With a gift for writing songs that encapsulate and explore the human condition, Lola Young turns extremely personal emotions into songs that resonate with universal truths.
As a lyricist, she creates evocative scenes with all the tenderness and sensitivity of a folk artist, while maintaining the sharpness, wit and attitude of a rapper.
She began writing music at age 11. Lola is a recent graduate of the Brit School, whose alumni include Amy Winehouse, Adele, Freya Ridings, FKA Twigs, Jade Bird, Jessie J, Leona Lewis, Loyle Carner and Rex Orange County.
The track, which received its first spin on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show, finds the 20-year-old artist composed and in command as she describes the complexities of recovering from a toxic relationship, certifying herself as a storyteller with range, emotion and prowess beyond her years. “Bad Tattoo” was produced by manuka. with additional production by Rob Milton.
The accompanying performance video displays Young at her most authentic, with an utterly impressive vocal delivery, accompanied simply by piano. The clip was filmed at The Church Studio, where she has been working on new music over the past year.
“‘Bad Tattoo’ is a song I wrote about falling in love and not knowing whether it’s going to last, young love can be real hard sometimes,” explains Lola Young. “However, I’ve recently realized the beauty in the temporary nature of love, the fact that it can come and go.
It can leave you feeling the worst you could ever feel yet it can be the most beautiful thing in the world. ‘Bad Tattoo’ talks about the permanence of relationships, not necessarily lasting but the lasting effect it has on a person, the understanding and learning you must go through when experiencing life with someone and finally coming to peace with the fact that it can leave you scarred like a real bad fucking tattoo.”
You started writing songs at age 11, how did you first get into music and art?
I got into music and art partially through family but then I guess I’ve always been into music, since I was very small. It’s always gravitated towards me. If I heard a song I remember I could almost visualize the lyrics, it wouldn’t take me long to learn a full song off by heart.
Who are artists you can’t live without?
I love Anderson .Paak, I love Frank Ocean and I adore Joni Mitchell. They are probably my top 3. Bit of a strange combo but damn..
What is your creative process like?
It’s pretty intense sometimes, I can really get deep into what I’m writing and sometimes I can get angry or sad or super elated, but most of the time it’s a very cathartic experience, and it’s what has kept me going throughout my entire life so I am grateful that it is almost a part of me now.
What inspires your lyrics?
Anything, from a simple conversation with a stranger to a heart wrenching break up. It really just depends. I’ve always been into poetry so that has massively helped my creative process in general, especially lyrics. I love writing random lyrics on my phone and going back to them later with guitar or piano. I’d say anything can inspire my lyrics though, I have songs about consumerism, love, hate, drugs, anything and everything really.
Do you draw inspiration from other forms of art such as paintings, literature, cinema etc.?
I do but not as much as I used to, I think it’s changed over time, I’ve always loved poetry. I have a really bad attention span so watching a film at the moment can be quite difficult, unless it’s amazing of course, but there have been quite a few times where I have watched a film or read a book and felt super inspired to write a song. I guess I’ve just become a bit lazy recently in delving into other types of art. However I’m definitely going to make more of an effort as I think it’s very important to.
Tell us how you are preparing for your upcoming London shows this spring. Do you feel differently about performing live now after lockdown? If so, in what way?
I think I’m probably a bit rusty, and this time away from performing has made me miss it but at the same time I’ve been so concerned with other aspects of my career that I’ve honestly forgotten how it feels. I’m going to do a lot of rehearsals to get back into the swing of things, but I am super excited to get back into it. I’ve missed it a lot, and just seeing people’s reactions and hearing them sing along, it has to be one of the best feelings ever!
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I love fashion, and aesthetics in general. I have always loved a bit of everything to be honest, from high fashion designers to someone who can really put an outfit together. I am obsessed with simplicity with an edge. But I think every artist is trying to find that for themselves and once they do everything changes. I’m currently in the midst of working out exactly what I want to be when it comes to my style/aesthetic but I’m definitely getting there.
Your song “Woman” is incredibly bold and empowering, what kind of response do you think the video is receiving from fans? Was it the kind of response were you hoping for?
Definitely, ‘Woman’ was a song that meant so much to me and I hope that it has connected with my supporters in some way. It really meant a lot to just be free with my body and it was such an incredible process filming the video too that I really didn’t care what people would say about it. However the response was so positive and from what I gather I think it helped people’s confidence which I am so happy about.
What does the word “independence” mean to you?
I think it definitely depends on the context, as in whether it’s political or not but I guess for me it’s just about being able to express oneself and use our voice in order to make change happen. It is also about feeling free, and strong and knowing that everyone is able to achieve anything without anyone else.
What’s the future looking like for you?
Bright, I hope! It’s always hard to tell what your future looks like and I try not to concentrate on it too much as it can massively affect how I feel in the moment but I hope it looks okay. Haha.
