Many have heard the unique synthesizing beats and catchy songs produced and performed by singer-songwriter Lauv. The “I Like It Better” artist broke into the music scene in 2015, and since then has amassed a loyal fan base. But for the 24-year-old, music is so much more than a catchy way to get people dancing; it’s a catharsis. Lauv has hit the top of the charts with his catalog, but he’s also broken down the stigma of hiding your problems and shadowing life’s frailties. In fact, Lauv’s latest album, “How I’m Feeling,” does the exact opposite. What the popular musician wants the world to know is exactly what is going on in his head, the good and bad, and to him, there is nothing more admirable than the strength of being vulnerable. Lauv sat down with Metro to talk about his interesting outlook on his latest album, his tour, and why being present in the moment is truly the best way to find yourself.
Lauv wants to give fans the gift of vulnerability with his music
You’ve said before that you have written beautifully tragic music since a young age. What inspires you and your writing process?
It’s actually evolved over the years. When I was 18, I put out 17 songs just about one girl, just all of the ups and downs of that relationship and trying to figure myself out and my identity through that whole experience. But all of the stuff from the new album, “How I’m Feeling,” has been super diverse. I’ve started to be inspired in different ways, not just about love and hopeless romanticism and stuff. It’s more about just really anything in my life at this moment. I have autobiographical songs, existential songs, and obviously songs about love and break-ups. But there are also songs about my dog, my favorite bars, … literally just everything from my life. It’s a really cool place to be at, very cathartic.
You utilize a lot of musical gadgets, using synth sounds and other tools. Are you excited to see what technological advancements come out in the coming years?
For sure. Production-wise, for me, I like my songs to be classic at their core, but I get bored if I don’t sonically do something kind of weird and kind of different. Whenever I do get bored, I always just look to download a bunch of random sounds and find random samples and so on and so forth. So definitely, I think if music keeps on growing, it’ll be exciting. I love utilizing all of that.
With your album “How I’m Feeling,” you are releasing the songs as they are made instead of altogether. What element does that add to the listening experience for viewers?
There are a couple of reasons as to why I did that. One of the big reasons was because [for] a lot of 2018, I was sort of mentally going downhill and I wasn’t very productive. I was supposed to be working on the album, but truthfully it just wasn’t working out. So when I started to get back into a better place mentally, I kind of realized that I didn’t want to wait until the whole album was done, or keep people waiting. I wanted to put stuff out as it was ready. So that was a big part of the reason as to why I did that. I also was putting out songs that felt like they needed to be immediate — just put them out right away and say, here they are.
Are there any songs that stick out to you from your new album?
Totally. I think, for me, an important one is “Drugs & the Internet,” because that song is so different for me. It came out of a really weird time in my life, so that song I think marks a big kind of shift for me as an artist.
You already have some great collaborations in your collection, but are you itching to collaborate with anyone else in the future?
I think the big one I’m dying to do is Coldplay. Working with Chris Martin would be incredible.
Now, jumping to your tour, what do you like the most about getting to perform your music live in front of audiences?
That’s a hard question, but I think one of the biggest things, for me, are the unexpected moments that happen every night. When I totally get lost in the moment, things happen or I learn something new about myself or about a song or even about my fans. I could have a certain interaction with someone in the audience that just is a human experience. I think that’s the best part: when everyone is totally lost in the moment. It’s a rare thing to do. People spend so much time in their own heads, it can be hard to connect like that. I think when the show is happening, people are really all there together.
Would you say every show is different, even energy-wise?
For sure. It’s kind of hard to pin down exactly how it works, but every night is different. Some nights are drastically different. I think it has to do with my energy, the energy of the people there and just kind of what random things happen. So that’s a really fun aspect.
What do you hope audiences take away from attending one of your shows?
I think the big thing for me has to do with this project that I’ve started while touring the past few years called “My Blue Thoughts.” It’s actually evolving right now, so it’s going to expand. But basically, I leave a box out and I encourage people to write whatever is on their mind or whatever thoughts they have in a way that’s cathartic for them. Music has allowed me to really have this big catharsis about what I’m feeling and I wanted to give everybody in the audience an opportunity to do the same thing and have a chance to learn about themselves or to maybe realize something about themselves and to be vulnerable. That’s the biggest thing for me, to get people to be vulnerable.
Find out when Lauv will be touring in a city near you at lauvsongs.com
