Q&A: LØLØ talks touring, TikTok, and Taylor Swift

LØLØ, a burgeoning star in the indie pop-punk scene, sat down to talk with WRBB’s Lexi Anderson about touring, inspiration, TikTok, and Taylor Swift. Read the full conversation below.

Lexi Anderson: How have you found touring? Do you have a favorite city that you’ve visited?

LØLØ: Touring has been awesome. I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first tour ever, but yeah, it’s just been amazing. I’m really happy because I was scared that I wouldn’t like it, but I love it. Favorite city is hard because we don’t get to spend that much time in each place, but I really loved Seattle, I loved being there. And then Denver and Salt Lake City I think are some favorites, the shows were amazing, and the audiences were amazing.

Doing some research on you, you have a really big following on TikTok, particularly surrounding your rewrites of popular songs. How do you think being on TikTok has affected your career, as well as your overall sound?

Totally. Well, for one, it made a lot more people know about me when I did those perspective covers, so that was awesome because I feel like I was able to not just do covers that were boring, but I actually got to show my writing side and those skills. I feel like that led people to my page, and then from there, led people to my actual music. So for me, that was awesome, and TikTok has just helped me get more well known amongst people and has just gotten my name out there. I need to post on TikTok more, I was really good last summer, and I just got busy, but it definitely helped so much.

Billboard compared you to “pop punk legends like Avril Lavigne and Paramore.” Do you identify with this? Who are your inspirations?

Yes, I definitely identify with that. When I was younger, I used to practice to Avril Lavigne CDs all the time so that was a sick comparison. She’s one of my idols. Same with Hayley from Paramore. On tour every night, I actually go on with New Found Glory and sing her part in one of their songs which is so sick – I really hope I do her justice. But yeah, those totally identify with me. When I saw that article, I definitely cried of happiness. Those two plus Green Day, I would say, were the main ones that I looked up to as a kid.

You’ve been really open about how your own feelings and life experiences have influenced your music. What’s your process for channeling your emotions into what you create?

Well I think for me, I didn’t used to be so open. I used to keep a diary as a kid, and I would always let out my feelings because it would just make me feel better. So, I would write down everything that happened. When I actually first started playing guitar, and my guitar teacher suggested that I write songs, I was like, “no chance in hell I’m doing that,” because I was a very private person, and I was like people reading my diary? Fuck no. But he kind of forced me to write a song, which I’m super grateful for now because I’m obsessed with it. But in the end, I guess I was always used to letting out my feelings. So in terms of songwriting, I guess for me it’s just letting out my feelings and writing a bunch of shit, like how I’m feeling. From there, I usually just turn it into lyrics. I’m like okay, that’s a cool word. Like that would be a cool song title. But for me, it’s definitely songs and lyrics first, and a lot of songwriters I think write the melodies first but I’m a lyric person. So yeah, I think it all stems from as a kid just writing everything down.

In addition to Instagram, TikTok and your music streaming platforms, you also have listed in your bio that you have a Depop and a Discord. How do you connect with listeners and fans outside of just music?

Yeah, I love the Discord and love the Depop. I think it’s really cool and important, especially these days where we have so many apps and different ways to talk to people. I honestly hate calling my fans that. Like I feel like they’re my friends. I love chatting with them and I DM them. You know, I think the Depop thing is super cool because I think it’s sick not just to like music, but I’m also really passionate about style. And that feels like a really cool way to mix mediums. And with Discord, we just talk about hilarious things, and it’s just really random. But I think it’s cool because back in the day, people weren’t able to connect to their fans like this. And now, I could just DM one of my fans and just talk to them. After we’re heading to the next city, someone messages me, “Oh, I loved you.” And I’m able to have a conversation with them. So, I feel like that’s really, really special.

You have an album coming out soon, what are your feelings leading up to the release?

I’m super excited. This is definitely my favorite body of work I’ve ever created. I just love every one of the songs. I’ve been maybe ready for a while; I’ve just been waiting for them to be released. I’m just really, really excited that people will get to hear them and they’re not just going to live on a private SoundCloud playlist anymore. But yeah, I just hope everyone likes it, I’m really obsessed with it. I think it will be good, I hope.

What can listeners expect from Overkill?

They can expect a lot of overkill! A lot of you know, crazy lyrics and a bit of psycho-ness. But just the perfect amount of specialness, I think. Just fun, fun songs about everyday things. I don’t even know how to explain it. ‘Unhinged,’ I’ve called my lyrics before and my songs. I feel like they’re hype and unhinged, so they can expect that.

You’ve amassed over half a million monthly listeners on Spotify, and you’ve been mentioned in major music magazines. What was that journey like? How does it feel to be gaining this type of recognition?

It’s definitely been a journey. I mean for me, I just started out in the music industry. I really had no idea what I was doing, I wasn’t signed to a label, I didn’t have any connections in the industry. I was just kind of like, well here we go. I just started putting music out and it’s been really sick. I feel lucky that people have liked it, and it just kept building and growing. I just hope for it to keep building and keep growing. I don’t really know what I’m doing, I’m just hoping for the best. So yeah, it’s been a journey.

If you could collaborate with any current musician, who would it be and why?

Well, my dream has always been to sing the hook on an Eminem song. That would be a dream collaboration. A dream writing collaboration, I would say Taylor Swift, because she’s the best songwriter of our time. I would just love to see how she writes and pick her brain. I think it would be great.

Besides the rest of your tour, and the album release, is there anything on the horizon that listeners can look out for?

Yeah, we have the tour, and we have the EP release, and then yeah, they can look out for more music after that. I’m already planning the next EP. I have a lot more new music and I’m ready to put it all out there. I’ve been kind of waiting around on a bunch of stuff, but I think starting in the new year I’ll definitely be putting out even more music. And hopefully with a lot of the COVID stuff behind us, I’ll be touring more.

LØLØ will be coming to the House of Blues in Boston on October 5 with New Found Glory, Hot Mulligan, and Less Than Jake. You can buy tickets here.