A Sit Down with Lana Love

Lana Love is a New York-based pop artist most recognized for joining John Legend's team of artists on The Voice. However, her talents and passions extend far beyond her time on the show. 47 Magazine had the opportunity to sit with Lana as she delved into topics such as overcoming expectations faced by past relationships, mentoring the youth, a secret Brussels Sprout recipe, and the upcoming release of her new single ”ANTIDOTE”.

(This interview was conducted in person and has been edited for clarity.)

[Harmony Robinson]: All right. Hi, Lana. Thank you so much for being here with 47 magazine today. How are you doing? 

[Lana Love]: I'm doing great today. 

[Harmony Robinson]:  It's a great day outside. It's a little chilly, though. 

[Lana Love]: A little chilly. But it's gotten better. 

Harmony Robinson]: Yesterday it was so nice, it was finally 80.

[Lana Love]: Oh girl, I'm sunburnt from yesterday, so I’m hibernating today.

[HR]: To start, could you give us a quick rundown on all things Lana? Hobbies, Passions, etc?

[LL]: Yeah, I am a double Capricorn, so we'll start there.

[HR]: Oh, I’m a Virgo, so our personalities are already meshing well.

[LL]: This is great Earth energy, we love it. I am a 10-plus-year vegan! It started in college, and I just realized that I was lactose intolerant, and I should probably stop drinking milk. Then I'd probably feel a lot better than I did. Plus, I love animals so much,  so protect the animals.

[HR]: What's your go-to vegan meal?

[LL]: I mean, this is actually really funny because the only thing that I know how to cook- and my best friends know this- But I only know how to cook Brussels sprouts because I burn the **** out of them, but I make the best Brussels sprouts, and they even ended up in a cookbook.

[HR]: Okay, so we all need to be on the lookout for Lana Love’s Brussels sprout recipe.

[LL]: Yes, they’re legendary.

[HR]: Where are you from?

[LL]: I’m from Hotlanta! (Atlanta)

[HR]: OMG, me too!

[HR]: Lana Love is a stage name. Can you tell us about your thought process behind coming up with it? 

[LL]: Yeah, it kind of just hit me one day. I was like, I really want a superhero artist name. And I was like, who am I as a superhero? What's the most empowering version of myself that I could be? Love. My definition of love is the highest elevation of understanding, and I think that was something that I just never really got to define, and I really wanted to figure out what that meant to me. And so I knew if I named myself after it, I'd have to figure it out.

[HR]: And do you feel like you’re figuring out that definition through your writing?

[LL]: Yes, 100%, but it's funny. I don't write about love ever, like in a romantic sense. But it's been a deep understanding of myself and who I am and who I want to be. And I feel like that's what I write about.

[HR]: You competed on season 22 of The Voice on Team Legend. What made you decide to audition, and what was that process like? 

[LL]: Yeah. So it's really interesting because I know you told me that you watched the “Into the Unknown” performance in your high school, and now here we are. It’s crazy!

[HR]: It’s really a full circle moment!

[LL]: Yeah! Anyway, I actually had gotten out of the business at that time. I did not audition for The Voice. I was in a Zumba class, living my best life and shaking everything that I had, of course, and I get a DM saying, “Hey, we found your video. Are you available next week”? I was like,” sure”, laughing, because I didn't think it was real. But then I got a follow-up call the next day from the casting director, and they were like, “So are you available next week”? And I was like, “yes”!

[HR]: So that’s been your biggest sidequest yet?

[LL]: Yeah. The show was the most random thing ever, and then it kind of got me back into it (music), and from there, I started writing again. 

[HR]: All the momentum from The Voice just threw your back in.

[LL]: Yeah. And the universe was like come on.

[HR]: Who supported you the most during your time on The Voice?

[LL]:  That woman right there. (points behind her) Antoinette DiPietropolo. She has supported me for the past 10 years of my life. She was my teacher at AMDA, and then she just hired me for a bunch of stuff, and we traveled the world together. 

[HR]: What’s the biggest lesson you learned while being on Team Legend?

[LL]: You know, I was as I was thinking about this question, I was like, I could go with like, the kosher explanation of, oh, I was sick when we filmed “Into the unknown,” like deathly ill-

[HR]: Really? We could not tell!

