Lava La Rue | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Aiwa Laurél |
| Born | May 21, 1998 (26 years old) Northwick Park Hospital, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, visual artist, director |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels | Marathon Artists,Dirty Hit |
| Website | lavalarueofficial |
Aiwa orAva Laurel, better known by their[a] stage nameLava La Rue, is a British-Jamaican musician and director fromWest London.[2][3] They are the founder and creative director of NiNE8 collective.[3]
Laurel was born inNorthwick Park Hospital in London, to a teenageLatvian migrant father and working-classBlack British mother who met through London'sfree party /rave scene in the late 90s. Laurel's grandparents on their mother's side directly came from theWindrush Generation whereas Laurel's grandparents on their father's side grew up in theLatvian Soviet Socialist Republic, which led to Laurel's father migrating to London as a teenager to escape the aftermath of the Latvian SSR fall with hopes of leading a morehedonistic lifestyle in the UK.[4]
Laurel's parents' relationship was brief; their father was never interested in getting a regular job to become a full-time father, leaving Laurel's mother to look after their child as a single parent. As a result, Laurel was raised partly by theirJamaican grandmother and grew up aroundSt Raphael's Estate,Kensal Rise andLadbroke Grove in West London. Lava quotes that being raised by their grandmother gave them the "Experience of being raised around 1st generation Caribbean Culture"[5]
Laurel was always playing in bands growing up, and at age 13 they decided they wanted to be in an all-girl version ofThe Clash joining aPost-Punk tween trio called "The West Borns" who played localstreet fair gigs outsidethe Tabernacle, Notting Hill and onGolborne Road[3] They enteredfoster care at the age of 14 whilst attendingQueens Park Community School.[5]
Laurel started creating music at the age of 16 while being in and out of foster care, sharing their songs online and with friends atRichmond upon Thames College.[6] At college, Laurel befriended Mac Wetha,Biig Piig and other future collaborators — who not only helped shape the music Laurel was making themself - but also led to the formation of NiNE8, theLondon collective made up of musicians, artists, rappers and other creatives.[6]
At age 19, Laurel was invited toJapan by a modelling agency, and decided to stay there until they ran out of money, DJing at local fashion parties and befriending members of the Tokyo underground music scene. They lived in theShibuya district ofTokyo and at one point crashed in a spare apartment of Toshimi Ichiki, the head booker of Zucca Models Tokyo, from summer till late 2017.[7]
On 22 May 2018, Lava La Rue released their first single, "Widdit", made whilst they lived in Tokyo with producer friend Disk Nagataki and Japanese collective Tokyo Vitamin.[2][8] The song quickly garnered online support and millions of streams, establishing La Rue as an independent artist within the alternative UK music scene.[2] On 24 June 2018, La Rue released their first EP,Letra.[6]
On 18 September 2019, Lava La Rue released a mixtape titledStitches.[9]
In 2020, Lava La Rue announced the release of their third official solo project,Butter-Fly, written in collaboration withDeb Never andClairo and features production credits from Isom Innis ofFoster the People andVegyn.[2][10] On 19 February 2021, La Rue releasedButter-Fly viaMarathon Artists.[11]
On 4 April 2022,Wet Leg released "Ur Mum", accompanied by a music video directed by Lava La Rue, using their alias Lavaland.[12] La Rue stated that they directed the video while finishing their own EP,Hi-Fidelity, and that the video was made after being invited to spend time on theIsle of Wight with Wet Leg and their eponymousllama,[13] La Rue's stay with the band reminded them of a British version ofNapoleon Dynamite which inspired the music video.[14] La Rue went on to creatively direct the band's TV performance ofChaise Lounge at theBrit Awards 2023, further referencingBritish Isles culture by assembling a team of femaleMorris dancers to accompany the performance.[15]
On 31 May 2022, Lava La Rue released the single "Hi-Fidelity", featuring friend and fellow collaborator, Biig Piig. On 29 July 2022, La Rue releasedHi-Fidelity, completing their two-EP deal with Marathon Artists.[16] At the end of 2022, Lava La Rue announced they signed toDirty Hit.[16] In April 2023, Lava La Rue made their debutCoachella performance.[17] On 2 May 2023, La Rue released "Renegade", their first single via Dirty Hit.[18]
On 19 July 2024, Lava La Rue released their debut album "STARFACE" on Dirty Hit label.
Laurel is anon-binary artist who uses they/them pronouns. They identify as a queer-lesbian.[19] Laurel currently resides in West London.[20]
Lava La Rue is an anagram of the phonetic English spelling of their commonly known name,Ava Laurel.[2]