LCN! on Video Game Soundtracks and “Lovers in Space”

Photo via Instagram

LCN!, or the stage name behind Washington-raised Elsian, is making bedroom pop to soundtrack your spring. From selling out venues to touring with Janine, he’s already well on his way to stardom. He sat down with Off The Record to talk about his new song and music-making process.

Who are you and how did you get your start in music?

I'm Elsian. I’m from a small island of Oak Harbor, Washington, and I moved to Seattle for school. I've always liked music, but then I just started to learn how to produce music not too long ago, and started posting videos online. They did really good, and now I'm here. 

Your most recent single, “Lovers in Space,” is a very dreamy, indie pop vibe. What was the writing and recording process like for that song?

In 2023, when I first started, that was one of the first songs I wrote. I think I wrote four songs in the beginning but I had that son vaulted. I didn't want to release it because I was like, oh, the song's not good enough or it's, like, not polished enough. I eventually decided to release it because it was one of my favorite songs that I’d made. I recorded it in my bedroom on a microphone that my brother gave me, and it's, like, dented. I just recorded it, and I'm really glad people like it. 

It's the true bedroom pop vibe literally being recorded in a bedroom. Generally, where does the song start for you? Do you start with the lyrics, or do you have a sound in mind going into it? Or do you just sit down and make a song?

I think my writing process might be a little different. I like turning off all the lights and then closing my eyes. I put out my phone to record a voice memo, and I usually mumble lyrics, and then once I get a good melody, I'll fill in the blanks. I've been writing love songs about the same person.

Do you find that when you do those voice memos, the finished product is usually pretty similar to what you had started with on the voice memo? 

No. They’re completely different. I listen to the draft and the final, and, I'm like, what happened here? 

So they have a big evolution. It's really cool that you're able to extract the bits that are the best and create it or turn it into something even better. I can hear a lot of Keshi and Joji in your sound, which I thought was interesting because you have 88Rising tagged in your bio. Do you find a lot of inspiration in those types of artists that make… kind of.. I wouldn't say lo-fi by any means, but kind of the dreamy indie pop music to some extent. I don't really know if I'm describing it accurately. Who do you find inspiration from musically?

Yeah, for sure. I think Joji and Keshi are good examples of some of my big music inspirations, and other Asian artists as well. I've always looked up to them, and it's really cool that they're paving a way for smaller Asian artists to make their own type of music and other things. But as for inspirations, I think it's a little different.

I grew up watching Steven Universe, which is really one of my favorite shows. And Rebecca Sugar, who's the creator, she also writes the songs, and she was one of my inspirations. So a lot of my music has lyrics that are silly or comical, whimsical. My sister loves Minions. So I like to imagine it as Minions listening to the song and, like, wobbling around.

Yeah. I love that. It definitely gives it a whimsical feel. Are there any other specific albums by other artists generally that you feel inspired by, or was it just kind of the cartoons, like Steven Universe, and Keshi and Joji type-artists?

I think, oh, I also was really into Pokemon games, but anything like soundtracks or video game soundtracks, I'm very into. Before I did indie pop, bedroom pop, I tried to do music production, like scoring. Kind of soundtrack music, I dabbled in that. So I think that went into some of my music. As for mainstream artists, maybe like Omar Apollo, his older stuff. I really like his time signatures, his jazz influence. I think they definitely made my sound. 

Photo via Instagram

I'm glad that you mentioned video game soundtracks because I can definitely hear that in your sound as well, that inspiration, which is really fun. Very whimsical like you said. You said you live in Seattle, correct? How has the city and the state treated you in terms of finding artistic inspiration or finding other creative minds? Or just generally, do you think Seattle inspires you at all?

Seattle is such an underrated place for music. I think a lot of artists here are like, oh, I'm gonna move to LA so I can pursue music there. There's a lot of untapped potential here in Seattle.There's a lot of like minded people as well. I'm from a small island, Oak Harbor, and there were maybe 200 people in my graduation class. So when I moved to Seattle, I was like, this is such a huge culture shock. There's so many different people here. A lot of people are into music, and I met a lot of nice people here.

Yeah, Seattle is cool. Seattle is very cool. Are you going to school for music? 

No. I'm in school at the University of Washington for digital communications. 

Oh, that's so fun. I go to University of Oregon, so I'm just the state below you. I love Seattle, though. Every time I go there, it just feels like there's such a hub of wonderful creative people. I also wanted to say, your songs feel perfect for this time of year. Just kind of a fresh spring going into a warm summer. Do you go in with any intention of adding, and you said most of your songs are love songs that are written about the same person, but is there a certain intention that you go in with writing these kind of feel-good songs, or do you think it just comes from the fact that they’re love songs and that person made you feel that way?

I also think it's important to note that this person, I don't talk to them anymore. So it's one of those things. I wrote it, and I was like, dang it. I have a lot of good experience here, so I have a lot of songs to still write. But, I don't know. It's just that I wanna make music that I would listen to. I don't wanna make music that I wouldn't like. I wanna make music that sounds good. So I think whenever I write music, I make sure that it feels good. Anyone who's listening to it is gonna have a good time, whether it's a love song, whether it's a slower ballad song. I just try to make sure that it's very nice sounding.

And it definitely does. Like, I was just listening to your songs outside this morning, and it's just such a beautiful day here. It just totally fits that vibe, and I love that they’re so feel-good. You've definitely captured that lighting in a bottle for sure. The last thing I want to ask is just if you're working on any albums or EPs or more singles and what your plans for the rest of the year are. 

Yes! I have another release planned for this month, and then that's going to be a teaser for a mini EP I'm doing. It's going to be, not bedroom pop, but more indie-alternative sounding. 

Okay, cool, and when will that be released? Is that this month also or just later on down the line?

April 25 will be the single. And then for the mini EP, maybe, like, a month or two after that. 

Thanks so much for hopping on with me!

Thank you!