Page 55 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAug 2023

MW: Do you have any personal favourites or would that be like picking a favourite child?

Lina: Ha, ha! I do have favourites and they change every so often. ‘This Fire’, ‘Worth The Wait’,
‘Physical Space,’ and the bonus track that is hidden on our physical release, ‘Promise You Won’t
Tell’ are my favourites at the moment. I think initially, when I first wrote the songs, they were all my
favourites! To be honest, as soon as I write something new, it becomes my favourite! But after
releasing them and playing them live, some resonate with me more than others. But ask me again
in a few months' time and that list could be different.

MW: Somebody once told you that you'd never sing again. Can you give us the backstory to
that and what you did about it?

Lina: I studied music and singing at an incredible music school in London that I was super proud to
attend. The teachers there were top-notch; some of the best in the country. But then, things took a
turn when I found out I had vocal nodules. As a singer, it hit me hard. Sometimes I'd sing a song and
then my voice would vanish for the rest of the day or even longer. It was like trying to speak but only
producing air. Talk about heartbreak and frustration! But despite it all, I pushed through and
graduated with distinction.

I decided to audition for the music
degree course, and my teacher and
mentor conducted the audition. I was
so excited and honoured! At first, she
congratulated me for getting into the
degree course, but then she dropped
a bombshell. She suddenly changed
her tone and told me to give up my
singing career. She went into detail,
explaining that my vocal health
condition meant I'd never be a singer
or have a successful singing career.
Instead, she suggested I consider
becoming a music manager. I was
utterly shocked. The room felt like it
was
was closing in, and tears streamed down my face. But then something inside me ignited. In a matter
of seconds, a fire started burning in my belly, and I thought to myself, ‘We'll see about that!’.

Without saying a word to her, I walked out of that room, determined to prove her wrong. My options
for getting rid of the nodules were surgery with high risks or speech therapy. So, I decided to defer
from the degree course and dedicated an entire year to speech therapy and ENT laryngoscopy
appointments. It was tough. I couldn't sing for over a year, and there were countless days and weeks
of complete silence. I still have some notebooks somewhere filled with random sentences like ‘Can
we go to the supermarket?’, ‘Tea or coffee?’, and ‘No, I don’t want to watch ‘Family Guy!’.