Interview with singer and actor Ian Lake

Interview with singer and actor Ian Lake

Today on What On What's Good with Jovin Tardif, I am here with Ian Lake.  His latest single is “more” from his debut album What It Is.  You may have seen Ian as Bolton from Locke and Key on Netflix or Tolor on Star Trek: Discovery on Netflix.  In our #cinqquestion interview, we discuss songwriting tips, behind-the-scenes at Locke & Key, a future short film, and much more.  

1. Do you have any songwriting tips for new artists?

I think the most important thing when you’re writing any song is just to follow your first impulses without judging if it’s the best lyric or the best melody, even if it doesn’t feel great at the moment. I usually find if I’m trying to come up with the perfect lyric, I’ll usually get stuck and stop writing. But if I just write whatever comes, I can always go back and fix what’s not feeling right after. And don’t worry about structure. Not everything has to follow the traditional, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus form. A wise friend once told me, ’The song will tell you what it wants to be’, and sometimes that’s a two-chord song that doesn’t fit the structure. And the last thing I would say is, that songs can come to you in many ways. Sometimes it’s lyrics first and music second, sometimes it’s a melody with no words, sometimes you might come up with the ending of the song before you know where it starts. There’s no right way to do it. 

2. What is your favourite song from your debut album, "What It Is" and why?

I think it would have to be the Title track ‘What It Is’. It was a real turning point as I was writing the album, where I started to express more frustration and let go of the sadness that I had been carrying. The song has a tone and mood to it, that’s really satisfying to me. It’s got lamentation, but it’s got a drive to it and power in its’ message. It’s also just my favourite arrangements of instruments on the album. The multiple layers of hurdy-gurdy, combined with the saxophone, trumpet, and electric guitar, it’s by far my most complex song and I’m really proud of how it came together. 

3. Any fun behind-the-scenes stories about your time on the Netflix show Locke & Key?

Oh my… well it was honestly one of the most incredible experiences of my life, I’ve never had so much fun. Getting to play in a period setting, and ride a horse on camera was always one of my dreams growing up, and it was really special to finally get to do that. I don’t know how many stories I can tell without giving away spoilers, but one of the things I always looked forward to was being surprised by my costars. I was working with Kevin Durand, who was the villain and I was his henchman, and he was always keeping us on our toes. I always had to be ready for him to hit me with something unexpected. Sometimes literally, he would playfully hit me on the shoulder to punctuate a line (never very hard of course), and I always looked forward to our scenes cause I had to be genuinely present and ready for anything. 

4. You have written a short film that you plan to direct. Can you give us any teasers?

Yes, I’m currently in the fundraising stage, so that I can really execute my vision properly, but it’s a story I wrote years ago about my own childhood, about growing up, and how often kids will blame themselves for things that aren’t their fault. Much like my songs, it’s a sad story. But it’s very sweet. It’s about family, siblingship, and marriage. I can’t wait to finally make it, it’s been percolating for a long long time. 

5. Who would you like to collaborate with within music and why?

I would love to continue to collaborate with my producer Matthew Barber. He’s just such a great figure in Canadian music and his wealth of knowledge and experience is broad. He also knows so many gifted musicians in Toronto, and I would love to continue with him. But then there are some fantasies of other people I admire, who I would love to work with. I’ve recently become a big fan of guitarist Mike Gordon, who writes and performs with the artist Dijon. The idea of finding a musician who really brings my songs to a different place, experimentally, would be really exciting. I’m already organizing the next bunch of songs I want to record, and it would be nice to find some new sounds and some new collaborations, as well as continue to grow the relationships I already have.