Jim Pinchen & Luiza Lale are musicians who strongly believe in the healing and unifying power of both music and sport. They have travelled up and down the land in the creation of this track, Red & White. Chorus vocals have been recorded in various home studios, pubs and community centres across England, from Manchester to Birmingham to Brighton, London to Leatherhead to create a fully inclusive track that really does represent the country. The single was released on all streaming platforms on 28th October 2022 and any profits made in 2022 will be donated to the charity “Kick It Out”, which works hard to kick out “discrimination in all its forms.”
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey LAZA!, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. Who are you and what do you do?
Hello! Thanks so much for covering our song! Normally my music goes out under LAZA! but this was a really fun collaboration with the wonderful Jim Pinchen and he’s the artist here.
We are both musicians in the UK living in London (me) and Brighton (Jim). I’m a professional saxophonist and songwriter and Jim seems to play everything!! He does a lot of community music workshops on top of his songwriting, working with refugees to help them integrate into their new homes.
What role does the artist have in society?
I think the artist, and indeed the arts in general, have a really important role in society, which is often overlooked. Music can comment on and reflect the times, can be an outlet for listeners all over the globe, and can bring people together- as in the case of Red & White! During the pandemic, live music was what people craved and is, now, the thing our government is constantly cutting back on.
Your latest song is 'Red & White'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Red & White cans about as Jim and I had had writing an England football/sports anthem on our individual bucket lists. Brits go nuts for their football songs and we really wanted to create one with an uplifting and inspiring message for the team and the country. We wanted a song that reflects and celebrates how diverse life is on our little island. We wanted a track to bring everyone together- in this vein, we travelled across the country to record choruses in various pubs, home studios and community centres. Our hope was to create a sound reminiscent of a football crowd whilst truest representing the country.
We have pledged to dedicate profits this year to the charity Kick It Out- who work hard to rid sport of racism and all prejudice.
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
My strongest memories of childhood mostly revolve around playing with my sisters. My identical twin and I had a double act called Double Trouble (!) and we’d do a comedy routine doing impressions of people- we even got a detention in school because if it, but from a teacher who was cross that we DIDN’T do him!
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
My most embarrassing moment wasn’t anything to do with music or performing (although there have been lots!!) It was being forced to do bare back horse riding on a German exchange. They were doing races (!) and I fell off- that was fine, bit embarrassing- then they boosted me back up so energetically that I went flying over the other side!! Ha, haven’t ridden since!
Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
I don’t find it lonely, but then I’m constantly playing sax in various bands, of teaching sax and clarinet. However there needs to be a decent amount of alone time to reflect, develop ideas and, of course, the hours spent actually creating the tracks on your computer! However, I have started collaborating a lot more in recent years and the camaraderie and friendships that have grown from that are worth the world to me.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I live art as well as music, so a perfect evening for me is a few hours drawing/painting with a large glass of red wine by my side! I’m also an obsessive reader- which is another solitary hobby! I’m actually a very social person, though, and love hanging out with friends- often at a gig.
What is your dream project?
This football song will be a dream protect if it really gets embraced by the country- Come on England!!!
What is your favourite or most inspirational place (in London)?
My favourite place in London is probably Soho, for the hubbub, Crystal Palace for the bohemian feel (and it’s my home) and the parks are beautiful- there’s also a gorgeous bar at the top of the opera house which no one seems to know about! (Haha, ruined that now!) You can sit and watch the world go by beneath you and write and chat, whatever!
What are your plans for the future?
Plans for the future are more of the same, I’m absolutely on this path now. I love writing music, I’d love to have more of our songs placed in tv and film, it would be a dream to have a title track to a movie…. I’m on the case…!