LAUV

Lauv Rediscovers His Inner Child Through New Album 'All 4 Nothing'

Written by Tiffany Hue

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A maestro of melancholy, multiplatinum singer-songwriter Lauv climbed up the ranks of music from humble beginnings. At the start of his career, he found himself producing his first album I met you when i was 18. during his undergraduate years at New York University, where he was known more commonly as Ari Leff rather than his Latvian-inspired alias. Half a decade later, he is one of the most beloved pop artists of the younger generation. META sat down with the artist to discuss the inspiration behind his newest album, All 4 Nothing. While his existing discography is voracious proof to excite us for his new venture, the sneak peeks we heard are surely songs that will make you get up on your feet and dance, songs that will make you want to roll your windows down on cool summer nights, and songs you’ll want to share with your friends in the comfort of your own bed. 

“I wanted to find the fun in making music again,” the artist shares of the inspiration behind his album. With his unforgettable falsetto, Lauv’s artistry is the definition of range. An homage to reuniting with his inner child, All 4 Nothing encapsulates the feeling of rejoicing with adulthood under the carefree personality of our youth.

While his music often touches on hyper-emotional aspects of life, this album deviates from the conventional exploration of emotion through a different lens. “I was just in my mid-to-late-20s realizing I had this big dream in my life, and I reached a certain level but felt very empty on the inside,” he shares while cradling his two dogs, Harry and Billy. “I was on a journey to find my inner light again after feeling very out of touch with my true self.”

As described by the artist himself, All 4 Nothing is a yin-yang balance of healing and festivities. For better or for worse, he combined the two sides of light and darkness during this period of his life to generate a creative dichotomy that reflects the full scope of his perspective on life. “I put all of myself into this one, and it’s not the same polished pop record, but it was still very gratifying,” Lauv shares of his songwriting process. “Once it was all out, there was nothing to hide.” The beauty of art––particularly music––is the outlet it provides for our raw emotions, and Lauv’s music is a virtuous example of this.

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The album came to life under the semblance of spirituality throughout all the tracks, whether they were upbeat funk or slow ballads. “I had a lot of existential questioning during the process, and I just needed to find the peace, confidence, and gratitude inside of me.” As a creator from the heart, Lauv never fails to uphold values of mental health through his work, and this album is certainly of the same standard.

His artistry, however, transcends more than just audio. While Lauv’s debut album I met you when I was 18. was visually washed in deep blue, his sophomore album ~how i’m feeling~ included a rainbow mass of colors to represent the many different feelings that went into producing the album. We asked Lauv what color would encapsulate All 4 Nothing in its entirety, and his answer was deadpan: poop brown. The color of every single existing color combined into one, poop brown is a mixture of everything. But to Lauv, it is not the color that matters but the idea behind it; the amalgamation of so many different textures and emotions that come together to create an indescribable color, something unassuming on the outside but something that still represents the ever-changing idea of creation. And despite the unsettling color that may come on the outside, there is still much to marvel at.