SPOTLIGHT.
LVRA
Photos by Tatyana Rutherston
INTRODUCTION
Fresh from claiming The Sound of Young Scotland Award at the Scottish Album of the Year ceremony in Edinburgh this year, singer and producer Rachel Lu AKA LVRA is starting to make big waves in music.
Born in Edinburgh to Chinese parents, the 22-year-old singer released her debut EP LVCID in 2020. Channelling her love of R&B and experimental electronics, the production of Lu's 2020 debut EP LVCID seamlessly blended samples of traditional Chinese instruments with honeyed R&B vocals, earning her notable praise from fellow peers, press and music industry tastemakers. 2021 has seen the release of a slew of singles in the lead up to her second EP TWO. Introducing a much darker tone both sonically and lyrically, TWO represents a significant step forward in LVRA’s sound. She says the the new EP is characterised by harder, more angular production and visceral lyricism. Sonically and visually ambitious, TWO is is said to be LVRA’s most impressive work yet.
LVRA’s next single IN YOUR BLOOD will be released on November 18th
INTERVIEW
How did you get into music? What initially inspired you?
I've been singing and writing since I was super young, not super sure where that came from but we had a piano in the home and I used to just play random chords and sing made-up songs on it (probably because I was too lazy to actually learn anything), but I started producing around about when I was 17. At that time I was listening to a lot of electronic producers like Flume, Purity Ring and Mura Masa and I think they really inspired me to try and recreate those sounds.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your music?
Recently I've been exploring themes of identity and human nature/weakness, but very much still in the context of my own experiences. I've always been fascinated by human behaviour, and I definitely don't want to shy away from covering the darker themes associated with it. I think a lot of this, especially on 'TWO' - my latest EP' - is inspired by the pressure I feel from society to be and behave a certain way. A lot of my music is about finding personal freedom and happiness through understanding better what constrains us.
How does it feel to have won the Sound of Young Scotland Award and what will you do with the prize?
Feels absolutely incredible to have my body of work recognised by such a great and talented panel of judges. I think it's easy to feel alone a lot of the time when you're a creative, but this award has allowed me to feel a certain level of understanding and acceptance that I really needed to push on further. I am super keen to use the prize toward my next big project, especially on the visual side - I've been super keen to work with digital artists in Scotland as well as video producers to really elevate my visual content and bring the project to life.
What advice would you have for creatives of colour looking to get into music?
The biggest boundary I felt like I have as a POC is lack of confidence and belief in myself and my art, something which is only now beginning to strengthen. There are so many less role models for us, so many less people who we look at and go 'yeah' that actually could be me. I think that's a huge barrier. I have no idea why I didn't (and still don't fully) believe that my music was worthy of being listened to, but honestly reaching out for support from other POC and following/getting inspiration from those role models are out there can definitely go a long way!
What are you currently working on?
I think the next big step for me is to pull together my next big project. I have a few more single releases, but I feel super pumped and ready to explore a new body of work. This last year has been so so good for me sound-wise, and I've got a lot more confidence in the direction that I'm going. All that alongside working on the live act, which has been a blessing to be able to do these last few months, is going to keep me veeery busy!