We're Letting The World Know: Who Really Is LAUV?

We're all entering different era's of life, and Lauv is spearheading the movement. The Reading, PA native gets vulnerable talking about life changing for him for the better and he finally honors his true self. Another soul fulfilling postcast for ya!

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Recorded live at the iHeart Studios inPhiladelphia. How is my act markets?
It's serving sir? Rag yet?Now here's rage? Yo? What's good
looking? How are you now?I'm talking to you? How are you
doing? I missed you. Iwish you were in studio. No,
I missed you too. And Isaw this as the interview. I saw

(00:23):
the quay and I was like,let's go as your girl. How have
you been. What's been going on? Anything cool? Yeah? Lots of
cool? Oh well, lots ofcraziness. I just been evolving and accepting
my evolution. So I love thatwe are in that era, by the
way, like we're discovering how oldare we know? I'm okay, I'm

(00:44):
like pushing thirty, and I'm like, I'm in this new like adult phase
of life, which I wasn't sureI liked yet. And I was like,
you know what, I'm learning whoI am and as an adult,
I'm learning that it's okay to askfor the things you want. And I'm
like, yeah, we don't hateher, Yeah, yeah, no,
you should absolutely love her. Yeah, we're slowly but surely getting there.
Well, first things first, speakingof how old, we're getting, happy

(01:04):
almost birthday thank you. Wait didwe talk about this last time we were
together. Your birthday is my halfbirthday and my birthday's your half birthday.
Oh, whoa, I don't rememberthat. That's crazy either. I'm February
eighth, you're August eighth, right, Okay, I don't think I know
any February eights. Well, herewe are. Do you do the whole
astrology thing? I mean, likeLucy? No, like same, not

(01:27):
at all. So when I waslooking this up, I was like,
wait, what does that mean forLeo's versus aquariuses? And I actually did
the whole Google thing because I wasn'tsure if you'd be into this. But
it looks like Leo's an aquarius,which this makes sense for how I know
you and I vibe our love compatibilitycan be considered one as the best among
the zodiacs, like a moth drawnto a light. Wow, crazy,

(01:49):
right, Like, look at us, go being best us? Let's go.
Wait, So tell me what's beengoing on? He said, You're
evolving, You're you're you're learning togrow and accept life changes. What are
these life changes? Well, Iguess more suddenly even just changes, like
I'm just learn how to accept whoI feel like I am. And that's

(02:10):
been I've you know, struggled witha bunch of like mental health stuff for
a long time, a lot ofOCD and periods of depression and being on
an au medication. And I justgot sober, which is amazing. I'm
dealing with my life and I'm soproud. Thank you. Yeah, No,
it feels great. It's it's alittle hard, but it feels great.
And I one of the things,I mean, I put out a

(02:30):
video on my on YouTube and onmy Instagram. It was like a six
minute long video where I just kindof had like an open letter to whoever
wanted to watch and in the spiritof you know what's coming next in terms
of you know, I'm putting outa new song on August fourth, that
kind of is covering, you know, where I'm at in my life.

(02:53):
One of the things I talked aboutis how, you know, for so
long I have been hiding that abig part of my anxiety and my CD,
A lot of my thoughts had todo with my sexuality and a lot
of like yeah, like just tonsof like repressing all of that and fighting
it for just way too long.Finally got to a point in my life

(03:14):
where I'm like, yo, Ias much as I want to have a
perfect answer, I don't have aperfect answer, but I need to feel
like I can. I owe myselfthe ability to be open about it because
I like being open as a person. It helps me grow, It makes
me feel more connected to people.So I was like, I'm just gonna
get on camera and see see whatI say and then put that out there
and love it started opening up aboutthat, and that's been, Yeah,

(03:35):
that's it's been kind of like thetheme of the era that I'm in right
now is just kind of like slowlykind of rethinking how I view myself and
kind of allowing myself to feel thingsand to yeah, pushing it down.
So acceptance and if that, ifthat means anything. I watched said six
minute long video and I wanted everytime I talk to you, I feel
like I just want to cry becauseI feel like the best release, like

(03:58):
my era, your era, acceptance, My era is release and I feel
like maybe it's like a step behindacceptance, but I just feel like you've
helped me grow so much in termsof like accepting the things that I sometimes
try to like pull back or liketide or shelter people from. So every
time I talk to you and everytime you put something out, I always
just feel so drawn to it becauseI'm like, I'm want step behind him,
but that if he's moving, soam I You know what I have

(04:21):
to just say real quick. Ifeel like from the last time we spoke
to one of the things that reallystuck with me is you have such a
like confidence and like glow in thatconfidence. I think is so cool and
I feel like I'm that's something thatI've wanted to, like, you know,
pick up more of. So see, this is why we vibe.
We kind of just like balance eachother out. I love that. Wait,
thank you so much. Oh mygod, I'm flattered. But no,

