LP talks new album, Churches, and upcoming tour

From the first word you hear LP‘s voice you will fall in love. What you see is what you get and it’s nothing short of magnificent. Their latest album, Churches, brings back all of the emotions you have secretly stored away and helps you find meaning for them. Let the record play and notice yourself drift slowly to another time and place that LP has created. We had the chance to chat with LP ahead of their huge headlining tour in the States and talk new record and life on the road. You can catch LP this Saturday April 16th at Paramount Theater Seattle.

playXear: Where am I finding you?

LP: I’m at home in LA at the moment, trying to run a thousand errands before I take off for tour again. It is nice to be here, when you come back to LA you don’t have to struggle that the weather might suck, or uncertainty. The sun is shining and everyone is happy, so it’s good to be back for a few.

playXear: How did touring go in South America?

LP: It was insane, I don’t even know where to kind of put my experience there. It’s interesting not to tour for almost 2 years and then all of the sudden to be in front of that many people. It was amazing and people seemed to really have enjoyed it.

playXear: Tell me about your latest album, how was Churches born?

LP: I’m usually always working on a record, I’m even working on one right now. It’s a constant process for me, so Churches came together all over the place. For example the song “One Last Time,” which seems to be hitting very well with people when I’m playing it live now, took a minute. I started writing it the summer of 2019 in Greece, on a break after tour, then again in December 2019 I picked it up again. Most of my songs are written in one or two days, but for this one, I had the title, but I kept going back to it. Then lockdown happened two months later, and we had to watch people say goodbye to their loved ones over facetime, everyone in shock of what’s happening, I started writing it with a lot more meaning. This is a big deal, it felt like it was something like cherishing the moment, and it’s resonating with people somehow because of that.

playXear: Your songs are so well articulated and you pull in the listener and make them feel exactly what you are feeling. Do you consciously write this way or do you go with the flow?

LP: I go with the flow, things just happen. For me one of the biggest thrills of what I do is getting better at songwriting, and I think only I individually truly know that difference. Fans can share their opinion about your songs but you can see the change. I feel like the line from my song, that was the name of my last record, Heart to Mouth, gets fast tracked in a way, and I just let it flow and I try to channel it when I’m writing. It’s this weird, indescribable thing that I really enjoy so much when it’s happening. I was in the studio last night, and the emotion seems to find me in the room, in real time at that moment. It’s like those old mac screensavers where the lines are all over the place and you have to observe it and honor it as it comes. And of course, chick, you know, they drive me nuts. My relationships have a lot to do with my mood and where I’m at. At the same time romantic love is not the only love that I’m talking about. I do think that romantic love though does show you who you really are and where you’re at in the world and how you’re evolving as a person.

playXear: Talking about songwriting, do you write songs and then think of a specific artist or do they reach out to you first?

LP: For the Cher songs, I did try to write them for her specifically. For the Rihanna song I was in a writing camp, for Celine Dion, she just took one of my songs that I was holding for my next record. I think she was really into it because she had discovered me with “Lost on You,” and liked my voice, and that song she picked had a giant modulation note that is fun to sing. It happens in many different ways, most of the times I’m not in the rooms with the artist but sometimes I am, which I prefer.

playXear: What did music mean to you growing up?

LP: My mom was an opera singer and we sang around the house a lot together. She played a lot of opera in the house, my dad is pretty tone deaf, but he liked Elvis and Johnny Cash type of music. I didn’t really get into music through them, it was more with my friends, hearing classic rock for the first time which I feel I related to. I think you can hear echoes of that in my music. I was a huge Jeff Buckley and Nirvana fan, Buckley kind of changed my life, he was very dramatic and emotional but at the same time cool. Freddy Mercury blew my mind, I remember hearing Bohemian Rhapsody at my friend’s house wondering what I was listening to. His bravado and high drama always turned me on.

Then I went through the major label system and they were trying to figure out what I sounded like, what I looked like, and tried to push me into a genre. That didn’t really happen and I think that’s why my songs now don’t have a strong hold in a specific genre. When people ask me what kind of music I play, I don’t know what to tell them. If you ask people about my music they will tell you different genres and it feels very freeing because I don’t feel bound by one thing and that’s my favorite part about creating. When I write a song I don’t think about it, I just know at this point after writing so many songs, like yeah that sounds like me. Sometimes it feels like an evolution, and others more of the same but that’s not bad either.

playXear: I think it’s to your advantage that you haven’t been put in a genre box, it gives you the freedom to do what you want.

LP: Yeah, it’s just me, my voice brings it all together. I think it does have enough landscape and difference in it. I try to not write the same song over and over again and I hope people appreciate that..

playXear: What are you looking forward to on your upcoming US tour?

LP: I just try to connect with my fans and try and see if the new record is resonating with people. I think people are excited to be seeing live music again and that artists are excited to play. There is so much going on in the world, I think people need this more than ever so looking forward to playing. Also, being surprised again here, I’m so big in other countries, I forget what I have in America. I sometimes trick myself in believing that no one knows me in America and then I get on the road and I’m like wait a second, this is great. I’m also excited because I’m playing theaters this time around and even though it’s a lot of people, it’s still small enough to feel the connection. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, I really love people and I really enjoy connecting with them through music, especially playing live.

playXear: What do you miss the most when you’re on tour?

LP: I like the road a lot, but I probably miss my friends and my dog the most.

playXear: Hobbies outside music?

LP: I love drinking wine, talking to beautiful women, and I do a lot of yoga. I also like riding my electric bike around. My life is centered around music all the time, I write a lot and try to channel that. Plus, there is only so much time in the day, to be honest with you, and I work a lot. I have figured out that I’m a workaholic so I try to do something I really enjoy so I’m lucky to have that.

Interview: Sophia Barkalakis @s.barkalakis