About seven months ago, I was recommended a band based in Ljubljana, Slovenia called LELEE. I first listened to Kratkog Daha in the middle of September, and was wowed by the groovy indie-rock sound that met me. Following that, I spent the next six months delving into their catalog: two full LPs and ten singles, including a session recorded for the MENT Festival in Spring 2022. Their sound combines jangly, stripped down riffs, atmospheric synthesizers, and a healthy sprinkling of raucous energy for good measure. Since discovering them, Lelee have been in my top 5 artists on Spotify, and many of their tracks in my heavy rotation. Earlier in April, I bought a shirt from them and coordinated a text-based interview with the members. With backstory out of the way, it’s my honor to present Boise Underground Media’s first ever international spotlight interview!

First of all, why don’t each of you introduce yourselves! Name, instrument, where you’re from, how you got into music, etc.

Jelena: I’m Jelena, and I play bass guitar and sing in the band LELEE. I’m originally from Belgrade, but I’ve been living and creating in Ljubljana for quite some time now. Music has always been a key part of my creative work. I grew up in a pretty musical family, where everyone played at least one instrument, and ever since I was little, I had a big dream of having a band. It was only a matter of time before it finally happened. And now—it has.

Miha: My name is Miha and I play drums. I am from Trbovlje, a historically coal-mining town in Slovenia. It’s hard to say how or why I got into music, but I was always very intrigued and amused by it and I don’t think I ever wanted to play drums specifically. I think I just chose whichever instrument I thought would annoy my neighbors the most. Music has been present in my life and I’ve always sought out people to make it with, even if that meant having to do or learn something new. Oftentimes that was even preferable because that’s how you learn to play a new instrument or use a new DAW.

Damjan: I’m Damjan and I play guitar and sing in the band. I grew up in Bitola, Macedonia but have been living in Ljubljana for the past 12 years. My father is a musician so there was music in my family all the time. I played the violin as a kid, but it didn’t really suit me. Later, I started playing the mandolin in my school orchestra and eventually moved to guitar, which I’ve enjoyed ever since. I remember having a Beatles CD as a kid at home and getting hooked on it right away. I guess that was the first proper introduction to the guitar world and have been passionate about it from then on.

Tell us a bit about how LELEE formed. Did you know each other much before starting the band? Were you in other bands before LELEE took off?

Jelena: Damjan and I started practicing together, really casually, with no intention of forming a band—this was almost ten years ago. We knew each other from around town, used to see each other at gigs, and at one point, just chatting and kind of joking around, we threw out the idea of meeting for a rehearsal and playing a bit together. And that’s how it started—no big ambitions, just for fun.
Then I had a baby, so there was a longer break, but as soon as I could carve out some time for myself again, I started thinking about how we could get organized and meet up for another rehearsal with Damjan. Slowly but surely, a few songs came together—and the desire to keep going just kept growing. After a while, we found a drummer and recorded our first demo tracks. Then the pandemic (Covid) hit, so there was another little pause—energy building up—and after that, we decided to really go for it, to officially form the band and dive fully into the LELEE adventure. In May 2020 we released our first singles: Fasciniran and FU2 and not long after that we went to record our debut album Čuka bije pumpa, in Down There Studio with producer Uroš Milkić in Belgrade.
And a lot has happened in the meantime. We tried to play as much as possible, experimented with different lineups and drummers, and now we hope we’ve found the combination that suits us best. LELEE released the second LP, Mora malo u crveno, few months ago, in November 2024, for the Slovenian label Moonlee Records. We’ve played nearly 100 shows so far and, honestly, it feels like nothing can stop us. 😊

How would you describe your sound? Indie-rock seems like the obvious answer, but tracks like Nestaješ show your range. When I listen to your work, the style is a unique brand of indie-rock that doesn’t sound quite like anything else I’ve heard. Is there a specific way you describe yourselves?

Damjan: A colleague of ours labelled us as an Adriatic indie rock band, which we kinda like (laughs).

We usually say we are a rock’n’roll band because the band is based around the usual rock trio (guitar-bass-drums). But at the same time, we are really curious in exploring all the possibilities we can deliver in this band format, both live and in the studio. I think you are right in labelling us as an indie rock band, I think that’s especially present on the more mellower/softer songs we have. But we also like doing edgier songs or trying completely different approaches; the song Nestaješ is one example of this.

We are very curious about all the ways we can write a song, playing with dynamics, interactions between us, and in general, just exploring all the possible ways you can write a song. I feel like we don’t really want to repeat ourselves when writing new songs and in a way that propels us to further explore our sound. This is also what we are thinking about a lot currently, especially as we are writing new songs with a new album in mind.

In our local music scene here in Boise, we have a term – high desert rock – that describes a similar vibe and sonic palette that many of our local bands share. Do you think there’s any sort of regional sound that bands in and around Ljubljana share? If so, where do you think that comes from?

