Lava La Rue

Last updated

Lava La Rue
Birth nameAiwa Laurél
BornMay 21, 1998 (25 years old)
Northwick Park Hospital, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, visual artist, director
Years active2018–present
Labels Marathon Artists, Dirty Hit
Website lavalarueofficial.com

Aiwa or Ava Laurel, better known by their [lower-alpha 1] stage name Lava La Rue, is a British-Jamaican musician and director from West London. [2] [3] They are the founder and creative director of NiNE8 collective. [3]

Contents

Early life

Laurel was born in Northwick Park Hospital UK, to a teenage Latvian migrant father and working class Black British mother who met through London's Free Party / Rave scene in the late 90s. Laurel's grandparents on their mother's side directly came from the Windrush Generation whereas Laurel's grandparents on their father's side grew up in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic which led to Laurel's father migrating to London as a teenager to escape the aftermath of the Latvian SSR fall with hopes to lead a more Hedonistic lifestyle in the UK. [4]

Laurel's parents relationship was brief, their father was never interested in getting a regular job to become a full time father - leaving Laurel's mother to look after their child as a single parent. As a result, Laurel was raised partly by their Jamaican grandmother and grew up around St Raphael's Estate, Kensal Rise and Ladbroke Grove in West London. Lava quotes that being raised by their grandmother gave them the "Experience of being raised around 1st generation Caribbean Culture" [5]

Laurel was always playing in bands growing up, and at age 13 they decided they wanted to be in an all-girl version of The Clash joining a Post-Punk tween trio called "The West Borns" who played local street fair gigs outside the Tabernacle, Notting Hill and on Golborne Road [3] They entered foster care at the age of 14 whilst attending Queens Park Community School. [5]

Laurel started creating music at the age of 16 while being in and out of foster care, sharing their songs online and with friends at Richmond upon Thames College. [6] At college, Laurel befriended Mac Wetha, Biig Piig and other future collaborators—who not only helped shape the music Laurel was making themself—but also led to the formation of NiNE8, the London collective made up of musicians, artists, rappers and other creatives. [6]

At age 19, Laurel was invited to Japan by a modelling agency, and decided to stay there until they ran out of money, DJing at local fashion parties and befriending members of the Tokyo underground music scene. They lived in the Shibuya district of Tokyo and at one point crashed in a spare apartment of Toshimi Ichiki, the head booker of Zucca Models Tokyo from summer till late 2017. [7]

Career

On 22 May 2018, Lava La Rue released their first single, "Widdit", made whilst they lived in Tokyo with producer friend Disk Nagataki and Japanese collective, Tokyo Vitamin. [2] [8] The song quickly garnered online support and millions of streams, establishing La Rue as an independent artist within the alternative U.K. music scene. [2] On 24 June 2018, La Rue released their first EP, Letra. [6]

On 18 September 2019, Lava La Rue released a mixtape titled, Stitches. [9]

In 2020, Lava La Rue announced the release of their third official solo project, Butter-Fly, written in collaboration with Deb Never and Clairo and features production credits from Isom Innis of Foster the People and Vegyn. [2] [10] On 19 February 2021, La Rue released Butter-Fly via Marathon Artists. [11]

On 4 April 2022, Wet Leg released "Ur Mum", accompanied by a music video directed by Lava La Rue, using their alias Lavaland. [12] La Rue stated that they directed the video while finishing their own EP, Hi-Fidelity, and that the video was made after being invited to spend time on the Isle of Wight with Wet Leg and their eponymous llama, [13] La Rue's stay with the band reminded them of a British version of Napoleon Dynamite which inspired the music video. [14] La Rue went on to creatively direct the bands TV performance of Chaise Lounge at the Brit Awards 2023 further referencing British Isle culture by assembling a team of female morris dancers to accompany the performance. [15]

On 31 May 2022, Lava La Rue released the single "Hi-Fidelity", featuring friend and fellow collaborator, Biig Piig. On 29 July 2022, La Rue released Hi-Fidelity, completing their two-EP deal with Marathon Artists. [16] At the end of 2022, Lava La Rue announced they signed to Dirty Hit. [16] In April 2023, Lava La Rue made their debut Coachella performance. [17] On 2 May 2023, La Rue released "Renegade", their first single via Dirty Hit. [18]

