NEW NOISE: LONR
After a wildly successful start to the ’20s, the bedroom-R&B star is back to claim this year as his own.
2020 was Lonr.’s year. Despite all the setbacks, from tour cancellations to worldwide shutdowns, no amount of carnage could stop this star on the rise.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter got his start co-writing tunes with good friend (and Adele meme subject) H.E.R., scoring multiple GRAMMY-nominations (including “Album Of The Year”) back in 2019. And after branching off to work on his own material as a solo artist in the months that followed, the California native has positioned himself as a major ‘one-to-watch’ in the coming year, that is, if his next-level storytelling is anything to go by.
With his stage name an acronym for Land Of Nothing Real, Lonr.’s brand of bedroom R&B looks to music as a refuge from the cruel and alienating aspects of real life, dominated by musings on isolation, human connection and feelings of desire that reside at the very heart of the human condition.
Following on from the release of his debut EP back in April, and the meteoric success of feelgood track “A.M.” on Tik Tok last year, Lonr. is more than ready for the new year, and is kicking things off with a stellar and emotive video for his latest track “WORLD”. Think raw lyrics, genre-spanning sounds, and violinists quite literally cloaked in mystique.
Check out our interview with the game-changing star below.
Hey Lonr.! How have you been during lockdown– has anything positive came out of this experience for you?
Quarantine definitely sucks, but it’s given me time to reflect and think and really sit with the music that I made over the past year.
You’ve just dropped your new single “WORLD”, tell us about it.
It’s as simple as this: this is my message to the world of who I truly am and why I’m a loner.
In the video for “WORLD” you literally set things ablaze, where did this idea come from & how involved were you in the creative process?
I wanted people to visually feel the anger and the pain, and nothing visually expressions that like flames being fueled. It is nature’s rage. I was there for every step of the way.
Your single, “Land of Nothing Real”, released last year hit over 68 million streams, were you surprised by that kind of commercial success?
I was definitely grateful, but I have plans for taking over the world so it didn’t quite feed my hunger just yet… but it was a great taste of what I can accomplish.
Tell us about your process of writing, producing, performing?
When it comes to anything creative—whether it’s writing, producing or performing—I always tap into a different mindset and match the energy of the room. I’m a sponge. I take it in and absorb what I see and hear to create my own art, my own ideas.
You spent most of your formative years in Cape Cod, but came back to CA where you were born to pursue your music; how has the places you lived impacted your art?
They definitely impacted me heavily because music is a lifestyle, you can either talk about the lifestyle you desire or the lifestyle that you live. The people around me definitely impacted the way I see the world.
When did you first start writing?
I dropped out of community college around 2016, I worked a 9-5 And would take trips up to New York every week just so I could elevate myself, and my music.
Who are your biggest influences in music? Past and present?
Tyler the Creator, Mac Miller, Kurt Cobain, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kanye West and my Mom.
How have you been staying grounded during this time and with your career expanding so fast?
Friends and family are key for me, they humble me every day. The type of reassurance I need to keep pushing forward I always look to in them.
Who has been the biggest supporter and help to your career?
My big Brother Ant has been my guidance for every step of the way and I can’t thank him enough.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Trippie Redd, Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Kash Paige, Clams Casino, The Japanese House, Jaden smith…the list could really go on forever.
What’s the biggest hope you have for your future?
That I reach heights that even surpass MY Dreams and expectations. I’m looking forward to the moment where I can say, “I never knew I would be here to see this”.
Photography
Ant Bryant
8 January 2021
Music
New Noise
