Myla Lei's head is alright, we promise.

We sat down with Myla Lei on a warm spring morning to chat all things “My Head Is Alright”!

Introduce yourself.

Hi, I’m Myla Lei – a singer-songwriter from Switzerland. I’d describe myself as a wild and vivid muse: emotional, deep, playful, and constantly reflecting. Music is my way of transforming thoughts into feelings and giving voice to the unspoken. I’m always seeking connection – with myself, with others, with the moment and with what’s going on in the world. 

Tell us all about the “My Head Is Alright” EP!

The EP is a snapshot of my inner world – a kind of emotional diary that maps the path from mental clutter to clarity - at least that was what I was hoping to create. Each song captures a different moment or mood in that process. It’s about overthinking, self-reflection, and that spark of aliveness you get when you realise you're actually doing okay, even when your mind tries to tell you otherwise. The title My Head Is Alright is both a mantra and a bit of a wink – like, hey, maybe it's not perfect in there, but it's mine and it's working. Also the title is an ode to my generation who has to deal with so much at the moment. Not moving forward and ignoring what is happening around us and not being part of the change needed in the world is not an option for us anymore. The future is here now and we are the ones having to deal with it. My mom used to say to me: You can’t save the world all on you own. But may be we all have to try just a little bit. All the while we have to keep ourselves together, being careful not to lose our heads over it. Therefore the My Head Is Alright is meant to sound a tad sarcastic as well, like sure, I’m fine. The world is dying but hey, I’m still here, yay.

What’s your favourite track?

That changes all the time. But Dust To Water is one I keep coming back to – it holds so much softness and strength at the same time. It reminds me that transformation doesn’t have to be loud. Of course the titletrack is dear to my heart as well. The song My Head Is Alright sums up the whole EP pretty well. Chaos on the other hand is more personal and about coping with emotional situations, dark “firsts” like losing someone you loved very much but weren’t able to stay in touch or having to deal with emotional clutter of other people who are projecting stuff onto you - emotional situations in which there is no escape. The only way out is through.

In the track “My Head Is Alright” which has a cool bridge, you say “I found out why I couldn’t go to sleep”. Why couldn’t you go to sleep?

Because there’s a dream and it keeps me awake. ;)

You’re currently on a mini tour, what was your favourite stop so far?

My favourite part of the mini tour was definitely the kick off where we celebrated the EP at Galvanik in Zug. So many people came and it was a blast. Almost as if we all celebrated a birthday together.

You’ve been offering many T-Shirts at these shows, what inspired the graphics ‘Snake’, ‘Lips’ & ‘Tower’?

Each graphic stands for a specific energy: the Snake is about transformation, shedding old skins. The Lips represent communication – the tension between saying too much and not saying enough. And the Tower is the pain and creation card from Tarot, it also stands for solitude – destruction that leads to clarity. I like using visuals to tell a parallel story to the music.

Do you prefer Grey Cloud or Dollhouse more?

I can’t really pick a favourite. My songs are my babies, and you shouldn’t have a favourite child ;)

What’s your natural hair colour?

It’s this almost black brown. And there is a little bite of ginger in there as well that I inherited from my grandpa.

Who are your favourite singers?

My absolute favourite musician is Hozier. I can’t really explain what it is, but his songs make a part of me feel seen that I believed only belonged to me. I just connect with his music, his words and his view of life. Then there is Billie Eilish, who I admire. She just came into the scene and revolutionised the pop genre completely. That sort of confidence to just follow your own style and show up for yourself in that way is inspiring to me. As for the swiss artists I click with Joya Marleen and her voice, my goodness. And IKAN HYU is such an inspiring swiss duo, their live performance is unreal. And Edgar Wasser - a german rapper - inspires me to be super honest and vocal about my thoughts about whatever; societal circumstances, myslef, etc. He reminds me that nobody is perfect and that certain things just need to be said but they can be said in a thoughtful but still thought provoking way. That’s what gives me the courage to weave in that sarcasm into my music.

What inspired the metaphor of “Dust To Water”?

I was laying in my bathtub last summer. It was pouring outside and it had been raining for weeks and weeks. And there I was, in my bathtub, filled with water as well and something about that felt surreal. And that got me reflecting upon how everybody was running around right now trying to safe all of the expensive houses, garages and cars and how nature just being nature could get human beings to worry that much. And on top of that, everybody kept complaining and was acting as if somebody was able to control the rain. Who do we think we are? Humans can be so arrogant sometimes. So the post chorus in Dust To Water is to be understood with a sarcastic undertone.

It’s great to hear that you “feel so alive”. What are your top 5 tips to keep your head alright?

Talk to your friends, work out, do whatever you do with purpose - or at least mindful. Even if you’re making a mistake, be graceful about it and take responsibility for your actions. Reflect yourself and the person you choose to be. And last but not least; move on and don’t resist change too much. Life is ever changing, there is no point in resisting it for too long.

What’s your favourite fruit?

That’s an easy one: Mango. Love them. I don’t know for sure but I suspect my heritage has got something to do with that.

What was your favourite school subject as a child?

Anything with language, so German and English. French I liked at first, then it got too overwhelming for me, which is too bad though, I would love to be able to speak French now. And of course arts and crafts I loved as well. I was able to just dive into a different world, where the boundaries as we know them seemed to be so bendable, almost non existent. 

How do you usually write songs?

I don’t play an instrument, so my way of writing songs is pretty unique. I do everything with my voice. When a melody comes to my mind and catches on, I can’t let go of it. Normally the words and the melody come at the same time. As if the topic of the song was deciding the melody it wants to be sung in. Then I just keep on repeating that bit of the song, recording it with my phone until the next bit that makes sense comes to my mind. When I think, that I have at least one vers and a chorus, I try to get a hold of somebody who can play an instrument and then we take it from there. It’s like peeling back the layers of a very special fruit and you don’t know what it will taste like in the end. But the fruit is already there, it just has to be peeled the right way, which is unique for every song.

and what about the production process?

I’m very involved with the production of my songs, but I can’t really produce myself. I want to learn how to do that though, because I think that way, I will be able to get my own character in there even more. I’m very lucky though; my boyfriend is a sound engineer and producer. He gets me and what I want - even though there was a learning curve as well haha. Lots of discussions were necessary to get where we are now as a team. And then we chose to work with another very talented producer from Lausanne, with Joris Amann. He found me on Instagram after I had published my first single “Grey Cloud”. We clicked from the first try out session on. Now him, Andri - my bf - and me built a nice trio for the production of this EP.

Did you have a dollhouse?

I always wanted one, never had one though. But I had the Barbie camping bus, which was very cool haha and a Playmobil horse farm.

“A Poem”, the first track on your EP is really interesting and heartwarming while being such a mood booster! What inspired the thought of a spoken word track being on your EP?

I wanted the EP to begin with intention, almost like a soft invocation. “A Poem” felt like a childrens story, setting the mood for the whole EP. It’s playful and dreamy but also grounding and a bit dark. With that piece in the beginning the EP opens like a book. It’s clear from the start, that you are in for a whole ride. 

What’s up next for you?

A break haha. We will finish the mini tour and after that we’ll see. Summer, sun, new songs, hopefully more concerts to play and then whenever the flow is right, the next EP is right around the corner ready to be explored and peeled back.