Despite her career spanning over a decade, you’d be forgiven for believing LP is a hot new artist on the scene as magazines rave that “she’s the new big thing to take the world by storm”. In truth, LP for the last seven years has been a mainstay in the music industry behind the scenes writing hit songs for some of the world’s most acclaimed artists. Her own solo music is a different story, however, after years of pushing and crafting her artistry – she has been stifled or continually pushed to be the vision of an outside entity.

Now in 2017, LP is out with a new album that is unapologetically her – her style, her journey, her vision. We caught up with LP to find out more about breaking through as 100% herself.

 

What’s changed for you since the release of Into the Wild back in 2012?

Back then, it was difficult to predict what was going to happen in my musical career; it was my third major record deal but it was the first time music was actually getting released as crazy as that sounds. It was hard because I had no idea what was going to happen next and as an artist, you just assume you’re just going to release a record and then be on tour and everything will just fall into place. Now, I have a more realistic vision of what’s happening with my career and my artistry.

At the time did it feel like the music you were releasing wasn’t LP or is it only in hindsight?

Back in 2012, I felt for the first time my personal styling had made it through but sadly my music didn’t and the end result was a little over produced which didn’t do anything for my current fanbase nor did it help gain a larger fan base. While I was able to get who I was out there, my music was suffering.

If you see my record now it has a landscape and story throughout, whereas in the past it’s just been a decision from the higher ups to release a record of anthems without much storytelling in between.

Your songwriting this album comes from a very personal place, are you happy to put so much out there?

I’m was going through stuff then and even until this day I’m going through my highs and lows. Throughout my writing process, I was really in a difficult space but in order to get to the positive songs I still need to play about those low moments – it’s all part of my journey to this completed record.

When you’re playing tracks about the lows, does it bring it all flooding back making it harder to perform?

Not really, when I play those songs to my fans, they aren’t only hearing my story but they can associate it with their own individual history and in many ways, we’re bonding over our shared pasts. Both the crowd and I are vibing over different experiences but they come from very much the same emotional background?

What’s it like to have someone dictate to you, what sort of artist you should be?

It can be very subtle, it’s not so much “hey, let’s put a dress on now!” which happened once and no one has said that to me in years – well I dare them to say it now! It’s more the subtle comments when people are having meetings about me as an artist but it’s strange to think of someone having a meeting about me without me there.

Does the previous record deal play on your mind?

I played them my single ‘Lost On You’ so it wasn’t like I was hoping to be dropped but they just didn’t want LP. I’d love to be a fly on the wall of that meeting but I do understand it, you’re a product sometimes and I do understand it and I feel for people in those decision making positions. It’s profit and loss and that’s the industry sometimes. As an artist, I can’t be bitter about it, if I was I’d crawl in a hole and never release music again but I appreciate what they did for me and understand the business side of music enough to look passed it. My career with them went on the chopping block for profit and loss and that’s how it goes sometimes.

It sounds like you find a healthy place in your music when times have gotten rough around you.

Of course and it mirrors my history with my own father who I had major disagreements with how he handled my family but in the end, I forgave him before he died and just had to accept that some people are one way and we just have to keep rolling
When you write for other artists who you’re detached from, does the art of songwriting convert to more into a science?

I once wrote a really sad breakup song for Leona Lewis and once I met her months later and it turns out from speaking to her that my perception of what she had gone through and was feeling differed from what she actually went through.

I think earlier on when I was writing for other people I tried to make it more into “I’m writing for this person who I only know from TV and I will write for them based only on that persona”, but I don’t do that anymore. I try to think more along the lines of what their instrument offers and where their voice tries to go.

Does negative feedback on such a personal project get to you?

No, they have no authority to scrutinise what I’ve been through or what I was feeling. If you don’t like the music, you don’t like the music and it’s really that simple. I remember a time when I’d suffer all day over Youtube comments posted from a random person who needs to spew vile shit from behind the mask of the internet; there’s no point dwelling on those thoughts because they’re viewing from one point of view.
What is your FAULT?

I’m a people pleaser and as much as I’m an individual, I’ve people pleased for years of my career up to now. It’s the thing I wish I didn’t do and now I’m working to stop doing. I’m working to change that but I also don’t want to go to the complete opposite where I’m “no, fuck you, I’m only going to do it all my way” because that puts me more off course and it could turn into a vicious cycle.

And finally, after all the people pleasing and misrepresentations is the ‘Lost On You’ album finally 100% LP?

Yes, totally. What’s beautiful about it is it’s made me feel better about where I’ve been. When I play shows now and people request even older songs, I now feel better about actually playing them. It’s been nice to experience my new listeners appreciate the old music which I really did put my all into back then for better or for worse. It’s nice to see them finally appreciated.

 

LP’s album ‘Lost On You’ is out now