As a kid, Molly Lewis was obsessed with learning to whistle. “I just really needed to make a sound with my mouth,” she says, at ease on a sofa at home in LA one Tuesday morning. “It was a fun thing for me, and I was good at it.” So good at it, in fact, that it’s become her full-time gig. Since 2016, Lewis has worked with musicians as diverse as Mark Ronson, Dr. Dre and Kirin J Callinan, and released two EPs of her own. “I still pinch myself,” she says.

Elle Hunt: What makes a good whistler?

Molly Lewis: People often ask me for whistle lessons, but I don’t really know how to teach it. It’s just about trying to form your mouth in many different ways. It’s not one size fits all—you need to play around. I definitely have a talent for it, but I honed the skill over many years.

EH: Is there any crossover between being a good whistler and a good singer?

ML: I was never a good singer, but so much is about breath technique. The best whistlers can whistle while breathing in and out, so you don’t have to stop to breathe—you can kind of go forever.

EH: What kind of work do you get?

ML: I moved to LA to study film. A friend in the art world asked me to perform at an opening, and I did a classical piece, then I met musicians who were interested in using whistling in some way. Every time I performed, something would lead out of it. It’s slowly built into putting a band together, and a lounge show, and to making records and touring shows around the world. It’s taken over my life, in a wonderful way.

EH: What is the strangest gig you’ve ever had?

ML: The director Alejandro Iñárritu had me overdub the whistling in his film Bardo. It’s a recurring theme and he didn’t think the actors were doing it well enough. He was directing me: “[The character] can’t quite remember the tune, so do it a little unsure. And she’s 80 years old.” I don’t think it ended up in the movie, but it was a hilarious day.

EH: What makes a good song to whistle?

ML: Opera is always great because it has these amazing leaps and dynamics. Old ballads are also good for that: You can really show off your range. 

EH: How do you protect your instrument?

ML: I love lip balm, of all types. I have a huge range of Chapsticks. That’s probably the only thing that a whistler can rely on. I definitely don’t drink before a show. It’s not good for your lip control. But as long as I can breathe, I can whistle. I heard of a whistler who wouldn’t kiss his wife two weeks before a competition because he didn’t want to bruise his lips. But that sounds like there was something else going on.

EH: Who would be your dream collaborator?

ML: I’d love to get into movie scores and collaborate with Tarantino, or else work with Abba. A whistle disco song—that would be success!