Personal life

Laurel is a non-binary artist who uses they/them pronouns. They identify as a queer-lesbian. [19] Laurel currently resides in West London. [20]

Stage name

Lava La Rue is an anagram of the phonetic English spelling of their commonly known name, Ava Laurel. [2]

Discography

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

Notes

  1. ↑ Lava La Rue is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Festival</span> British music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight in Newport, England

The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mae Shi</span> American experimental punk band

The Mae Shi is an American art punk and experimental pop band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. They are known for making frantic and joyous music that explores dark themes using a wide variety of sounds, instruments, and music genres. Their music has been described as "spazz rock," "avant-pop," "surprise music," "hyper-prog," and "punk with a bubblegum soul." They are closely associated with The Smell, an all-ages, volunteer-run venue in Los Angeles. Their third album, HLLLYH, was released to critical acclaim, with Pitchfork naming it the eighteenth best album of 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon/Silicon</span> Rock music duo

Carbon/Silicon is a rock music duo consisting of Mick Jones and Tony James. The band formed around 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond upon Thames College</span> Public further education college in Twickenham, Greater London, England

Richmond upon Thames College is a large college of further and higher education located on a single site in Twickenham. It provides education and training to 16- to 18-year-olds and adults from across the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and further afield. The college offers a range of academic and technical vocational qualifications, including A Levels, technical vocational qualifications, higher education courses and apprenticeships. Since 2023, the college is part of a newly merged group with Harrow College and Uxbridge College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Halo</span> American electronic musician

Laurel Anne Chartow, known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Los Angeles, California. She released her debut album Quarantine on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it was named album of the year by The Wire.

Andrew Foster is a musician active from 2007 living on the South Coast of England. He is a sponsored artist by Adam Black Guitars and has been mentioned in Acoustic Magazine and interviewed on BBC Radio Solent.

Tomi Adenlé, better known as Tazer is a DJ, record producer and remixer from Oxford, England.

Kevin Smith, known professionally as Kojaque, is an Irish rapper and record producer from Cabra, Dublin. He is also a visual artist and filmmaker.

Jessica Smyth, known by the stage name Biig Piig is an Irish singer and rapper based in West London. She performs in English and Spanish and is signed to Sony Music Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wet Leg</span> British indie rock duo

Wet Leg are a British indie rock group from the Isle of Wight, founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They debuted with the single "Chaise Longue" in 2021. Their self-titled debut album debuted in 2022 at number one on the UK Albums Chart, Australia's ARIA Albums Chart and the Irish Albums Chart. The album was shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Wet Leg won Best Alternative Music Album for their debut and Best Alternative Music Performance for "Chaise Longue", and were nominated for Best New Artist. They also won Best New Artist and Best British Group at the 2023 Brit Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhian Teasdale</span> English musician

Rhian Louise Teasdale is a musician from Formby, England. While best known for being one of the members of Wet Leg, she released several songs before that under the name Rhain. She was associated with the music scene in Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaise Longue (song)</span> 2021 single by Wet Leg

"Chaise Longue" is the debut single by English rock duo Wet Leg, released through Domino Recording Company on 15 June 2021 as the lead single from their eponymous debut album (2022). The song went viral in 2021, having had millions of streams and video views, and it won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flo (group)</span> British girl group

Flo are a British girl group from London, consisting of members Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma, and Renée Downer. They formed in 2019 and signed with Island Records. The group gained popularity on social media with their debut single "Cardboard Box". They released their debut EP, The Lead, in 2022. They topped the BBC's Sound of 2023 poll and won the 2023 Brit Award for Rising Star.

<i>Bubblegum</i> (mixtape) 2023 mixtape by Biig Piig

Bubblegum is the debut mixtape by Irish artist Biig Piig, released on 20 January 2023 through RCA.

<i>The Sky Is Bleeding</i> Fourth EP by Irish artist Biig Piig, released 2021

The Sky Is Bleeding is the fourth extended play by Irish artist Biig Piig, released on 21 May 2021 through Sony.

