Lo Lo
I’ve always loved Lo Lo’s music - instant bangers and infectious melodies. I first interviewed her for her single “Sweater Collection”. I kept following what she has been doing since then and her debut EP was one of the coolest pop projects of 2019. I love GOOD pop music and Lo Lo knows how to do that.
I decided to interview her again for this new single “Dead Inside”. I loved the topic so much, I thought it was a good idea to catch up and talk about this song and mental health. But the song by itself is also very honest and beautiful and it’s probably her most personal song so far. My favorite Lo Lo song so far for sure.
I believe she has a new EP coming up very soon and I can’t wait to hear.
But for now, “Dead Inside” is out now :)
Hi Lo Lo, how are you? What have you been up to since our first interview?
Helloooo Thread, I’m good thank you! Surviving the quarantine by working on a bunch of new music that I’m excited for you to hear :) Since the last time we spoke, i released my first EP Sweater Collection and now i’m working towards my 2nd one, called Permanent Damage.
"Dead Inside" is your latest single - what's the story behind this song? Who helped you create it?
Dead Inside talks about a time in my life where I quite literally felt dead inside. I don’t even think I necessarily realized how empty I was feeling at the time…I was going through the motions, going out and partying, doing stupid shit…on the outside it probably seemed like I was having the time of my life. On the inside I just felt really numb. I kind of just accepted the fact that this was ‘life’ now. It wasn’t until I met somebody special that I woke up and snapped out of it. It was like a big relief. Kinda like that first breath, when you just realized you haven’t taken one in a while. He reminded me how to be ‘me’ again. So I wrote Dead Inside as a thank you to that person.
Dead Inside is actually the first song i’ve ever released that wasn’t part of a co-write. Normally, I bring ideas into songwriting sessions—where the songs are born. For Dead Inside, I wrote it by myself in my room on my keyboard. Then I took it to my 2 go-to producers, Giordan Postorino and Benjamin Thomas, and they helped transform it from a single voice and piano into what it is today.
What did you feel when writing this song?
Despite what you’d first think when seeing the title, Dead Inside is actually a happy song. It’s about finding someone/something that makes you feel alive, in a time when you thought you’d never feel anything again. So I actually felt a lot of relief and good feelings while writing it. Once we finished the song, it almost felt like a final goodbye and f**k you, to that dark part of me.
What did you feel after releasing this single? How do people respond to this song so far?
I hadn’t released new music in a WHILE so I definitely got those pre-release nerves for this one. After releasing it, I felt really good and happy. It was a different feeling than other releases because it’s the most personal song I’ve ever written. I have never really talked about mental health in any of my songs—my past EP focused a lot more on relationships and things like that. So it was a bit scary telling the whole world what I had been going through. The response for the song has been amazing! Definitely the best yet out of any of my releases, so i’m excited.
What made you want to release "Dead Inside" as a single?
Before I wrote Dead Inside, my project was going in a completely different direction. It didn’t feel as genuine. After I wrote Dead Inside, something inside me just knew this had to be my next single. It just felt right, and it felt real. I scrapped a bunch of songs I had been working on before and decided to take my project in this new direction.
What advice do you want to give to anyone struggling with mental health?
It’s so hard for me to give advice on this, because I know everyone has such different experiences with mental health- so I wouldn’t want to say something that worked for me necessarily will work for them. I guess my main takeaway would be to try and be open to others trying to help. Mental health is really important for me— my first tattoo I got was ’Be Happy’ on my arm, facing away from me, so others could see and hopefully it could put a smile on their face. I know it’s not as easy as someone telling you to be happy, and then all of a sudden, you will be. But I think it’s important to accept the help from our loved ones or even strangers. I don’t think you need other people to fix you or to make you feel happy or okay, but I think sometimes you’d be surprised at how the littlest act of kindness from someone who cares can remind you how to feel alive again. And also— it’s okay to not be okay. After meeting that person and writing this song, I didn’t magically cure myself forever. It gave me a big wake up call, but I still have days where I feel ‘Dead Inside’ sometimes- and I think that’s okay.
What are your thoughts on today's current situation around the world and the Black Lives Matter movement?
This is something i’m really passionate about because I don’t think it’s ever okay to judge someone on their gender, sexuality, or colour of their skin. At first I was obviously very angry and sad about what was happening, but the silver lining for me was seeing how we all came together as human beings and acknowledged that what is happening around the world is NOT okay. The past month has been very eye opening for a lot of people. I personally am learning more and more everyday, and I think it’s important to keep learning, keep signing petitions and fighting for what we believe in. I know a lot of people have stopped talking about it as much as last month, so I’m really glad you asked me about it in this interview. I think we need to all continue to speak out about it, to listen and learn, and not let it be forgotten as time passes.
What major lesson have you learned from all these challenging times?
I think at the start of this, a lot of people were being hard on each other for the ways in which they were or weren’t reacting/learning/acting. I saw a really good quote going around on instagram (not sure who said it) but i’d like to share: “some are posting on social media. some are protesting in the streets. some are donating silently. some are educating themselves. some are having tough conversations with friends & family. a revolution has many lanes— be kind to yourself and to others who are travelling in the same direction. just keep your foot on the gas and go”.
What message do you want to give to the world?
Be kind to EVERYONE and don’t judge other people— ever. Also- check in on your friends and loved ones. You never know what people can be going through behind a fake smile. Sometimes, all it takes is a little reminder from somebody that cares to make you feel alive :)
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