Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Lana Crow

Lana Crow - Orwellian Times

“Orwellian Times” is a sharp, hook-driven indie-pop/pop-rock track tackling self-righteousness, outrage culture, and the societal pressures of our digital age. This single is a good match for editors seeking thought-provoking music with commercial appeal. Orwellian Times delivers memorable hooks, social commentary, and bold storytelling.

Lana Crow is a British pop- and pop-rock singer-songwriter whose music blends melody, emotion and modern edge. Her debut album I Will showcased her distinctive voice and introspective songwriting, followed by the sophomore record Live It, which she describes as a “sonic diary” of growth, struggle and self-liberation.

Drawing on early musical roots and a deep personal perspective, Lana’s songs invite listeners into raw, honest storytelling wrapped in catchy hooks and rock-inflected pop production. With each release, she builds on a sound that is at once accessible and layered—making space for reflection and release.

Interview with Lana Crow

(•)> What inspired you to write “Orwellian Times” and tackle themes of outrage culture and digital-age pressures?

The song was inspired by the media’s attacks on Israel. I’m not Jewish, and I would absolutely hate to be Jewish today, I really don’t know how they do it. These people were sadistically attacked two years ago, and instead of showing support, the whole world turned against them almost immediately thanks to a fierce media campaign.

In recent years, we’ve seen devastating crises — more than 528,000 deaths in Syria, over 233,000 deaths in Yemen, and over 755,000 people in Sudan facing extreme hunger — yet these tragedies received little to no media coverage until very recently. Meanwhile, Gaza dominated the news every single day, and huge amounts of aid were sent there — aid that, according to video recordings, ended up in the hands of Hamas rather than reaching civilians.

Meanwhile, other countries facing far higher death tolls and hunger got far less support, even though the aid sent there would have actually been used for its intended purpose and could have made a real impact.

The BBC is now being challenged over its biased reporting on the Palestinian war, among other issues, which underscores how compromised the media has become. In a modern, supposedly well-informed world, it’s astonishing that news outlets would rely on unverified figures from parties with clear interests. Naturally, Hamas would inflate casualty numbers or misreport ages — listing a child instead of an adult soldier— to generate sympathy in the West. As someone from a developing world, I know how easy it is for the ruling regime to manipulate such data. The supposedly intelligent and civilized world should know better; sadly, it doesn’t, and public opinion has become easier than ever to sway. There is something profoundly wrong with how readily the world can withhold compassion from Jews simply because they are Jews.

At its heart, the song speaks to how easily people can be influenced into adopting certain viewpoints and reassuring themselves that they are “good” or “righteous” by attacking others instead of showing empathy, by adding fuel to the conflict rather than by helping to resolve it. Many of the loudest voices have never lived in either country and lack a real understanding of what motivates either side.

Do those chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” know that the literal translation from Arabic is “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab; all the land is Arab”? I doubt it. And would Hamas — or Palestinians as a whole — have a problem with Israel if Israel shared their religious faith? I doubt that even more.

(•)> How do you balance catchy pop hooks with deeper social commentary in your music?

I don’t approach my songs with the goal of making them catchy or popular, but I do want them to be pleasant to the ear. For me, everything we create as humans comes from intention. When I was younger, music was an escape from reality, so I think that instinct — to craft melodies that transport you elsewhere — naturally results in the hooks that appear in my songwriting.

The social commentary in my music comes from a genuine need to express myself when I feel strongly about an issue. I’m not a political person, and I usually only pay attention when something strikes me as crazy. For example, I hated Brexit because I felt it was a self-destructive move for the UK, and I felt sorry for the younger generation. That’s what led me to write Your Mini-Me. I couldn’t understand why the majority of voters didn’t seem to realize that the UK, unlike other members, had many opt-outs from EU membership, and that many of the things people complained about were actually the UK government’s responsibility.

Interestingly, I can now see a benefit: Brexit forced the British public to confront the reality of their own government’s incompetence. Before, everything was conveniently blamed on the EU; now that excuse doesn’t hold, and I think that shift in awareness is significant — and, in a broader sense, a positive development. It’s a shame that the UK lost its voice within the EU, though. It had a great amount of influence despite being a “part-time” member, and now it seems to be fighting everything and everybody. I’m hoping we’ll see some unity start to take shape soon, because these European countries are dealing with many of the same major challenges.

To wrap up, I don’t really think about how the pop hooks and the social commentary fit together — it just kind of happens. They both come from whatever I’m feeling in the moment.

(•)> In what ways has your sound evolved from your debut album I Will to Live It and now “Orwellian Times”?

I would describe I Will as a lighter poppy album. It is probably less deep than the subsequent releases. Tale of the Sea is quite deep though, I like the message of the Laugh With You and the humor of the Don’t You Get It? But when I listen back to my own voice, I can hear that I’ve grown significantly since then. I actually re-sang Laugh With You recently because I just despised the sound of my own voice. I lacked confidence back then, and I also didn’t care much about lyrics, which comes from the fact that I myself pay very little attention to lyrics when I listen to music.