Damjan: I don’t think there is a label term for the bands coming out of Ljubljana as the scene is very diverse. I also don’t see a movement under which the bands gather or something like that. But I definitely see potential in the scene gathering and starting to work together even more through putting out shows, running labels, and just supporting the work that is done on the scene.

There are many collectives that have been working on the scene a lot. There’s the local student radio Radio Študent which supports and promotes local and upcoming artists. Apart from the label on which we are on (Moonlee Records), there’s also labels like KAPA Records, ZARŠ, ŠOP Records, which are putting heavy work in helping and promoting local bands and building a healthy community. And even though many venues are shutting down or changing focus, I feel like people are still creative and eager to do shows at new places like student dorms, basements etc. The scene is lively and I hope it progresses even more in the future.

What do you think of the Slovenian (or wider post-Yugo) music scene? How does being around that scene and the region affect your art?

Jelena: I’ve always experienced the entire artistic scene in Slovenia—music, theater, visual arts, dance—as very diverse, rich, and progressive. I remember, even before I moved to Ljubljana, I always had the feeling that the people and their stories coming from Slovenia were somehow a step ahead compared to what was happening where I lived, in Belgrade or Sarajevo, for example.
And if we’re talking about today’s independent, alternative music scene, I think there are a lot of bands and great musicians creating really interesting music. But at the same time, I think it’s quite hard to survive on the independent scene. Slovenia is a very small country, and it’s tough for musicians to make a living just by playing shows locally. Once you step outside, it becomes a big battle, of course, where you’re competing with all the regional and European bands.
I feel like most bands go through a five-year cycle and then disappear from the scene—probably because they get exhausted, both creatively and financially. So yes, there’s a lot of creativity here, and it would be great if the state would step in a bit more and support that creativity, which is truly abundant and of very high quality. I hope that will happen soon and that it will make things a little easier for everyone through some well-organized public support.

What are your biggest musical influences? Are there any surprising genres or artists that inspire you?

Miha: I am a big fan of the Chicago band Tortoise. Their music is very rhythm section-based, which is probably what appeals to me as a drummer, but it’s also that they seem to draw a lot of inspiration from krautrock, minimalism, dub, electronica, etc. all of which are musical styles I am a fan of. Otherwise, I really enjoy outsider music, experimental music, anything out-of-the-ordinary and unconventional. A great example of this would be Mica Levi. Anything they do is so fresh and unique, from their film scores to their stuff with The Shapes to their production for Tirzah. I also absolutely adore Meredith Monk and I found out recently that listening to her works is a shortcut to getting me out of a bad mood.

Outside of music, LELEE has very strong visual aspects as well. Your album art is evocative and fitting of the music it accompanies. On the music video for Nestaješ, there’s a super distinctive sort of retro-psychedelia that seems to incorporate elements of 80’s digital design with trippy visuals. On Rane, there’s a similarly distinct stop-motion animated style, and Naprej has a more traditional “band doing things” layout. What are some of your influences from other forms of visual art like painting, graphic design, and film?

Jelena: Yes, absolutely—we think a lot about our visual identity and try to keep things as interesting as possible in that area. One important bit of info right at the start, for all your readers: the name of our band is also the nickname of a very good friend of ours, visual artist Leon Zuodar- Lele.
Back when we were looking for a name for a band, there was a lot of joking around, and honestly, we had a tough time coming up with something that sounded good and felt right. At one point, we thought it would be great to name the band after Lele—not only because he is a close friend and a fantastic artist, but he’s also a huge music lover and has played a big role in shaping the alternative music and skateboard scenes in Slovenia. So yes, we decided to name the band after him.
Naturally, Leon Zuodar-Lele is also the main person behind our visual identity. We’ve been working with him from the very beginning. He created all the illustrations for both our first and second album, and he’s helped us a lot with designing the band’s logo, t-shirts, photography… We’ve been collaborating the whole time—it’s really a shared creative process that’s still very much alive.

