LIJO captures adventurous, literate songwriting in eccentric, avant garde art-pop with a sense of adventure and disregard of any rules except her own.
In summer of 2019 LIJO travelled to Scandinavia as she was invited to play the Gothenburg Culture Festival, followed by a fall tour through Germany and Poland in support of the release of 'Push Me', the first episode of follow up two-part 'My Every Part' which was recorded in hometown Utrecht. The last single 'Stranger Danger' concludes this journey. It is LIJO’s most upbeat track so far, but with a darker undertone: it narrates about taking pride in who you are regardless of expectations or judgement, but was written to address the lack of true connection. LIJO: “I feel everybody is on an island or in a bubble more than ever - it definitely is easier to get in touch with people, but in the meantime it is also easier to watch, compare, judge and assume without really connecting. Though the video is quirky and has a light feel to it, it only represents the sugarcoating of a more serious thing - something that I feel is going on a lot these days.”
Her untameable curiosity and urge to keep renewing herself are reflected in a live performance that’s always in motion. LIJO plays with synths, beats and loops in her electronic set and is intrigued by working with guest musicians, though her songs are just as convincing stripped down to the naked core with only a piano and her characteristic vocals.
The four singles form the 'PARTS' EP that underlines LIJO's creativity and wit. “At first the two two-parts didn’t really have to do with one another, but they connected well thematically, so I decided to glue them together. It’s all about two sides: who you really are inside versus what version of yourself you show to the outside world, and then the correlation between those two. I find that very fascinating.”
After 'PARTS', LIJO now keeps busy recording her solo debut album.