Story, photos & Interview by Ericka Clevenger @erickaclevenger
Lindsey Elise French, the shape-shifting force behind Neggy Gemmy, doesnât just make musicâshe builds dimensions. The rising star in the electronic pop scene, known for her striking sense of duality, hands-on production style, and growing momentum in the live music world. She writes, records, and mixes everything herself, crafting songs that mirror her multifaceted identity. Her music blends shimmering, high-energy beats with raw, emotional depth, capturing the push and pull between vulnerability and strength. With a presence thatâs both enigmatic and magnetic, Lindsey radiates a quiet intensity that draws you in.
Her world is a handcrafted ecosystem of glitchy beauty, emotional maximalism, and pure sonic intuition that lies at the heart of her sound and her growing cult appeal. We met up in Los Angeles for a photo shoot that quickly turned into an adventureâcomplete with getting kicked out of a hotel lobby for being âtoo suspiciousâ (read: too iconic). What started as chaos ended up golden, as we relocated to a second spot that felt even more fitting for her albumâs noir-pop energy.
With her new album, She Comes From Nowhere, out June 20, Neggy Gemmy is back with her most raw, radiant, and imaginative work yet. We talked sonic rituals, haunted instruments, mysterious girls, and how to say something âstupiderâ on purposeâin the best way.
How did the name Neggy Gemmy come to life? Whatâs the story behind it?
Up until my last album, I was going by âNegative Geminiâ, and I started this project in like 2011 or something crazy. So thatâs a long time to hang on to a name that you arbitrarily picked in the first place by writing 50 words on a piece of paper and picking two of them! Some people started calling me âNeggy Gemmyâ for short, and I laughed a lot when I first heard it. It sounds like nonsense, and I like that it doesnât have any direct connotations or associations, so I just changed my name to that.
How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?
I usually say something like Oh, it’s like indie electronic. Then they say Oh, like EDM? and I say No, the opposite of that. And then they say Oh, like Foster the People? And then I pretend to be choking on something and excuse myself demurely.
Whatâs your creative process like? Where do you usually draw inspiration from?
First, I collect a lot of old samples. I have a bunch that were ripped from old sample CDs from the 90s. So I like to start by getting my hands on old weird stuff. Then I like to click through old drum samples or presets on synthesizers, or samples, until I find something I like. A song pretty much always starts that way. I make everything in my studio at home, I like to take my time. I usually just keep adding layers to a song instrumentally, and if it goes somewhere, I will add lyrics; if I think itâs not going anywhere, I will just drop it. I think I must have inspiration so Iâm always searching and collecting more music. For the last few years I’ve been collecting old exotica music, foreign film scores, jazz, and soul all from the 50s and 60s. I put it all in one playlist called âContortionist Jazz Exotica.â Anyone can find it on Spotify. That type of music has really inspired me recently. I love the grit of old recordings. And they just donât make ’em like they used to.
Itâs really cool and impressive that you write, record and mix your own music. Have you always done that?
Thank you! I started writing songs when I was a teenager but I wasnât always a solo artist. I used to be in different bands where it was a group effort to make the music but the bands would come and go. Eventually, it was just me, so I had to either give up or learn how to do everything myself. I gained a lot of independence and freedom by learning how to do all this stuff on my own but itâs been a long journey.
Any advice for someone who wants to put out their own music?
I think itâs a fascinating time to be alive and be able to make art. It’s never been easier to be independent of major labels and all that. I think being part of a community, especially when youâre just starting, is very important. Art is a conversation; it isn’t made in a vacuum. so the best art is shaped by outside influence and once you lose that your work is stale and boring. Donât just put out anything you make. Self-editing is critical; make sure itâs good!
You co-own a label called 100% Electronica with your partner, George Clanton. Howâs that going? I see the bumper stickers around town sometimes. Are you actively working with new musicians?
yah the label is going good! We consider it to be more like a skate team, it’s really casual. We donât look for anyone to be on the label, we have some cool ideas for our subsequent releases, but they donât involve the typical artist/label relationship. We’re not interested in making or breaking anyone or turning them into a star. We’re just trying to focus on our own respective musical careers, and the label is very much second to that. itâs a great way to share music we love and also make sure that our own catalogs are adequately managed.
