raise awareness for climate justice and sustainable approaches to the music industry!

How has your digital community played a role in shaping your musical focus and supporting your creative endeavours?

The digital community surrounding my music has been so important in my journey as a musician! Right from the very start I feel like the people online were always rooting for me, and having such a wonderful group of people who appreciate the music that I make is such a great feeling. Meeting the same people who I’ve seen online for years at my live shows is so special too!

You've performed at notable events such as the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury Festival. How have those experiences impacted your growth as an artist?

Last summer was my first festival season, and having Glastonbury Festival under my belt in my first year of playing live shows is incredibly surreal to me! I was so grateful for these experiences, as I feel that festival shows are in many ways quite different from normal live shows and it was great to see so many artist who I look up to at these festivals, really taking in the immense wonderment of their performances. Playing at larger events really inspire me to become more confident in what I’m doing, as I have experienced impostor syndrome a lot in the past couple of years and am trying to get into the mindset of knowing I am good enough and others also want me to do well.

How do you navigate the fine line between love and friendship in your music?

I really enjoy writing about love, whether it’s platonic or romantic or just appreciation for beauty of the world. I feel that the line between love and friendship so subtle, as ultimately they embody a shared essence. Whilst growing up I was always aware of the differences between romantic and platonic love in teenagers around me, especially as I wasn’t in a romantic relationship throughout my time in school so was always just seeing it from an outside perspective. I have always struggled to comprehend why society idolises romance and puts it on a pedestal, because from my experience friendships are to be just as cherished. I like to write about love of all sorts, as I think the act of loving is so powerful and special.

What do you love right now?

Right now I am loving being outside. I love feeling the grass underneath me, hearing the running water of a stream, looking for bugs in the greenery. As I have been working most days of the week at my part time job behind a bar it’s really nice to be reminded that there’s a whole world outside of the concrete jungle that is Leeds, really connecting to nature. Also there has been so much incredible music released recently that I’m loving, especially The Japanese House’s new album ‘In The End It Always Does’ and Olivia Dean’s album ‘Messy’!

What do you hate right now?

I don’t think I’m hating anything at the moment, but I’m definitely disliking the mess that is my sleep schedule! I love mornings but I tend to have late nights more often than I’d like to and end up sleeping in instead!

With your EP release and upcoming festival appearances, what are your expectations and goals for this year?

This year I feel like I’ve been focusing on writing and creating songs I’m really proud of, which has been enjoyable and rewarding. As well as that, the UK headline tour I did recently was the first time I had played with a full band, so I’m working hard on my live setup for the future! With new EP having just come out, I’m just really eager to get people listening to music, and have more people joining this growing community!