Lauv

In less than three years, Lauv has gone from a college student at NYU to an uprising artist that has recognition around the globe. So, how does one musician go from mixing music with his friends in New York City to having almost 100 million streams of his single, “The Other” on Spotify? Simple. Lauv has created music that is not only infectious, but breaking the norm of the pop world. His fans have fallen in love with a multitalented singer who cannot be contained in one single genre. With a sold out tour, multiple festival appearances, and his single “I Like Me Better” entering the Billboard Top 200, you are going to want to keep a close eye on this musician. Blink and you might miss the journey of Lauv.

Music has always been a common thread in Lauv’s life. As a young kid, his parents put him into guitar and piano classes, giving Lauv not only the love of music, but the talents to create his own. The style of music he listened to when he was younger gave way to the music he writes today. “In high school, I was really into John Mayer and more acoustic stuff. I’m not into that stuff so much anymore, but it definitely impacted my music.” The style of music Lauv makes doesn’t sound much like John Mayer, but there is definitely a connection in the way he writes his lyrics. Love songs dominate Lauv’s music, and his sweet and meaningful lyrics really resonate with his fans. Although the traditional singer-songwriter route is not for Lauv, the music he listened to growing up has touched the way in which write he writes his lyrics.

On the topic of inspiration, Lauv expressed his love of Sound- Cloud and how he finds inspiration for his music through the music platform. “I want to make music that mixes sort of weird sounds with more classic sounds,” Lauv expressed when discussing his particular style. Remixes have been dominating SoundCloud these days, giving artists a platform to share their interpretations of classic songs. Lauv described his taste in music as “minimalistic soul trap,” a genre that has obviously had impact on his own music. Soul trap combines modern electronic beats with the sounds of soul music and rap from the nineties, creating a fusion of styles that incorporates a variety of sounds. Lauv creates beats that incorporate sounds in a catchy and simple way, not overwhelming his listeners with too much mixing. Although Lauv loves to work on the production side of music, he finds a certain satisfaction in making music that is completely his from start to finish.

38Lauv is still processing his new found popularity across the globe. “It’s totally crazy, I still don’t quite understand it. I’ll have friends send me videos of my music playing on the radio or in coffee shops, it’s insane hearing my music like that.” In only a few years, Lauv went from opening for other artists to selling out rooms on an eight city tour. “It’s insane hearing a room full of people singing every word to your songs and knowing that they are all there for you.” Lauv definitely hasn’t let this quick rise in popularity go to his head, and that is proven on his Twitter. Social media is such a crucial part in the modern day musician’s life, and Lauv really takes the time to interact with his fans through Twitter and Instagram.

There is a whole lot of love flowing in Lauv’s tweets. Not only does he take time to interact with fans, but Lauv also devotes a lot of his social media presence to staying true to who you are, and not letting the world get in the way of doing what you love to do. This lifestyle of staying true to yourself hasn’t always been easy for Lauv, and he admits that. “So many people in LA seem to be focused on individualizing and furthering themselves. Everyone here is trying to be someone big, and that can make it hard to have genuine friendships.” Los Angeles came as a big change to Lauv, as he had spent his past few years in New York City. Lauv expressed missing the inspiration in New York, being able to walk out of his apartment and have a sprawling city of art and people at his fingertips. The transition from East Coast to West Coast has been somewhat difficult for Lauv, but this challenge has further pushed him to make music that is his own and that he loves.

This quick and intense success of Lauv is only the beginning. He recently worked on the song “No Promises” with Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato. “I have known Trevor [Dahl] for years, basically since the Myspace age, and getting to work with him on a song that is doing really well right now was a really cool experience.” Lauv is sprinting to the top of the pop world, and all eyes are on him as he continues to make music. So, as we patiently await the arrival of new music from Lauv, loop the recently released “I Like Me Better” music video until YouTube cuts you off. This video will pull at all of your heart strings as you follow a simple and ageless love story throughout New York City, filled with colorful scenes that will make you want to smile forever. We can’t wait to fall even more in love with Lauv.

Written by Maddi Cole | Photography by Elliott Desai