I love that each of your albums seems to have a distinct theme. Does the music shape the concept, or does the concept come first?
 I don’t really consciously do it this way, but the music shapes the concept. I like thinking about how I heard david lynch talking once about writing Twin Peaks. he said he didnât really know what was going to happen next or how something was going to end, he just kept making it up as he went. I like believing that something can still be a cohesive and compelling story even if youâre just creating it as you go. Themes and ideas present themselves along the way. I think the subconscious gets a chance to peek through if I allow myself to work this way, and there’s everything you want down in there.
We used your momâs high school guitar as a photo prop, which I loved. Do you often write with specific instruments? What kinds of tools do you turn to when youâre writing?
Yes! I try to hold on to instruments. I think physically, they hold energy and have power. I like their history. I have my moms flamenco guitar, my flute from the fifth grade, and my first acoustic Washburn guitar from when I was like thirteen.
I enjoy incorporating bits of history into my music. But when I’m writing, I’m really just jacked into the computer listening to the same 16 bars on a loop while trying out different synths and vocal melodies. Itâs not very romantic when you get down to it. If Iâm stuck, I like to consult the KLF âmanual,â and I definitely used the âthatâs the way uh hu uh huâ trick at least once successfully on this album.
Youâve already released three amazing singles from this albumâcan you give us a little backstory on each?
Thank you! Sure, Mysterious Girl, I formed around the drum sample. It’s just very distinct and swingy, when I heard it clicking through my collection, I stopped cuz it stands out. And the drums inspired everything. 90s britpop band âSaint Etienneâ has been one of my favorite bands lately, and they sample a lot of old tunes to get these beautiful orchestral movements. I tried to achieve that kind of sound using string synths with lots of tape emulators and distortion to get that old grit. Anyway, the mysterious girl elicits this kind of catwalk, and naturally, I wrote a song that describes a beautiful girl going down the street and the type of thoughts she inspires. Polly Pocket is a song I wrote a while back but it didnât seem done so i set it aside. I would still play it at shows sometimes, and friends would say Hey, what was that one Polly Pocket song? i think itâs my friend James who finished the song. i can still hear him saying âthat song fucksâ. So, I had to finish it; I figured something about it resonates with people. Its a very personal song about just generally struggling in life as an outsider or a fuckup. I guess itâs relatable.Blue Eye See Through is the final single of the album. Itâs a trip-hop jam about my cat, if he were to turn into a bat at night and fly around. Iâve been listening to a lot of Cibo Matto lately, and The Cardigans. i can catch myself listening to someone elseâs music and admiring their confidence to say something ridiculous. I remember thinking I want to say something stupider. It’s cool lol. I never want to take anything too seriously.
What can you share about your upcoming album She Comes From Nowhere? Where did the title come from?
I’m really excited for everyone to hear it. I really tried to keep the spontaneity alive in this one and not overthink or overwork anything. Itâs a very inspired album and feels really true to me. I wasnât thinking too much about like is this random as fuck or what is this even, just trusted whatever I was doing and ignored those thoughts. The title describes me, I guess, as I am on this album as a character. I have a made up old film in my head where Iâm a mysterious woman who shows up in town one night and no one knows me and I canât speak but weird things start happening around me in like a twilight zone type way.
I love the vibe and imagery from the Album. Do you like to create characters for your albums?
Yes, each album has its own personality and version of who âNeggy Gemmyâ is. Visually and sonically I was inspired by old films and pulling old radio shows or concerts from the internet archive to sample. Gradually a theme for this one just seemed to come together and I went with it. Iâm a fan of so many different kinds of music so I canât help but want to experiment with making all different kinds of songs. But I do try to keep some constants through the album. I think thereâs a slight James Bond thing
happening. Thereâs also a lot of vibraphones.
Finally, what can fans expect in the coming monthsâany shows, releases, or surprises we should mark our calendars for?
Yes! Iâm throwing four album release parties around the US this week and next to celebrate. Iâll be djing with George and some other friends and performing a few songs from the album.
