A Conversation with LP – HuffPost 6.3.14

Mike Ragogna: LP, you just released your first full length album, Forever For Now. This is technically your debut album, isn’t it?

LP: Yeah, it’s my major label debut for sure. While it’s great to have an EP and all the stuff that goes with it, as well as the [Citibank] commercial with the song got that me touring a bunch, it definitely set me back making that record. And it’s hard to explain to people; people see no record as non-movement, you know? But there was a lot of movement. You feel like you’re making excuses sometimes, and you’re not, it’s just a process you have to get through. We really spent a lot of time on this record.

MR: Did you spend a lot of time on it also because you were in that mind of it being an introduction of LP, on an LP?

LP: [laughs] Somewhat, yes. You always feel like you want to make it perfect, but I think we also felt like there were different directions we could go, and we just started building it, like putting orchestras on it. It got pretty large. I guess we wanted to make it perfect, to pick the right songs and to complement my voice enough. We put a couple of them on there that were on the EP, as we always intended to. I was touring for a year for “Into the Wild,” and that set us back about a year from recording, and I started writing more songs.

MR: Did you have a goal for this album when you started out? What kind of journey did you take with it, in your opinion?

LP: I wanted the record to certainly have peaks and valleys; a landscape. I didn’t want it to be all the same song. We start really high with “Heavenly Light.” That’s an interesting choice for the opener, and I feel like that song kind of sets you up for the rest of the record, it pumps you up on a high note, then you can receive the rest. So when “Forever For Now” hits you, it’s almost like a lullaby. We go from sunrise to sunset, basically. The thing about “Into The Wild,” is that, while it was a commercial in the US, but I would say that ninety percent of the world has not heard that song. There are so many people that haven’t heard it, like in Europe, for example; that wasn’t a commercial in Europe, so people don’t know it. So I feel like if no one had heard “Into The Wild,” that that would have been the first single. And in a way it was; it was a bit of a setup for the record. That song has a lot of life left in it. I feel like “Into The Wild” and “Tokyo Sunrise” both deserve to be on an actual studio record. The EP was kind of like a teaser, and I really wanted a couple of those songs to be the studio record. Especially “Tokyo Sunrise.”

MR: You did two hundred and fifty shows a year, basically living out of a tiny van. I guess you could call those “Salad days.” What are the major differences for you now versus then?

LP: My days are slightly more structured now, which I think every artist really begs for and wants in their early years. That’s what getting more attention or being more popular gives you. It gives you more of a structure, and there are more things to do that you need to do like, for instance, this interview. Touring and shows are the life’s blood for most musicians I know. It’s the ultimate connection. You go from writing a song in a small room, to playing a song in a bigger venue to people, and that’s the journey and that’s the best part of getting yourself out there.

MR: How is your partnership with [Rob] Cavallo doing these days?

LP: It’s great. We became great friends during the making of this record. He’s a brilliant producer. He knows so much about music and about sound. He’s one of the very few producers that can do the old-school stuff and also understand Pro Tools and all that. It’s interesting to work with a master of sorts. I feel like there’s not that many of them out there, and he’s sonically brilliant.

MR: Were you tempted to re-record your hits with Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, “Cheers (Drink to That)” and “Beautiful People” for this project?

LP: No, not at all. Not even a little. They’re great, but one of the biggest things I discovered during the making of this record the last couple of years has been the difference between songs for me, and songs for other people. I can notice it in a heartbeat now. In fact, upon writing “Into The Wild,” “Someday” and “Wasted Love,” I really feel that no one but I can sing those songs. Like “Tokyo Sunrise” is one of those songs that I know is mine.

MR: When you did the first playback of that album, were there any surprises about yourself or any of the songs?

LP: I was kind of surprised where a couple of the songs took me. We went a little pop on some songs, which is probably my songwriting for other people creeping in a little bit, but that’s just part of who I am. I have a couple of different things in me insofar as how I write and what I like to hear. But when you have a record, it’s a lot of listening to the same songs, so it’s difficult to keep perspective. But if I remember correctly, when I hadn’t quite lost my perspective with this record after hearing it over and over, it packed a good wallop.

