Meet Lava La Rue, the Genre-Eschewing Multi-Hyphenate With an Interdimensional Vision
With their very first performance in the US being on the Coachella stage, UK’s Lava La Rue has rightfully earned their awe-stricken following, introducing themselves to American audiences with an eclectic catalog and electrifying shock appeal.
Lava La Rue is encapsulated chaos, living as a statement piece and mixing genres like potions. Half-Latvian,-half Jamaican, within their non-binary identity there is a bow to duality, wearing all of themselves out loud at once. Lava La Rue’s music is funky, hypnotic, and effectually mesmerizing, charioting their own brand of experimental hip-hop entirely. They’ve been the rapper and the singer, the designer and the producer, most of the time simultaneously.
Their age is a hard truth to swallow, with 900 years old seeming more fitting than only 24. Earning themselves a slot on Forbes’ '30 under 30,' they’ve had work commissioned by the Tate Modern, founded the music group collective NiNE8, and creatively directed for the Brit Awards, trailblazing through accolades while their peers are still finding ground beneath their feet. It only makes sense that they’ve achieved as much as they have thus far, having pursued their passion since 16.
Lava La Rue’s most widely known single thus far “Hi-Fidelity,†featuring fellow UK sensation Biig Piig, which has gone on to earn them millions of streams and many curious eyes, serving as the title track of their 2022 EP. The project features five tracks, all sitting under four minutes, that shape-shift through different expressions of soul, lo-fi, and psychedelic dream pop. They’ve challenged not only the confinement of genre but a fixed identity, as well. Openly queer and gender fluid, beyond what they’ve exemplified for biracial audiences, their presence is important for the larger LGBTQIA+ community—someone who lets themselves be all of their colors and gives permission for those watching to cave into their own vibrancy, rippling into a liberated collective.
Lava La Rue is a hard artist not to lose a sense of time around. They capture you from your core, commanding you to study their intricacies knowing full well you’ll never quite figure them out. And once you do, they’ll already be something else.