(04:43):
what that being said, I watchedyour video and I'm so freaking proud
of you because I know that's noteasy. But like I said, you're
resonating with people out there who probablyneeded some sort of example. And I
hate to even say that you're anexample, but you're an inspiration to a
lot of people. But with thatbeing said, I'm sure that made your
Pride month really exciting. How wasthat for you? Yeah, well,
yeah, definitely. I'm just I'veto be super honest, it's definitely been

(05:04):
just like a like I'm just reallytrying to deal with my own internal battle,
internal battle. It's been really excitingand I felt really like just increasingly
comfortable. But it is like areally weird thing for me to be like,
and sometimes I'm like I'm twenty eightand like now all this is like

(05:26):
I'm finally letting this like surface,and I think that's just a very intimidating
thing for me, you know,right, yeah, yeah, but it's
also really really exciting. It's justI'm trying to be delicate with myself and
just not rush myself. I'm justlike, yo, I'm gonna this is
gonna be a I don't know alot of people around me, you know,
I've talked to you about it,have been really kind to offer advice,
and I feel like the thing Ihear the most is just like give

(05:46):
yourself, like give yourself a lotof time, you know, and give
yourself grace. Grace is a hugeword. I've been like hanging out with
a lot too, because like sometimeswe add this pressure onto ourselves and even
sometimes taking in other people's opinions toomuch, like makes you feel like you
have to, like you really justgot to listen to yourself. So it
sounds like you're doing the right thingand through the way that you communicate,
which is music. You said you'redropping a new song August fourth, Yeah,

(06:10):
yeah, filled the tea. What'sgoing down? Yeah. So the
song is called love you Like That? And it's really cool because the song,
you know it really and a lotof this did start from love,
like feeling loved and falling in loveto the point where I started to be
able to accept myself and figure outwhich direction my heart was kind of really
going in. So I feel reallyreally lucky about that. So the song

(06:31):
kind of started there like kind oflike about like unexpectedly falling in love and
being like whoa, I actually youknow, feel these things. But it's
evolved over time into because I kindof kept like changing the lyrics because I
was just like, this isn't quitewhat I feel yet. It went into
like a very much to me isgrown into like a self love kind of
anthem of just like ye know,like I gotta stop judging myself for anything,

(06:57):
like for really for anything, LikeI have goodness inside of me.
I want to share that I youknow, I want to share that love
and I mean, yeah, oneof the lyrics is used to judge myself.
Now I don't care because hey,I love you like that and it's
just like I'm accepting when I'm intoand like who I want to be and
all that. So so there's mynext tattoo. Thank you so much for
that. Wait, with that beingsaid, I want to I want to
circle back to something you said thatstuck. You said that you're like bouncing

(07:19):
on and off of medications, right, and we're from the same same mach
are. You're from Radner Paw.What age did you live there? I
was there and from eleven till eighteen. Okay, Because with that being said,
my family's from Pennsylvania and I've justbeen raised on this mentality. We're
like rub some and maybe that's justbeing Italian, but like rub some dirt

(07:41):
on it, Like you don't haveto rely on medications for certain things,
so like talking to somebody like whatever, like just like figure it out for
yourself. And it's sometimes like that'sgreat and all, but then there's other
times where we don't have to dothat and there are resources we could utilize.
So that's something that I've always battled. Did you ever feel that way
growing up being where we're from.Yeah, I mean I think more so
than being like about like around mewhere I was from, I kind of

(08:05):
grew up in the midst of youknow, a good amount of mental health
just stuff going on around me,you know, if people close to me.
But I never really kind of understoodit, and I always had my
own I was not really familiar withthe medication route. But one time when
I was in college this and Ifelt depressed that the psychiatrists try to just

(08:26):
prescribe me medication. I just filledthe I filled the prescription and never took
it. That's literally me, I'mdying. I did that and I tried
that, and you know, thattime I got out of the depression,
it was more like centered around abreak up and stuff, but there was
you know a few years later afterwe moved out to LA where I just
started to like spiral and it waslike to the point where I was just
like, yo, like the thingsthat I'm saying to myself, like are

(08:50):
so dark and heavy options Like Iwas just like, I gotta try it,
and I was really happy I did. I mean, it's been a
long journey, and I do thinkpart of me ultimately does have some weird
carried shame or guilt or resentment formedication because I'm like, why do I
need this? But like every timeI've tried to get off of it,

(09:11):
it's just not been the right timefor me at least because it's just been
like I've fallen back into the holeand not hold a very dark and deep
hole for me. So I'm justlike, you know, I think that's.
Yeah, I think it's really toughbecause I do think like I do
hear like I feel like I hearthere are like yeah, like certain I
don't know if it's like cultures andstuff, but just certain where it's where
it's really like it's just like verylike taboo or like oh, like you

(09:35):
don't need that. And I thinkthat's a really tough thing to have to
like feel because it's just like II feel like everybody needs help with different
things like throughout their life, youknow, every Yeah, everyone's so different,
and like I think the thing aboutmedication is the thing that's helps me
cope with it is I see itas like a cast, Like I don't
see it as like like I seeit as like, Okay, my brain

