Lea Willms makes a striking introduction with Branding Bruises, the title track from her forthcoming debut album Marbles. Blending alternative-pop, indie, and contemporary folk, the German-born singer-songwriter crafts a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly modern.
Musically, Branding Bruises is understated yet powerful. Ethereal vocals drift over restrained guitar lines, creating space for the rawness of her words to resonate. It’s a careful balance of fragility and strength, reflective of the wider themes that shape Marbles — love, fear, identity, and the quiet turbulence of early adulthood.
Citing influences like Julia Jacklin, Lucy Dacus, and Soccer Mommy, Willms sits comfortably within today’s indie landscape while carving out her own path. If this single is any indication, Marbles is set to mark her as a bold new voice worth paying attention to.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Lea to learn all about the single, the album, and much more. Read it all here at Music Crowns!
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Hey Lea, welcome to Music Crowns! How are you?
Thanks for having me! I’m good – so happy that the single is out and the album is on the way. It feels exciting (and also slightly nerve-wracking), but I can’t wait to finally let these songs go.
“Branding Bruises” is such a striking title. What does the phrase mean to you personally, and how does it set the tone for the album?
The song actually started with that title. For me, it’s about the invisible marks we carry from trying to fit into a world full of expectations, including the ones we put on ourselves. The whole record is about growing pains, and this track captures that feeling so well. Lyrically, it’s also tied to my own fears about being perceived and sharing my music, so putting it out first felt like facing that fear head-on -almost like using the song as a shield moving forward.
The track explores the tension between authenticity and curated perfection. Was there a particular moment that sparked this idea for you?
Yes, definitely. I wrote it shortly after releasing my first EP, when I felt a little burned out from constantly being online and comparing myself to everyone who seemed to have it all figured out. I felt so behind. Writing the song helped me process that pressure. In this industry, you’re told you need a unique ‘brand,’ but turning yourself into a brand can feel exhausting and unnatural. At its core, it comes down to feeling like just being yourself isn’t enough – that you need to seem more special or fit into a specific category…but whether you like it or not, people will naturally put you into a category.
You’ve described the album as an exploration of love, fear, and identity. Was there a song on ‘Marbles’ that was especially difficult, or cathartic, to write?
Probably the closing track, “Silver Screens.” It’s one of my favourites on the album because it feels like everything I’d been working through while writing Marbles finally came full circle. There’s this quiet sense of acceptance in it, and I knew right away after finishing it that it had to be the last track on the record.
You’ve mentioned artists like Julia Jacklin, Lucy Dacus, and Soccer Mommy as inspirations. What have you learned from listening to them that you’ve carried into your own music?
I think the one thing all of my favourite artists have in common is honest storytelling. It can feel daunting to put out music that’s so personal, but I couldn’t write any other way. Seeing them do it definitely gave me more courage to share my own stories and it also showed me that no detail in writing is too small or too mundane to matter.
Your songs started as poems. Do you still write in that way, or has your process evolved?
It usually still starts with words for me. Occasionally, though rarely, a melody comes first on the guitar, and I build the song from there. But my notes app is full of little snippets that feel like poems, and I’m basically always writing -now I’m just quicker to turn them into music and cherry-pick the lines that really fit the song.
You’ve spoken about the challenge of staying true to yourself while navigating social media and public perception. How do you personally balance those pressures?
Honestly…it’s a constant work in progress. Sharing online is still tricky, and like many artists, I probably wouldn’t even have Instagram if it weren’t for music. I try to take breaks when I can, though around a release that’s especially hard, and there’s no perfect cure yet. Talking to friends who deal with the same pressures definitely helps, and I’ve gotten better at filtering what I want to see online and avoiding things that make me spiral -though, of course that’s also not always controllable.
Where do you see your sound evolving from here? Are there any directions you’re curious to explore next?
Over the past few months, I’ve actually started working on my next project, though I don’t want to give too much away yet. So far, it’s shaping up to be even a bit more raw and personal than this one, and I’m approaching things a bit differently this time.
And finally, with your debut album about to drop, what do you hope listeners take away from Marbles?
Well, all these songs are fragments of me figuring things out, and if they help anyone listening feel seen, then that’s really all I could hope for.
