bio

Ada Lea is the musical project of Montreal-based songwriter Alexandra Levy. She released her debut album—what we say in private—and her sophomore album—one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden—both on Saddle Creek and Next Door Records. Ada Lea’s songs feature melodies that are at once classic and unique, and lyrical narratives that are both autobiographical and fictional. After extensive touring with her band, she is now putting the finishing touches on her third record. 

In the meantime, Ada Lea brings us notes, which features previously unheard tracks. Levy speaks on the project: "The songs found in the notes EP were all contenders for my second record one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden. Now that I’ve recorded three records and have released two, I’ve come to realise that my writing process requires that I write a bunch. Writing forty songs within a concept when I know I’ll only use ten allows me to discover a clearer vision of the kind of world I’m wanting to create for the music. I can’t tell what is missing until I’ve already written it. It’s like when Virgina Woolf said 'a light here required a shadow there.' One idea leads to another, which yields unexpected songs. Obviously, while it’s happening it’s a very ugly and messy process (voice memos, crying, scraps of paper everywhere, an excruciatingly long and meandering soundcloud playlist—just look away, I’m hideous!) so I only see this pattern once the album is finished and there’s some distance. The discarded songs become 'in-between' songs (songs that got me to write song B when I thought I could do with song A). Despite not making the final album cut, these six songs are their own special entities."