[LL]: Well, I really appreciate that. I did not think that I could do it (the performance) at the time, and that was going to be my answer for you. It's like I didn't know how strong I was, but actually, I didn't know how strong I was in a different way. After the show aired, I really got to know who was there for me and who wasn't. You know, whenever you expand, people like the version of you that they knew, and a lot of people weren't okay with the fact that I had grown. So that was the hardest part for me, getting over the people that I thought were going to love me and see me through this moment, who actually didn't support me. And it was really tough. But I think we all go through it because we all change.

[HR]: Yeah, it’s all about who’s sticking with you till the end. For maybe 10 years plus!

[LL]: There you go. (shoust out Antoinette)

[HR]: In your blind audition, you won over John Legend with Mandy Moore’s “Candy”. Can you tell us about the pressure behind picking the perfect audition song?

[LL]: So there is actually no time to have pressure. So here’s what I did, they

give you like 600 songs to pick, and as I was scrolling on my computer, I was like, I'm just going to close my eyes and pick one.

[HR]: Wait, that's interesting, you had no time? You just scrolled, picked one, and went for it?

[LL]: I was like, girl, you're going on right now. So, you better do something crazy. And I literally picked candy, and I was like, wouldn't it be so cool if this were orchestral? It would just be so out of the box.

[HR]: Additionally, alongside singing Moore’s song, who voices Rapunzel, you came full circle, ending your run on the voice with your rendition of “Into the Unknown.” Are you secretly a real-life Disney princess?

[LL]:  Well, you're looking at her. I’ll let you be the judge of that! It’s funny though, because my first job out of college was playing Ariel on a Disney cruise line. It was amazing traveling the world. We visited over 40 countries in a matter of a year.

*(Inaudible but proceeds to give the most melodic Ariel impression ever)

[HR]: With the talent you have, it’s amazing how you’re sharing it through voice lessons. Can you tell us about that?

[LL]: Yeah, you know I really really wanted to help young women, and there are some great mentors out there like Antoinette, who’s my mentor, but I really wanted to gift that to other young people, not just women, but I’ve got a soft spot for them. But it’s really been a wonderful experience, it’s like a piece of my heart that I've been able to gift to them and inspire them to follow their dreams, like I did mine.

[HR]: And how long has that been going on?

[LL]: That’s been solid for about a year and a half. I’ve really loved it. I love my students and I give them as many opportunities as possible. We actually put some of my students in my last music video. Which was so fun, so I can like pull them into my projects.

[HR]: Follow up: What's your favorite vocal exercise?

*(Inaudible, but just know she sounded amazing!)

[LL]: We’ll try it together.

[HR]: Oh, um!-

[LL]: We’ll work on it off-camera!

[HR]: Who are some of your favorite artists, and do you draw inspiration from them in your songwriting?

[LL]: Totally. I love Gaga.

[HR]: Oh, Gaga-chella.

[LL]: Yeah, I mean, come on. She's amazing. I've loved her for years. And in a lot of ways, I feel like a reincarnation of her. I always say if Gaga and Taylor Swift had a music baby named Disney, she would be me.

[HR]: I can totally see that! Your shorts are giving Gaga, but your ponytail is giving Taylor.

[LL]: And then I just sang Ariel, so I’m like their music baby child.

[HR]: So that would be your dream collab?

[LL]: Oh, come on, yeah. Not AI though. Someone did just make an AI collab of them, but I want a real one. We’re manifesting it.

[HR]: You’re known for avoiding the traditional box of musical genres by genre-bending. What genre-bending combos do you incorporate most in your music?  I know your brand is somewhat Alt-Pop, but is there anything else you’re experimenting with?

[LL]: Yeah. So I actually have a new project coming out that's a different sound than what I've been doing. First, I went with all live instruments. I really, really wanted that, and I recorded it all in analog. So then with this project, I was just so inspired by Britney and like pop! Straight pop! I wanted to find something that could be key-based, Kind of like Gaga and what she does, but adding my own sound with it. So I like to call what I'm doing now Dark Cinematic Pop. Which feels like feels like the right term to me. 

[HR]: Like a Grunge-Pop vibe?

[LL]: Yeah! Grunge goddess vibes.

[HR]: Grunge Goddess pop energy!

[HR]: Your song Parachute talks about others trying to drag you down as you're rising with lyrics such as “Oh you’re gonna hate the words I write” and “your gravity keeps pulling me, just cut these strings cause I’m never coming down.” Is this inspired by your experience as an independent artist? 