(10:00):
and the way I think, inthe way that my anxiety works, I
don't have the willpower right now toheal those patterns without a little bit of
help. So if I can beon this medication instead of seeing it as
it's changing me and it's it's it'smore like it's giving me the ability to
think through my thoughts a little bitmore calmly. So I love that process

(10:22):
thing. So it's like a castwhere it's like your bone needs to heal,
You're like, uh, if youbreak a bone, you're not just
it's not just going to heal.You need a cast sometimes. So sure,
I love that. Okay, I'mgonna I'm gonna take that in write
with it next time my dad triesto give me any shit. Adio talking
about where we're from. I thinkI made a mention of this too last
time you were here. But myfake ID in college was from radnor p

(10:43):
I do you remember this? WHOA, Yeah, that's that's so funny.
It's a crazy place for a fakeI need to be from. I please,
I don't know that. I don'tunderstand why, I don't know who
made it, but AnyWho, Iwanted to put you through everything I had
to go through going into college,because did you have like a collegiate career?
Did you just jump right into music? No? No, I went
to YU and did the college thing. Okay, yeah, yeah, so

(11:05):
you did your fair share of barhopping, I'm sure. Oh yeah,
okay, I want to play aquick game with you, if that's okay,
yes, okay, I'm literally justcalling it. Can you get into
the bark? I'm going to askyou the questions I swear on my whole
life bar like what do they callthem the security guards? The bouncers that
they would ask me in school?Well, like looking at my radner ID

(11:26):
and I had no idea what theanswers were. So I need to make
sure that another radner fellow rad norrean? What do you have? Whatever you
call each other? Oh? Ifyou can answer this, so here we
go. We have a few you'reready? What is radner PA zip code?
Oh? I don't even remember anymore. I haven't been there so long.
Okay, okay, if I'm goingto pretend to be a bouncer,

(11:48):
if I heard that, I'd belike, okay, fine, get your
license renewed. Anyway, what isa Rader PA area code. Uh well
six one o people in perfect yep, all right, I swear to god.
They asked me this, what isthe PI State bird? What I
swear on my whole life? Iwas like, wait, come on,
no one knows that. I don'tknow. But the reason I want to

(12:09):
say it, I want to say, like a what do they it's that?
Like a is that not a stork? What looks like a stork?
But think of Wawa. You're onthe right track. Oh wait, that
is that goose? It is It'slike a rough goose. I love that
you knew that about wahwah though I'mcracking up. Yeah, I love Wahwa.
Oh God, I don't you missit so much? Yeah? I

(12:30):
do miss it. The Chicken Farmis always my favorite weird flex. I
remember talking about that though. That'sso funny. All right? Last one
is what is Radner PA's number onehim music station Q one of two coming
to my bar anytime? Honey?Congratulations? All right? Well, with
that being said, I'm gonna letyou slide, but just know that when

(12:54):
I when I leave her vacation onAugust fourth, you best believe I'm gonna
be on repeat with the title ofyour give It to Me One More Time?
You like that? Love you likethat? And then I'm gonna get
it tattoed while I'm in Italy.Okay, so don't forget it. Oh
my gosh, I'm so excited foryou. Other than the song dropping,
anything we can look forward to.Yeah, I mean, I'm really deep
in the album process. I thinkI think more clear about this album than

(13:16):
I felt about any albums, Soit's I think it's going to be like
really special. If so, I'mexcited. Wow, I cannot freaking wait
to hear it. Last time wechatted with you, you were coming back
really quickly for QANO two's jingle Ball, which was amazing. By the way,
I haven't seen you since, Sowith that being said, could we
possibly be seeing you in person againsoon? Yeah? Definitely love that leave

(13:39):
me on the cliffhanger. Why don'tyou know, I'm like, I'm like,
definitely, yea cool see you then? Wow, I miss you so
much and I can't wait to likego through this evolution and this era with
you, And I can't wait tohear this album drop. Do you have
a title for the album yet?Yeah, but I'm not I'm not gonna
don't want to say yeah, don'twant ninkx it more cliffhangers. I can

(14:00):
you know what? I'm excited aboutthose cliffhangers though, it's the mystery that
keeps me wanting more. Yeah,I love it. Well, I wish
you the absolute utmost success. Idon't have to wish it upon you because
you're gonna get it. You havemanifested the absolute best for you, and
I can't wait to be your numberone fan as always, So thank you
so much for taking the time tochat with us today. I love you.
Thank you so much. I loveyou. We're gonna see I love

(14:22):
chatting with you. Let's be Instabesties because I'm definitely gonna DM you after
I listened to your song and I'mgonna be like, You're gonna ge me
cry like a five year old.Wait, what's what's what's your inst Rachel
underscore on the radio? Okay,I'm gonna follow you right now. Oh
my god. I love you forthat. Okay, Well, I love
you and I'll miss you while you'regone. But keep killing it, bubb