Artist: Lavaud

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Hailing from Hackney, East London, Lavaud is none short of a miracle that drew inspiration from 90’s R&B music. She sprung onto the scene in 2015 with her Afro-infused alternative sound, receiving support from the MOBO Awards for early single “Pictures.” The record laid the groundwork for her 2016 follow-up and Top 20 radio hit “Deep.” Since then, the 26-year-old songstress has spiraled into success as she gears up to release her long-awaited debut EP.

“I love my childhood so much. I would play a lot out in my community and watch my dad play in a band called Clyclone,” Lavaud reminisces. “I learned a lot of instruments because my dad was a musician. I sang in church a lot, did a lot of competitions, drama school at a young age.”

Growing up in a musical household, the art of singing came quite naturally. With her father playing in a band, it opened the door for more influences such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and the late Aretha Franklin amongst others. “The first time I heard my dad sing in church with his guitar, that’s when I was like I want to do this. That was just a confirmation that I wanted to do music. Watching my dad and obviously having my family play loads of musical influences,” she shares.

In late-April, Lavaud will be sharing her must-hear project which consists of four breath-taking tracks. Speaking on the inspiration behind the project’s title, she shared, “One of the songs on the EP is called ‘King Vaud’ and while we were in the studio, I wanted to be different and call women kings. Art is subjective; women are so powerful so I thought what if one day we wanted to call ourselves kings or goddesses or queens. We can be it all because we work so hard to do so, I just wanted to change the narrative for a second.”

“I’m nervous but actually excited so people can know who I truly am. I feel like I’m putting out a piece of work that’s so me, all of those songs are culturally me and what I’ve worked so hard to find in terms of my town,” she adds. “I feel like I’ve been my authentic self while making this.”

The anticipation for Lavaud’s forthcoming project has clearly risen. In early March, she shared its first pre-release single, “Oh My,” in collaboration with Reekado Banks. To no surprise, the visual has amassed a whopping quarter million YouTube views, on pace to surpass any of her previous material. Furthermore, she’s been giving her fans momentary peaks into her life with a series of vlogs leading up to the big release day.

As far as the future goes, Lavaud moves at her own pace, soaking in all the lessons learned and love that she receives every day. “I’m taking each day as it comes but in terms of longevity, but I feel like I will hopefully have another EP released by the end of the year and an album by next year.” She concludes, “I would definitely love to have my first Platinum record. For now, just taking it day by day and appreciating all the good news.”