[LL]: Yeah. I mean, I think all-encompassing, yes, you hit the nail on the head, but I think it was inspired by my experience not only as an independent artist, but just as a person going through things, trying to expand, and trying to elevate my mindset.  I realized that if I constantly have this parachute, then I'm always waiting to land, and I'm never going to fly. So, cutting the strings is like I have to cut the attachments that are weighing me down.

[HR]: Have you ever felt pressured to market yourself and your music in another way? 

[LL]: I've certainly had people tell me their very strong opinions of what I should and shouldn't do. I'll give you an example for the young women out there. I was waiting for this meeting for about two years with a really huge executive, and I was so excited for it. I finally got it, and I went and I sat down with him and he said, “You know, why don't you go put on some Daisy Dukes and sing like Adele in Nashville”? 

[HR]: How did you respond to that? Because that's outrageous!

[LL]: It is outrageous, but it happens all the time, and I've gotten many comments like that. So I mean, I didn't respond, to be honest. I just took it in and said, “Thank you so much and goodbye”. Knowing in my head, I'll never see you again. So the answer is no, I haven't changed how I present myself, but I have felt pressured.

[HR]: So you’ve maintained your authenticity?

[LL]: I have, for better or for worse. 

[HR]: Please tell us about the decision to release 2 versions of “Parachute” with slightly different hertz.

[LL]: So, 440 Hertz is the standard pop tuning, but it wasn't always. 432 Hertz was the original tuning of pianos back in the day, which is actually pre-World War 2. So, back in the day, everything was 432. Hertz, which actually aligns your molecular structure, because we're made up of 80% water, give or take. So if you play music to water. It actually forms crystalline structures when you play 432 Hertz. But when you play 440 Hertz, it disaligns your molecular structure. 

[HR]: But what does that do for the body?

[LL]: Exactly.

[HR]: Oh, interesting.

[LL]: So when you're playing 440 Hertz, it actually disaligns you. 

[HR]: And you wanted listeners to feel disaligned? 

[LL]: I wanted them to have both options to compare how they felt.

[HR]: OK, I'm going to go back through and listen and really be in tune with my body. 

[LL]: There you go.

[HR]: How did you come up with that?

[LL]: Well, I didn't. It was Dr. Emoto who did this study on water. And no one was really doing this at the time.

[HR]: So you're bringing it back?

[LL]: I won't call myself a pioneer because people were doing it, but I was just testing out the space, the water, so to speak. But now more people are getting into this movement of meditation music, and pop music that's actually healthy for you.

[HR]: And not just stuck in your head, kind of brainlessly.

[LL]: Right! Not disaligning you from the inside.

[HR]: I love everything about that!

[HR]: Your last EP came out in 2021, and with “Parachute” releasing in 2023, are there any new projects you are working on?

[LL]: I do! I actually have a single, and this is not out yet, but you'll be the first person to know it because it's coming out very soon, and I have to announce it!

[HR]: Ooh, a 47 Magazine Exclusive!

[LL]: There you go!  So I have a song called “ANTIDOTE” that will be released on May 16. And we are going to do a big Times Square flash mob. So you're coming!

[HR]: Oh, I’ll be there!

[LL]: Yeah, you're coming. Antoinette's going to teach you the dance. 

It's gonna be so fun. And we're so excited!

[HR]: Can you tell us a little bit about “ANTIDOTE”? 

[LL]: It's definitely a wait until you hear it kind of moment. Gotta leave something for the people!

[HR]: You told Wanderwell Mag that you’ve built your career on saying yes. How has this yes mentality affected your everyday life?

[LL]: What a great question. The funny thing is, I've also built a career on saying no. I've said yes to a lot of things that I felt, oh, I could kind of stretch into this, and I would. You know, whenever you say yes to something, you kind of have to rise to the occasion. But now the older I get, the more I say no. And I'm going to say I've built my career on saying no now. So that's how it's affected my mental health.

[HR]: It’s made you readjust your thinking a little bit.

[LL]: Yeah, I just prioritize what I really want to be doing.

[HR]: Are there any other topics you’d like to talk about?

[LL]: No, just my new single” ANTIDOTE” and many, many more to come after that!

[HR]: Where can we catch Lana Love?

[LL]: You can catch me at @lanalovemusic on all platforms!

[HR]: Thank you!

Tune into my guide to new music to catch Lana’s song” Parachute” and her two recommendations, Man of the Year- Sam Barber, and Legends Never Die -League of Legends

Interviewed by Harmony Robinson

Photography taken by Max Durante