Fenne Lily on 『Win Win』: An Album That Wraps Loneliness and Pain in Warm Sounds

Last Updated on 2026-10-22 by a-indie

Her Commitment to the New Album 『Win Win』

Warmth Like Playing Together on a Porch

─Wakiki : Listening to 『Win Win』, I was struck by how the album embraces the warmth of acoustic instrumentation, at times evoking a country feel. I also read that much of the album was recorded live, with tape recording used for certain parts, which gave me the impression that you had a clear vision for the sound you wanted to achieve on this record. Could you tell us about the themes you had in mind while making 『Win Win』, as well as the sound and overall vision you hoped to bring to life?

Fenne Lily「Stranger Things」(Official Video)
From the 4th album 『Win Win』

Fenne : I wanted it to sound warm and wide, antithetical to the underlying theme which was a colder, lonelier feeling of loss and trying to find solid ground.
Live band tracking has been my choice for my last couple of albums, I like the energy it brings to the arrangements and the occasional mistake that takes the song in a new direction.
My direction for a lot of the recording days was ‘imagine we’re all playing on a porch together’ — I didn’t want sterility, I didn’t want emptiness, I wanted lots of threads all woven together to make something thick and lush and strong.
It’s funny to me that people pick up on a ‘country feel’, I guess that’s the banjo.
I just think it’s such an emotive instrument, it sounds light and heavy-hearted at the same time.
I guess that’s what I was going for.

Honesty, the Value She Holds Dear

─Wakiki : I love the way your quiet, almost-whispered vocals gradually grow more powerful as the emotions intensify, as though the footsteps of someone moving forward become firmer in response to the rising intensity of your voice. There is something so fluid yet assured about these moments of change. When it comes to expressing yourself through your voice, what do you consider most important?
Fenne : Honesty! I need the tone to support the lyrics, for them to be more believable because of how they’re delivered.
This record, especially, felt tied to the passage of time and of moving through stages of acceptance so the vocals needed to map that out, to move between clear feelings.
There are more confident songs, thematically, and less certain songs, and some songs that came from rage, and some that are truly just wishing for things to be different, and the way I sang each feeling had to match.
For me, at least, they do.
Recording vocals feels intense to me, it’s the most personal stage of the creative process, so I always have to be alone to feel like I’m tapped in completely.
Alone at night.

Fenne Lily「Sleeping」(Official Video)
From the 4rth album 『Win Win』

The Meaning Behind the Title 『Win Win』

─Wakiki : What does the title 『Win Win』 mean to you, and what led you to choose it for the album?
Fenne : I was on the phone with my parents trying to come up with phrases that felt like equilibrium had been reached, something that had finality and closure.
『Win Win』 felt like it had a positive spin on an ending, which is what I wanted from the album in general.
Both parties got what they wanted, both gained and lost equally and found themselves in places that made more sense for them than before.