In terms of production, I think I Will was mostly influenced by my coastal location, where I felt like creating a cool seaside-club vibe, as in Tale of the Sea, and that influence has mostly faded now. I still like that sound, though, so you might hear it again closer to the summer.

Moving on to the second album, Live It, and the latest singles, they focus more on personal growth, inner conflicts, and the search for peace. I like to convey the idea that our happiness is ultimately a state of mind, and that a lot of the pain we experience is self-inflicted. We are all “programmed” by our past experiences, and the resulting patterns are hard to shift — but certainly not impossible.

(•)> How do personal experiences influence your songwriting and storytelling approach?

I know that we create our circumstances through our thoughts and attitudes, but we do it mostly unconsciously. I went through a real rollercoaster of inner dialogue — at first I tried to push my past down and refused to see or hear it, then I faced it and slipped into a victim mentality, and eventually I took full responsibility for everything that unfolded in my life. You can only be a victim if you choose to be one, and that mindset helps no one — least of all yourself. I think this journey of mine comes through in many of my songs.

(•)> Do you see your music as a form of social critique, personal expression, or both?

Personal expression. There’s no point in criticizing anyone — we’re all on our own journey, and we each have to find our own way.

(•)> How do you approach blending pop and pop-rock elements while keeping your music emotionally honest?

I love the sound of electric guitar. I grew up listening to Nirvana, Garbage, Aerosmith, and Guns N’ Roses, but personally, their style feels a bit heavy, so I’ve eventually gravitated closer to pop but I will always want to keep that guitar there. Being emotionally honest isn’t hard — staying honest with yourself and with others is one of the best things you can do for both yourself and those around you. Authenticity really matters.

(•)> Which artists or experiences have shaped the distinctive voice listeners hear on your records?

I can’t point to any specific artist who directly influenced me, but my personal experiences certainly did. I think my past struggles are forever present in my music. I had a difficult childhood and had to grow up sooner than a child should. This led to becoming a broken, self-hating adult. As tough as that was, the advantage was that it pushed me to look for ways to heal myself. We all search for happiness, but I think people like me — who have lived through years of abuse — try a bit harder. That journey of searching for and finding peace is reflected in many of my songs, such as “You Can Run,” “Laugh With You,” and “Live It.”

Another major influence on my songwriting is the fact that I’ve lived in very different environments. I’ve moved through four countries and have been a foreigner all my life. I didn’t even belong in the country where I was born, because its identity shifted after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and I was never native to that land.

After moving to Germany, and later the UK, I embraced the Western way of life, which values and encourages human happiness. That mindset was new to me and took time to absorb. Being an immigrant, I spent a lot of time with other immigrants, and those experiences were revealing in many ways. I absorbed parts of many cultures, including the cultures of the immigrant communities I lived among.

I’ve also noticed that Westerners who have never lived outside the West (or who have but stayed within a Western bubble) can be quite presumptuous, assuming they understand how people from other parts of the world think and feel. You can’t know that unless you have lived within that society and speak its language. Without that, it’s impossible not to project your own views and values onto people you cannot possibly understand.

Finally, I’m much more cautious when it comes to media narratives. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the steady stream of lies that were exposed year after year taught me never to take anything at face value. Critical thinking must always prevail. Some things are incredibly simple, and they should stay that way.

(•)> What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from “Orwellian Times”?

I’m not really trying to push any specific message with this song — it was just me expressing what I was feeling. I do wish I could help people avoid the kind of suffering that comes from being self-righteous, but I also get that everyone has their own path to peace. If there’s anything I can say, it’s that the most important first step is just noticing the emotion when it shows up. Once you recognize it, the way to deal with it will eventually emerge, as long as you have the intention of removing it from your system.

Self-righteousness is a pretty dark feeling. You can’t feel “righteous” without judging someone else. It’s not evil by itself, but it’s something that can be easily taken advantage of, especially because it’s very closely tied to the ego. All someone has to do is feed the idea that you’re “good” and “right” and somehow above others, and suddenly you’re capable of doing and saying things you might regret later. And honestly, you can’t hurt someone else without that hurt coming back to you in one way or another.

(•)> How does the creative process for a socially themed song differ from more personal tracks?

The process is exactly the same. Most of my songs come to me in dreams — though not all of them. I didn’t set out to write a song about media manipulation, but the biased coverage of the Palestinian war must have troubled me enough that I woke up one night with the first few lines of the verse in my head. I usually dream the tune and some vague idea of lyrics, and then I finish the song in the waking hours over the next few days, so this one was not different.

(•)> What can fans expect next from Lana Crow in terms of sound or upcoming releases?

I don’t have any concrete plans at the moment. I am enjoying pre-Christmas vibes!

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Lana Crow on the Pigeon Spins Playlist