MR: Are there any songs in particular where you felt like, “Wow, I really discovered something about myself”?

LP: Yeah, “Tokyo” for sure is the apex for me in this record. I loved writing it and I loved singing it. It’s got a bit of a Fleetwood Mac vibe, which was a surprise, and was something I didn’t intend to do.

MR: Are there any songs on there which might be the closest or most personal to you?

LP: “Tokyo” and “Forever For Now” are very deep for me. I’m close with all of them, and “Into The Wild” for sure; I feel like I’ve got almost every part of my voice that I would want people to hear first. If I was trying to get people to know what I sounded like, I would play them that or “Tokyo.”

MR: Having just put out a project of twelve songs and bonus tracks, is there some kind of almost post-partum-like letdown that you feel?

LP: Absolutely. My friends can sense a kind of malaise, and I think it’s just what you go through right before a record comes out, because there’s no more talking about it. You get signed, there’s all this promise; you write songs, there’s all this promise; you record, there’s all this promise, promise, promise. And then you have this thing and it’s getting printed thousands of times on vinyl and CDs and now there’s no going back. You’re going to present this thing, and that’s it. It’s kind of like your kid going off to college, you know, you’ve done everything you can.

MR: In the same sense, parents sometime think, “Oh, maybe if I’d done this or that…” Chances are, every artist probably approaches their work and thinks, “Okay, it’s sort of finished…”

LP: Oh yeah, I feel like that. There are some things that I might change, but they’re there now, and I’m proud of this record. Records are good for showing where you were at a certain time, and I think this definitely shows that.

MR: Does it feel at all like the record is the skeleton and you’re going to “flesh it out” more with the live shows, etc.?

LP: Definitely. What’s interesting is that I haven’t really played a whole bunch of shows, especially the actual touring in clubs, which is when you really flesh out and kind of take on a new life, so to speak. That part’s exciting to think about; playing songs for people and seeing their responses makes you fall in love with the record again.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

LP: Write songs, and keep writing. Even if you think you wrote the best song you’ve ever written, keep writing. My record’s not even out yet, and I’ve started writing for myself again. You can’t go too long patting yourself on the back even if you wrote the greatest record ever. Radiohead didn’t just stand there and applaud themselves forever after they wrote The Bends. They kept writing and changing and I think that’s what you have to do regardless of what stage you’re at. So for new artists it’s really important to keep going and producing songs and trying them out on people. And play live, and get better at connecting with and playing for people, because people really notice it when you can perform well, and it helps a lot.

MR: Nice. You could easily slip into the role of mentor.

LP: Well, I do it naturally with my friends who are starting or trying to do stuff, so I’m sure when the opportunity arises, I do take it and will take it.

MR: So you’re not doing two hundred and fifty days a year anymore, but I imagine with the new album out, you’ll be supporting it with a tour?

LP: Definitely, that’s a major thing, and I’m very much looking forward to it. One of the things I do best as far as this whole thing goes is performing the songs. That’s the ultimate payoff for me. I feel my best when I can take it all the way there. It’s a really good feeling to write a song and then perform it, and I think a lot of performers would agree.

MR: Beautiful. What advice do you have for yourself at this point?

LP: I’d say don’t get too ahead of myself, and try to keep my expectations low and my work ethic high. That’s easy to say, but you start to get expectations, especially when good things happen and you think, “Oh, well maybe it could go this way.” I just want to enjoy what’s happening and be present and not get too ahead of myself. I hate anytime I get offstage and feel like I didn’t really “absorb” that experience. That’s my main goal, to absorb what’s happening around me as it’s happening.

MR: You’re absorbing a lot right now, aren’t you.

LP: Yeah, it’s good though. I just try to keep calm and get a little Buddhist about it, not too high or too low.

MR: You must be so stoked about this album, though.

LP: I am, and I look forward to people hearing it. It’s definitely a whole piece, which was the goal. Something you could play start to finish that all sounds good together.

MR: You’re awesome and I really appreciate your time. Hopefully the next time we talk, you’re a household name.

LP: Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate it, you’re so sweet. Talk soon!

Transcribed by Emily Fotis