I spoke with LP, an American rock star, on Stephen ‘Steps’ Lowe’s show The Lunchbox on Today Radio about their new album ‘Love Lines’. They were incredibly patient and kind as I nervously stumbled through my questions. Together, we discussed the track listing process, their unmistakable voice, their assertive production, and the future of their writing career.
Stephen hosts the ‘Song 2' podcast on RTL Play in which he posits the second track of any album is the most important, as it determines if the listeners continue to listen or not.
LP does not agree. They like their second song, but to them, an album should grab you and make you want to stay there from the very first song, and if doesn’t, than the music is not doing its job. They’ve been told that if at all when it comes to track listing, the fourth is actually the most important, etc., etc.. While track listing is important to them because the album should have a good flow, LP is unsure whether it is an exact science.
Their voice is endlessly powerful, but it requires a lot of maintenance. Before COVID they noticed their loud belts became more shouty and harsh while their audience had grown substantially. LP enrolled in singing lessons, which very quickly became Zoom singing lessons. They didn’t let the pandemic stop them from improving their “golf swings”, or these big jumps they often take from high to low.
Something that helps LP grab and keep an audience is the sheer boldness of their music and production balanced with their emotional honesty. LP says the key to big production without the loss of any raw emotion is “big balls”. You have to go all in and can’t chicken out. Your voice, your audacity, and your lyrics need to match the same level of production. The singer has to be as big as the music, they summarised.
They don’t feel particularly existentially threatened by AI. “What are you gonna watch?!”, they exclaim as they defend live music. People are always going to want the human element and watch a real person perform. And besides, they want to hear a robot even try and attempt what they do and do it successfully. They are fully aware of how difficult their job is and know it cannot be replicated easily.
The distinctive storytelling of their lyrics is so big that their ambition has extended past an album and they have been thinking about writing musicals in the future, although they like the brevity and conciseness of a song.
LP’s new album ‘Love Lines’ comes out everywhere on 23 September.
Listen to the interview via the players below.
Rock sensation LP shares their secrets to emotionally honest music
“I am as big, as whatever is around me...”
