Following the release of 2AP’s ‘Sweet Harmony’, LOCK caught up with Lenka K. to explore the deeply personal journey behind her songwriting, her evolving confidence as a vocalist, and the creative chemistry that comes from sharing a project with Jarek H. From overcoming the belief that songwriting was a privilege reserved for others to finding beauty in the quiet beneath the noise of her own mind, Lenka opens up about vulnerability, artistic identity, and the emotional connection at the heart of 2AP’s music.
1. Your songs seem to begin from a very personal and emotional place. Has songwriting always felt like a natural form of self-expression for you, or did you have to learn to give yourself permission to be vulnerable through music?
Even when I was 42, I was deeply convinced that writing songs was a privilege reserved for completely different people, not for me. I thought it required a special kind of genius, so I saw myself strictly as an interpreter. It was actually Jarek who pushed me to write my very first song a few years ago. Thanks to him, I allowed myself to let my emotions and imagination run free and give them the shape of a song. But that sense of vulnerability never really goes away—with every new song, it’s still a very fragile process, and I certainly can’t say I’ve gotten used to it.
2. As a woman in music, how has your understanding of your own voice changed over the years? Are you more confident now in trusting your instincts as a vocalist and songwriter?
When I sing, I’ve always focused on two fundamental things: pitch accuracy and the true emotion behind the song. If I’m genuinely feeling that emotion, it naturally imprints itself onto my voice. Jarek actually realized this even before I did—I vividly remember when we were recording our debut album, he intentionally tried to make me angry in the studio just to get the right vocal color for our song Two Alien Planets! I’m learning to work with that emotional connection much more consciously now, though it’s a very gradual, slow process for me.
3. 2AP is built around two very different voices, your soprano and Jarek’s baritone. How do you protect your own artistic identity within such a close creative partnership, and how does that difference between you influence the songs?
The contrast between us doesn’t just influence our music—it’s the very source of it. There is so much friction between our two worlds, and that friction constantly provokes us to turn it into songs. I don’t really feel the need to defend any separate “artistic identity” within our duo; I’d say my female soul simply weaves its way into our shared work. That’s what makes it so exciting for me—though I probably shouldn’t speak for both of us, because Jarek almost certainly sees it differently!
4. There is something particularly intimate about your new release Sweet Harmony, especially its idea of finding beauty underneath the noise in your own mind. Was there a specific moment or experience that made you want to write about that?
Yes, it was a beautiful afternoon at the beginning of summer. The wind was blowing, I was walking up a hill, listening to a new guitar riff from Jarek in my headphones. It was one of those rare moments where you catch a glimpse behind the curtain of your own thoughts and burning emotions. Instead of fighting them, you just let them float away—and for a brief moment, you feel the deep harmony of the present and a quiet gratitude to the Universe, or God, in every single detail.
5. Women in music are still often expected to fit particular ideas of what a female artist should look or sound like. Have you ever felt pressure to conform to an expectation, and if so, how have you learned to resist it?
Maybe I’m just lucky, maybe I have a tolerant partner, or maybe it’s a mix of my age, a healthy dose of self-confidence—or resignation! Plus, we don’t live under a heavy media spotlight, so I don’t really feel any major pressure. When I need to go on stage, I simply pick something nicer from my wardrobe, apply some lipstick, eyeliner, and blush—which I don’t normally wear—and turn myself into a singer. That’s about it. And as for my voice? I have no intention of drinking my way into sounding like a gravelly rocker, so both I and everyone around me just have to accept my sweet soprano.
6. When you look at where you are now with 2AP compared with when you first started making music, what has changed most about the woman and artist you are becoming?
In the beginning, it was all about finding the courage to turn raw emotions into an actual song. Then came the cautious phase of testing whether a song like that could mean something to anyone other than just the two of us who created it. Today, I’ve built some experience and trust in that process. Seeing and hearing from our listeners that our music resonates with their own emotions, relationships, and life experiences gives me a true sense of purpose. If our songs can touch people like that, then making music makes complete sense to me.