Our music videos are also deeply intertwined with different artists and creators. We reach out to people we want to collaborate with, we keep track of who’s doing what and how, and we try to make the most out of every situation. And by that I mostly mean working with very small budgets—so really making something in the way we want out of almost nothing. But we manage. We’re very proud of the videos we’ve made so far. We’ve worked with various artists from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro… and we’re really happy with how the creative processes unfolded—and with the final results.
My favorite video is definitely for Nestaješ—I feel like that’s the one where we managed to blend the visuals and the music in the most powerful way. 😊
We also have two live session projects that we’re really proud of. The first one was recorded a few years ago for the song Čudo, back when LELEE was a quartet. That session was done by the amazing team from DISKONT and the MENT Festival in Ljubljana, and it was one of the best experiences we’ve had in terms of filming and the professional conditions on set—truly fantastic. The second session, which we released recently, was for the song Životinje. It was created by the crew at 1.618 FILMS, led by the young Croatian director Mara Prpić. That one was also a big challenge to pull off, but we’re really happy with how it turned out.
And yes, I think everything we’ve created so far—both musically and visually—is, in a way, a reaction to what’s happening around us in society, politics, arts and etc. For me, that’s the core source of inspiration and creativity. What I see, read, experience, live through—I try to channel all of that into what I create.
I’m originally an actress, and I have many years of stage experience, which definitely has a big impact on my performance as a musician as well. We talk about it a lot—what works and what doesn’t when we’re all on stage together. We’re aware that our audience isn’t just there to enjoy the music—they’re there to experience something, to see and hear something meaningful. And as a band, we really think about that. We try to enrich our live shows with everything we believe adds to the experience.

What is your songwriting process like? Is there one person who mostly writes lyrics or mostly does instrumentals, or is the work shared evenly between the members?

Damjan: I usually bring riffs or melodies to the band and then we go on from there. I try not to do a whole song before I bring it to a band practice; I really prefer we all contribute to the writing of the song. Otherwise, I could do a solo project (laughs). Everyone has an input when doing the songs which makes the final versions stronger, richer and more playful. Me and Jelena write the lyrics – we talk a lot about the topics that inspire us, so there is quite some discussions there. We sing in our native languages (Macedonian, Serbian), and we’ve also been writing songs in Slovene, that’s also a big part of our songwriting.

Have you toured very much internationally? If so, where are the places where you’ve had the most fun? Are there any countries/cities with music scenes people should check out?

Damjan: We have played around Slovenia a lot but also through the region as well – the ex-Yugoslav countries as well as Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, … But there are still many places that we haven’t played so we definitely want to visit them as well.

For us, playing live is one of the main pleasures of being in a band and we are grateful that we are mostly playing good shows. We try to play as much as possible, but we are aware we shouldn’t push it too much and only do shows when/where it makes sense to have them.

There have been many special shows, like the time we played in Narva, Estonia, at a venue which was 50m from the Russian border; the show happened a few months after the war in Ukraine started. Or playing a small summer show for 70+ year olds in Izola, Slovenia. These are some extreme and memorable examples (laughs). But we mostly play places that are well-attended and run by good people which is usually the perfect formula for a good show.

Region-wise, I would say the most exciting young bands at the moment are coming out from Macedonia. Check out the bands that are collaborating with the collectives like Gola Planina/Mrtov Konj, Ponder, Kanal 103/5060, Partizan Print, I am probably missing a lot more… For our record release, we had a few shows with a band from Skopje called Xarakiri, that’s definitely a band you should check out.

Jelena: From the Slovenian independent music scene, I would definitely recommend a few truly interesting bands. For example, Moving as a Giant—they released their debut album last year and are absolutely amazing live. They’re fresh, with a fantastic and distinctive female vocalist in front, blending noise and heavy riffs… really fresh and exciting. I’d also highlight the quite successful band Širom, who might currently be the most internationally recognized Slovenian band. And finally, for anyone curious about a more unconventional approach to music, I warmly recommend the Slovenian musician Andrej Fon, who creates music in several different bands—my favorites being Olfamož and Svojat.

If you could play a set anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Miha: I’d love to visit South America one day and naturally as a musician find a way to also play there. Maybe on an island on Lake Titicaca. The other one would be Jam In The Van, which I guess could happen anywhere the van is, as long as we are inside the van.

Jelena: For me Japan is on the first place.
But when I think about it a bit more, my favorite setting isn’t really about the place—it’s about the people. The people who organize the show, and of course, the audience. What always amazes me the most isn’t the location or the perfect venue. Sure, it would be great to play big and exotic concerts, but… the ones that truly stay with me are those organized with heart—where you can tell that people live for it, that they care deeply about getting everything right. And when the audience is curious, engaged, and there to really experience and absorb every note coming from the stage—that’s what makes a concert unforgettable.
Those are the kinds of shows I dream of. And those are the places I consider perfect.
Who knows, maybe that’s exactly how it is in Japan. 😊

Damjan: I would love to play Goner Fest, it seems like the perfect small festival I would really enjoy. Last year, I caught a live stream of the festival on WFMU. This band from Agadez, Etran De L’Aïr, had a really killer live set that I am still listening to from time to time.

Well, that’s all she wrote (literally) for this one! We appreciate LELEE for taking the time to answer our questions, and for giving us the opportunity to begin what we hope will be a new series of International Spotlight interviews covering our favorite independent artists from around the globe!

Please take time to check out LELEE, as well as everyone else mentioned in the article, as your support is vital to keeping their operations running. Most importantly, thank you for reading Boise Underground Media, and we hope you return soon!