Lin Pesto

We met Lin Pesto for the first time with her different interpretations of Turkish pop songs.With her mask and mystery, she quickly drew attention upon herself. But she’s not just a mysterious cover musician. Lin Pesto has released her debut EP “Son” (End) recent month and is now excited to be giving her first concert. We chat with her before her debut concert at Zorlu PSM on Wednesday, October 30.

Hi Lin, Congratulations on both your EP “Son” and your first concert. Are you excited? What kind of concert awaits your audience? What have you planned?

Hello, thank you very much. I’m really excited for the first concert. We’ve been trying to make up our mind for a long time. We want to play in the best way possible and give both listeners and us a good experience. I hope everything will be fine.

The cover of “Son” complements your music very well. Will there be a stage design that reflects the concept on the cover?

No, there won’t.Because we’ll play covers along with the songs on the album.Since they’re before the album, we want to create an environment that can suit every song.

How many people will you be on stage?  Will the other musicians wear masks?

If everything goes well, we’ll be five on the stage. Our drummer is unfortunately injured. My friends will wear masks with me.We will play Turkish pop covers and some original songs that a small number of people are interested in with colourful masks.

“I like using happiness and sadness together. “

Lin Pesto

People have known you for the covers you’ve done, but in the interviews, you said that you’ve been writing your own songs for a long time. At which point did you decide to present these songs to the audience?

I thought it would make me happier if I made my own songs. This idea was strengthened with the fact that it was possible that the covers would be copyrighted.We can say that I decided this to create something from scratch.

What’s your approach while you’re working on a new song? What are the emotions or topics you feed on?

Neither happy nor sad, I think it is better to have a neutral mood.What I want to write in my head becomes more clear. But I can’t say I’m a very good lyricist. I need to work on that more.

What kind of a process had the songs of the album been through? Can you tell us about the composition and recording?

My friend and I sat down and recorded the demos. I’ve written lyrics to the songs I found that had vocal tunes. After the demos were ready, we started to work on the songs with Taner Yücel.Thus, the final product was created.

You worked with Taner Yücel in “Son“.How did he contribute to your music?

Meeting Taner and even working together was an amazing experience. I had the chance to observe how he works and what he does during the creation process.He took songs to the next level. I still got the demos on my computer. Sometimes I listen to them to see what I’ve done.”Son” is an album that Taner and I created together.

You create a contrast in your work. For example, on the cover of “Son”, there is a very colourful and cheerful atmosphere.But there’s also a Barbie doll hanging herself. On the other hand, the name of your first aşbum is “Son”. Are these contradictions intentionally planned by you, or are there different reasons behind them?

Actually, Barbie on the album cover does not represent a person but a situation. This is the end of the situation and new things emerge with this end.That’s why the album is called “Son”. Of course, there are other reasons behind the name that I like to keep to myselfBut the main reason behind calling the album “Son” is that it is my first one. I love contrasts, and to use happiness and sadness together.

For a long time, you only shared covers with us. What were the things you paid attention to when choosing songs to cover?Did you choose these songs because you never forget them or because they’re your favourite songs, or because you believed that they would create a different tone in your music? Will that kind of works continue?

The songs that I cover are the songs I recall from my childhood… Except one…I enjoy listening to them all and their melodies are engraved in my head.My main goal was just to record something. I thought I’d learn recording techniques. I would like to record by myself but not covers. I think it makes me more happy to continue with original songs.

You’re saying that wearing a mask gives you a peaceful environment. On the other hand, the fact that you are hiding your identity gives you a mysterious atmosphere and inevitably draws attention. What do you think about the paradox of this situation?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this. It’s good for me to make music as a character rather than a mask because I have nothing to think about but music. I don’t want to present myself saying, “That’s who I am.”That’s not why I make music.The unknown is interesting, of course, but I want to stay that way.

EP is out, and you’re giving your first concert on Wednesday… So what’s next? What are your plans?

I don’t have anything else on my mind right now. I want to keep making music. With or without this project, I want to make music for myself.