Sophie Lindinger

“Every song was like a therapy session”

Sophie Lindinger is one of the most versatile personalities of the new generation of Viennese musicians.

(Bild: Marco Kleebauer)

She is one of Austria's most successful musicians: Sophie Lindinger plays concerts across Europe with her bands Leyya and My Ugly Clementine and is also pursuing a solo career. Her first solo album helped her overcome separation and grief, as she admits in the "Krone" talk. For the new single, she strokes a white donkey.

Sophie Lindinger, who comes from Eferding/Upper Austria and is based in Vienna, has caused a sensation in the local indie scene with Leyya and My Ugly Clementine and has refined a number of songs and albums as a producer. However, she is also increasingly shaping her solo career, and she gave her debut album (2023) her own name. This year, she scooped her third Amadeus and will be at the New Salt Festival, which takes place from September 5 to 8 in the cultural capital of Bad Ischl - alongside big names such as Soap&Skin and Bidpolar Feminin, Evicshen from the USA, M. Takara & Carla Boregas from Brazil. In the "Krone" talk, she gives an insight into her musical work.

"Krone": As a singer and musician, you are well established with Leyya and My Ugly Clementine, what have been your greatest successes so far?
Sophie Lindinger: I think my greatest successes are the ones that are not even visible to some people. Selling out a 2000-person concert or winning an award is incredible. But having a conversation with someone who tells you that your music has helped them through difficult times is very profound. Touching people - that's where I see my greatest successes.

What are the next highlights with Leyya and My Ugly Clementine?
We will be releasing an album with Leyya at the end of the summer and playing a few selected, special concerts. That's always exciting. With My Ugly Clementine, we'll be playing our biggest concert to date at the Arena Open Air in Vienna in September.

Sophisticated indie sound from Vienna: My Ugly Clementine

(Bild: Marlene Brandstoetter)

Leyya

(Bild: Leyya)

You title your solo album with just your name. You wrote it after a break-up and also dealt with the coronavirus pandemic. How personal is it?
Definitely the most personal work so far. It helped me to find clarity during a difficult time. Each song was written in a different phase of grief and depression and was like a therapy session. Even now, when I perform it, I notice that a small part of my past finds peace in these songs. That's what I want to pass on to my listeners - to find peace and understanding in these songs and to feel that you are not alone.

I really like your new song "Animal", inspired by Miike Snow. What about the donkey on the cover?
This donkey is one of the many beautiful animals at a sanctuary and I realized afterwards that we had unintentionally used it to set the scene for the lyrics of the song in a very fitting way.

Tell us: How did you actually get into music, was there a key experience as a child?
I always learned to play instruments from an early age and have always been a music enthusiast. I wrote and performed my first song at a summer camp when I was eleven. That's when I realized that writing music gives me a lot.

Do you still come to Upper Austria often?
My family is still in Eferding and I visit them regularly. I also enjoy the peace and quiet, which is sometimes hard to find in Vienna. I would never want to turn my back on Upper Austria completely.