Lauv talks "Easy Love", playlist plans, and working with Charli XCX

You made an exciting announcement last week, please can you tell us some more?

Yes! I announced a playlist I’ve created called I met you when I was 18. It’s a collection of all of my songs to date, in the order of the story they tell about my life. It’s all a chapter of my life, about moving to New York City and being unsure of who I was and who I wanted to be, and being in love for the first time and going through all of that. It’s also totally in progress and open-ended, meaning I have a lot more songs I will be adding to the playlist in different places to piece together the full story over time. It’s a really fulfilling moment for me, ecause these songs were released out of order, so I’m excited people can finally experience this all the way I’ve been piecing it together. Also, I announced my 2018 world tour was coming!

"Easy Love" dropped just a few weeks ago and is already tipping 14 million plays on Spotify; how are you feeling about the reception?

I’m really excited about it! I had no idea how people would react, because I’d say it’s a bit different than the rest of my songs. I don’t know if people expected it. but that’s real, and that’s what I hope to never lose.

"Easy Love" was about stepping back from social media and acknowledging the imperfections of the world around us. Why is this approach important to you, both as a musician and as a person?

It’s about accepting insanity and imperfection in a relationship. It’s about realizing that that stuff is what being alive is truly about. Things aren’t perfect; you can’t predict them or control them, but life would be so boring if you could. To me, this principle goes way beyond relationships. I think we live in a world that’s so often about portraying perfection and happiness… and for who? Oftentimes people you don’t even know or love.I’ve been there and I know it never brought me real happiness.

You've got a new song coming next month, could you tell us a little more about that?

All I can say is it might be the most romantic song I’ve ever written. And the music video… I’m so excited!

Can you describe how your style has grown from 2015's Lost In The Light EP to "Easy Love" and your upcoming single?

I think I’ve become less afraid to go wherever my heart goes. To just create whatever I feel in my soul in the moment. I think I’m just more in touch with myself now.

Of course we have to ask about "Boys", the Charli XCX single you co-wrote. How was working with Charli?

"Boys" was such a unique experience for me. All of my songs are so emotional and I’m so used to creating in that headspace, but writing "Boys" was a chance to just have fun.

One of the things I love most about Charli is her music videos. They’re always so crazy! I think the fact she managed to make something so fun and hilarious on the surface, while also making an important statement about typical gender roles in music videos, is brilliant.

As 2017 draws to a close, what can we expect from Lauv over the next year?

I just announced my world tour for the first part of 2018. Tickets just went on sale and somehow actually a bunch of dates sold out right away, so I’m feeling incredibly thankful. You should expect a lot more music. You should expect to see me at some festivals and announcing even more touring. I also have a ton of artistic ideas outside of the music that I plan to roll out. It’s going to be an amazing time, I can’t wait.