Loud LDN is a British collective of female and gender-expansive artists based in London. Formed in May 2022 by Coupdekat and Maisi as a WhatsApp group chat called Ladies Making Noise in London, the chat expanded into its own Instagram page and eventually into its own events before moving to Discord. Piri, Caity Baser, Venbee, Issey Cross, FranQi, Charlotte Plank, Willow Kayne, Bshp, Charlotte Haining, A Little Sound, Parthenope, Ellie Dixon, Georgia Twinn, Nonô, Molly Burman, Matilda Cole, Lucy Tun, Nieve Ella, Hannah Grae, Spider, and Nxdia have all spent time in the collective, and its members regularly enter the UK Singles Chart; one chart featured five entries from Loud LDN members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Villiers</span> Musical artist

Thomas George Villiers is an English musician. While best known for his work with Piri and as part of Piri & Tommy and Porij, he is also noted as a solo musician and remixer in his own right.

"Ur Mum" is a 2022 single by Wet Leg. Released on 4 April 2022 as the last single from their debut album Wet Leg, the song is a diatribe directed at an ex-boyfriend and his mother, and received positive critical reception, particularly for its lyrical content and for its eleven-second scream and countdown to. It charted at No. 46 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, and was rated by Consequence as the 50th best song of 2022. It has also been performed several times in concerts.

Katherine Reilly, known professionally as Coupdekat, is an English musician. She is best known for cofounding Loud LDN with Maisi, but has also released two EPs and has supported Piri & Tommy on their Froge.tour.

Gio, known professionally as p-rallel, is a British electronic music producer and DJ. A member of musical collective Elevation/Meditation, he has worked with such artists as Slowthai and Playboi Carti.

References

  1. ↑ Francombe, Amy (27 July 2019). "The Floor is Lava La Rue's". The London Evening Standard . Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lava La Rue". nine8collective. 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "About Lava La Rue". Forbes . Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Lava La Rue, Director, Forever Films, Co-Director (2018). West Born.
  5. 1 2 Joshi, Tara (27 July 2019). "One to watch: Lava La Rue". The Guardian . Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Bulut, Selim (29 June 2018). "Meet Lava La Rue, the west London rapper doing things DIY-or-die". Dazed . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Mounteney, Anna (2023). "The Cosmic Return of Lava La Rue". New Wave Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Kenneally, Cerys (22 May 2018). "West London's Lava La Rue finds nostalgic rap vibe on new track "Widdit"". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  9. 1 2 Hawthorne, Sade (19 September 2019). "Lava La Rue – Stitches". Clash Music. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Neophytou, Nadia (19 February 2021). "Lava La Rue Welcomes You to Lava-town on Butter-Fly EP". American Songwriter. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Krol, Charlotte (22 February 2021). "Lava La Rue – 'Butter-Fly' EP review: woozy loved-up psych-rap". NME . Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Cheeky! Wet Leg's upcoming Ur Mum video sneaks in Isle of Wight in-joke: Can you spot it?". Onthewight.com. April 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Williams, Kyann-Sian (31 May 2022). "Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Lava La Rue". NME. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "UR MUM video revealed along with llama adoption ahead of Wet Leg debut album". Isle of Wight County Press. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Wet Leg win Group of the Year and another BRIT Award". Isle of Wight County Press. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  16. 1 2 Daw, Stephen (27 December 2022). "Lava La Rue's Big Year: How the U.K. Indie Upstart Rendered Their Artistic Vision in 'Hi-Fidelity'". Billboard . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Callwood, Brett (15 April 2023). "LAVA LA RUE ERUPTS AT COACHELLA". LAWeekly . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  18. ↑ Phillips, Lucy (3 May 2023). "Lava La Rue Has Dropped A New Single, 'Renegade'". Dork . Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  19. ↑ Wallace, Megan (29 April 2022). "Lava La Rue talks latest single, queer gatekeeping and representing lesbians of colour". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Pilley, Max (3 May 2023). "Lava La Rue Returns With New Single 'Renegade'". DIY Magazine. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.