Lianne muaj

My Prettiest Scars: A Conversation with Lianne La Havas

words by Zachary Weg
images by David Vail

It started with a tree. While recovering from a break-up about a year and a half ago, a thirty-one-year-old musician, Lianne La Havas, noticed the changing foliage outside her London apartment and realized that she was transforming, too. As leaves changed color and roots died and then rose again, the British singer/guitarist underwent changes of her own, turning the grief she was experiencing into joy and hope and writing songs that reflected this process. The result of these efforts and her third studio album, Lianne La Havas, is her most confident and rewarding work yet.

Featuring such standout songs as the lush, hushed “Green Papaya” and the bass-tingled “Paper Thin,"La havas tus epononous tshiab album bounces, tub nkeeg, thiab dives raws li ib qho kev tsis txaus ntseeg uas qhia tau tias yog li cas paub tseeb tias nws tau dhau los ua peb daim duab. Thaum nws kev debut los ntawm ze li ib xyoo caum dhau los tshaj tawm txog kev tuaj txog ntawm cov nkauj tsis zoo tshiab, nws 2015 Sophomore Lp, Ntshav , conveyed ib qhov ze deb uas hais tsis tsuas yog nws tuaj, Nws nyob ntawm no nyob. Cov nkauj tshiab los ntawm lub caij ntuj sov no, thaum ntawd, Melds La Havas lub siab tus thiab lub hwj chim los qhia tus kws kos duab hauv daim ntawv tag nrho, Ib tug neeg uas tau ua tiav nrog txhua lub studio pressures lossis tiam sis kev lag luam thiab yog koom tes carving nws tus kheej niche.

"Ntau hom duab yog cuam tshuam nyob rau qee txoj kev los ntawm kev mob. Nws cia li zoo li ua rau koj xav hais ib yam dab tsi, tsis yog nws?"Nws hais. "Thaum koj ua phem, koj hom xav tham txog nws lossis koj xav paub yog tias qee tus neeg zoo ib yam li koj tsis yog ib leeg. Tab sis muaj ib txwm muaj kev xav tshiab tshiab kom muaj. " Tus tshiab album cov nkauj xav tshiab thiab yuav luag radiant zoo li sprung los ntawm av tshiab thiab cog li paj uas tuaj yeem sawv ntsug uas tuaj yeem sawv ib pliag. "Kuv mam sim cia nws mus, Kuv tus ntiv tes tau hla / Kuv yuav qhia koj qhov zoo nkauj tshaj plaws / lawv ua rau peb txhua yam peb,"Nws hu nkauj" Thov tsis txhob quaj kuv "los ntawm cov ntawv tshiab, thiab ib qho yuav luag rhuav tshem ntawm cov duab ntawm cov duab ntawm cov duab thiab lub zog uas tuaj yeem tau txais los ntawm nws. Zoo li tus kws sau paj lug C.K. Williams, lossis tus kws ua yeeb yaj kiab, Paul Thomas Anderson, La Havas yog ib tug neeg, ib tug kws kos duab uas zoo li xav pab nws cov phooj ywg.

Lianne La Havas, yog li ntawd, yog ib qho album rau txhua tus: Ib nrab-hnub nyoog tus kws laus uas zaum ib leeg ntawm lub khw kas fes, Lub sijhawm ntxov-thirties tus neeg sawv cev ntawm tus kheej uas tsis tau pom dua nrog leej twg, Tus nais maum ua pa los ua pa rau cov neeg mob Coronavirus tus neeg mob. Nws yog ib qho album rau cov sij hawm hnav ris tsho zoo li no thaum muaj ntau yam tsis meej, thiab lub ntiaj teb zoo li kawg sab hauv, Tab sis kuj tseem ua haujlwm uas tuaj yeem xa rov qab mus rau xyoo tom ntej koj tuaj yeem mus tsev tom qab hnub ntev thiab sim so. Nws yog ib tug, tswm ciab, ua los ntawm Lianne Laas, ib tug zoo siab tshaj plaws ntawm cov kev ntxhib no tab sis muaj koob meej ntiaj teb.

Ib nrab, Txoj kev sim no los ntawm La havas's Dl Greek thiab Jamainel cov cuab yeej cuab tam thiab los ntawm nqus cov suab muaj eclectic ntawm xws li London kab lis kev cai hubs li brixton. Raws li nws hais ntawm zoom los ntawm Askiv, "Ua kom muaj suab paj nruag yog kuv txoj kev tsuas yog ua kuv tus kheej kiag li, sim ua tej yam uas kuv tsuas yog hlub nrog tsis muaj kev txwv, lub hauv paus yog tias. Ntawd yog li cas kuv tau hnov ​​zoo li kuv tshaj plaws. " Thaum pib, La havas qhia nws tus kheej hauv txoj kev no los ntawm kev ua si cov keyboard, tiamsis, ntawm 18, Nws pib ua si lub kis tas. "Nws muaj kev zoo li lub ntiaj teb tshiab tag nrho qhib,"Nws tseem niaj hnub, lub ntiaj teb uas, Ntawm chav kawm, raug co tau los ntawm cov luminaries ntawm lub ntsuas raws li Jimi Hendrix thiab, Tsis ntev los no, Tus st. Vincent tab sis uas La Havas tau shaken rau tus tub ntxhais nrog nws tus qauv tsim txiaj.

Cias muab, La Havas yog ib qho ntawm cov guitarists tshaj plaws nyob rau ntawd. Txawm tias strumming maj mam muab rau cov haujlwm ua haujlwm ntxov (thiab lub suab hu ua ntawm zaj nkauj ntawm kev hlub), "HNUB NYOOG" lossis kev kos duab thiab threshing rau "tsis tuaj yeem tawm tsam" los ntawm cov nkauj tshiab, Tus kws ua yeeb yam ua ke nrog nws zoo siab spontaneity rau Chords. Yog li ntawd, Nws tsis yog qhov xav tsis thoob uas tsis muaj dua li lub tub txib zoo kawg nkaus txuas nrog nws ob peb xyoos rov qab los ntawm nws tus neeg hu nkauj uas nws hu nkauj. La Havas yog ib tus kws sau ntawv, too, Cov dab neeg ntawm ob qho tib si lub siab thiab resilience yog universal tsis tau los ntawm ib qho chaw.

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