Interview! LP’s powerful and warm sound in São Paulo
The singer LP: today is navigating in a rare space for artists. with a growing and passionate audience, this is not true mainstream:, though it has more than 3 billion streams of its music. His position has the advantage of the comfort of international recognition, but he still has the space to do what he wants and challenge himself without more pressure.
Many years after achieving this recognition, LP, which is the nickname and stage name Laura Pergolizzi, is a unique artist. Androgynous, his music blends pop, rock and folk with a parade of powerful and powerful songs.
Many musicians’ trajectories encounter obstacles to success, but LP had an extra element. The androgyny of the name and sexuality that make her an LGBTQIAP+ icon today made it difficult for record labels to “classify” her at the time. Today, it is one of the most positive elements of the fluidity it represents. LP: headlined Lollapalooza in 2022 and is back in Brazil for a Latin American tour. By the way, one detail, it is useless to call her “Laura”, because even she doesn’t recognize herself by her name anymore. “Laura left the building. Laura is no longer here,” he joked in his exclusive interview CLAUDIA:.
LP emerged in the early 2000s with music that translates strength and vulnerability, but before he could record his own material, he had written for others such as: Christina Aguilera, Sher, Rihanna It is back
the churches The LP is the sixth album and the starting point for the current tour. Brings another round of melodious songs and heartfelt lyrics. It’s a good chance for the singer to extend herself, since her show at Lolapalooza was cut short. The show in Sao Paulo is the only one in the country and the first in South America (the Rio show was canceled due to scheduling issues). After a quick rest at the hotel, LP spoke to Claudia on the phone, excited about the chance to sing for a Brazilian audience again.
CLAUDIA: Have you had time to rest? Arrived today and already the schedule is tight.
LP: I’m getting there (lol). I got a little cold before I left the US so I’m just taking care of myself.
CLAUDIA: I was at your performance at Lolapalooza last year and it was incredible, the audience was so excited for you. What’s it like to come back a year later, no longer an epidemic?
LP: It was really cool [o show do Lolla], I tried to keep my expectations for the best. You know, I’ve done a lot of shows, big, small, and I just know that I try to deal with whatever is in front of me, do what I can for the people out there. But I’m excited about my own show. I like the festivals and all, but they’re smaller, right? You seem to have a specific time, but at least now people are allowed to like more.
CLAUDIA: Main question, how did your nickname come about? Doesn’t anyone call you “Laura” anymore?
LP: No Laura left the building. (laughs) Laura’s not here anymore. But yes, I can tell you the story. I was working at a restaurant and there was another Laura. Then they apologized and asked me if I could be ‘LP’ (her first and last initials) or ‘Laura 2’ and I thought ‘Laura 2’ was kind of boring and I ‘seconded’ I didn’t (laughing), so I came across “LP”. My friend called me that when I was a kid. I liked it so much that I accepted it. It was like any nickname that defines you, and it kind of stuck out. And I think it’s too early for that, but it kind of became a stage name in itself like the United Nations [um nome sem definir gêneros]. I just remember it being true. Which is interesting because I felt like my identity was coming online too, you know? My sexuality and everything. And so I feel like the name kind of stuck with it and it just feels like a new beginning. And I felt like I was finding myself somehow.
CLAUDIA: And the initials form a neutral name…
LP: That’s right: And I also think a lot of people like to initialize it. The name thing is interesting, and I always say that your parents don’t really know you before you’re born, but they name you. It can be hit or miss. Maybe that’s true, maybe not. (laughter)
CLAUDIA: And the song’s initials are an indirect pun (that’s how LP referred to Long Plays)…
LP: (laughs) But I come from the time when the association existed.
CLAUDIA: You grew up listening to a lot of classical music and classic rock, right?
LP: Yes, yes, right.
V:LAUDIA: Which classic rock, which classic rock bands influence you the most?
LP: Led Zeppelin it was my first. after queen, The Beatles… a lot! I just had a lot of classic stuff and then, you know? Then I started to like things that are more relevant to me, for example Nirvana It is Jeff Buckley. Among women, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell It is chaka khan. A little bit of everything. There’s a small part of me that likes current pop music, but mostly the 90s stuff influenced me when I was really growing up musically after the classics.
CLAUDIA: If you had to do a new cover, would there be any in particular that you would consider?
LP: Yes, as I did Hello! (Beyoncé’s cover LP was all over the internet). I don’t think much about it at the moment, because I’m focused on my material, I’m kind of in my own space, songwriting is the most important thing for me.
CLAUDIA: What was it like writing for other artists?
LP: It was difficult. I had just gone through two rounds of writing for myself as an artist, then started writing for others. Uh.[pensativa]
CLAUDIA: There’s a story behind it lost on you?
LP: I wrote it in 2014 and had no idea it would be such a hit. I was at Warner Brothers, my label, and my career had kind of stalled, a lot of people were getting laid off, and I didn’t really know what to do, you know? My relationship was crashing and burning, I could feel it, but it wasn’t like it was all on the surface. So I played it for the record company, a new group of people who were going to judge whether or not to keep me. I touched lost on you It is Turbid watersbut after almost a year and a half I was fired.
CLAUDIA: And then?
LP: Several other, smaller labels in Europe licensed the song and it took off. It was very unexpected. From then on it took off all over the world, other singles did well too and it all worked out.
CLAUDIA: Are love songs still more personal or have they become more technical?
LP: Still very personal. I wrote a new album [Churches] which is very, very personal as it relates to all my love affairs. [Pausa] or a specific one [Risos]. That! And some old stuff, some new stuff. So yeah, I mean it’s always really deep. As public as my relationship is, it is much more than meets the eye. I just write about what’s going on in my life.
CLAUDIA: And after South America, what is the destination?
LP: Here’s the Australian leg of the tour, some festivals, then new records. Much bigger things are coming in 2023.
CLAUDIA: Based on your experience in Brazil last year, what are your expectations for the public this year?
LP: I’m really, really excited and feeling good about the new material. I think they will like it. I will always do my best. We always have a show with something spontaneous. It’s always the best.
