LENNIKIM: RUNNING ON ADRENALINE

WORDS RACHEL EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX BLACK

Apparently you're supposed to do something that scares you every day. I tell myself that drinking the London tap water counts but I have a feeling that's not what they mean. When I catch wind of French Canadian musician Lennikim's new EP titled Adrenaline, I wonder if he's doing a better job at it.

Written over the last four years, the six track collection encapsulates the artist's rebirth. Having grown up as a child star, his career started at the age of eight, at an age when most of us were racing snails in our back gardens. By the time he was thirteen he had signed with Warner France and was touring the world. However, it was only after breaking free from record labels and the expectations that come with fame at a young age that Lennikim found his true voice and gained the courage to live authentically.

Adrenaline packs in a lot of vulnerability and honesty, including the artist's journey to publicly coming out as queer. Speaking about his performance at Montreal Pride last year, he says "A younger, closeted me would have never believed it... But that moment was pure liberation." It's obvious that the EP is a celebration of the artist's new found freedom. From the gritty, bite-back energy of the title track and Bad News to the tender, reflective notes of Scars and Homesick, it’s a project that refuses to be pinned down.

With millions of views on YouTube and close to 100 million streams across DSPs, Lennikim is just getting started. Adrenaline is not just extremely catchy, it's his declaration of independence - a bold, unapologetic statement that he's here, he's loud, and he's ready to run the game on his own terms. It turns out that having the bravery to do something that scares you, fuelled by a bit of adrenaline, might just turn your life around.

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