July 11, 2025 • 29 mins
Step into the world of Lana Love as she joins host Buzz Knight on the virtual walk filled with music, stories, and inspiration. In this episode of Takin a Walk, Lana opens up about her creative journey, the passions that drive her, and the lessons learned along the way. From heartfelt songwriting to the rhythms that shape her life, discover the moments that have defined her artistry and the dreams she’s chasing next. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to her sound, this episode promises fresh perspectives and unforgettable melodies.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Welcome to Taking a Walk, the podcast where we explore
the stories, passions, and journeys of fascinating people one step
at a time. I'm your host, Buzznight, inviting you to
join me for an audio diary of insightful conversation and
music history on Foot. Today, we're going to be talking
with the truly dynamic artist Lana Love. Known for her
(00:22):
genre blending sound, fearless creativity, and deeply personal songwriting, Lana
has quickly become a standout voice in today's music scene.
Whether she's performing on stage or crafting songs that resonate
with listeners around the world, Lana brings a sense of
honesty and artistry that's impossible to ignore. On this episode,
(00:46):
I'm going to dive into Lana's creative process, the stories
behind her music, and the moments that have shaped her
unique journey.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So let's settle in right now and talk to Lana
Love on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, Lena, thanks for being on Taking a Walk. It's
an honor to be with you.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Yeah, thanks for having me appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So, since we call this show Taking a Walk, and
even though we are virtual, I do want to ask
you the opening question here, which is if you could
take a walk with somebody living or dead. Doesn't have
to be someone musical, but it's nice if it is.
But it's your walk. Who would you take that walk with?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
I'd take that walk with you. Wow, yeah, we're here
right now. I wish we could be in person.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh that's so nice. I love it in person walk.
I love a virtual meetup. But that would be so
nice to take that walk. Where would we walk?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Well, I'd like to go to your hometown because I
haven't spent much time in Boston, and I think you
could probably show me around and teach me a little
bit about what goes around there.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
All right, there's a lot of great places to walk.
It's a great walking city, and great walking cities are
great places to just disappear and take in the history.
So we'd have a great walk. So let's let's do it. Sometimes,
let's do that, and if not, we'll do it in
to New York. We'll pick one of your favorite spots
in New York City. So an amazing story that you have.
(02:25):
You are one of the most fascinating people I have
spoken to in terms of your diversity of styles and
the work that you do. Uh, it's it's a fascinating story.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Where will begin?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I think, is that infamous moment that you knew that
you were deeply connected with music?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
What was that moment you know?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I think the first I like to say when I
popped out of the womb, but the first memory that
I have I was four or five years old and
we had a piano that was gifted to us, and
it was in our living room and I would always
just go tinker on the piano as a child, So
(03:13):
I think I was always drawn to music. And my
mom used to play Fan of the Opera and hold
it up to her belly when she was pregnant with me,
And when I was five, I ended up picking out
music of the Night on the piano by year. So
I think I was just always naturally drawn to melody,
(03:37):
and to specifically fam of the Opera when I was
a kid, but just anything with a real melodic presence.
I think I always wrapped my head around that and
wanted to explore that within my own work. But that
was really the first moment that I knew that music
was going to be a big part of my life,
(03:58):
or it is my life.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Did you have a plan B.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I tried. I tried so many times. I have a
plan B, but it just always knocks on my door.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
What would do plan be have been? Though? What would
it have encompassed?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You know?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
I thought I was going to be a doctor for
a while, and I wanted I was very you know,
drawn to the body and how it works. But it
just did not happen that way. I went originally to
University of Florida for I was going to go to
med school or wanted to do that pre med, and
(04:40):
then I got into the musical theater program there and
my life just took me totally different direction.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And who are the folks that had incredible influence on
you that really shaped your desire and your passion for music?
Speaker 4 (04:56):
You know, I have to say it's fun but John
Legend really did as a young child, I was twelve
years old when his song Ordinary People came out, which
is one of the best written songs of all time.
I'm convinced, and I learned how to play it, and
(05:18):
I would just play it over and over and over
and over again. And it's funny because years down the line,
I ended up meeting him while I was serving champagne
at an event in Harlem, and then a couple years
after that, I ended up meeting him in person again
and he picked me to be on his team on
(05:39):
the Voice. So I think he's been really instrumental in
my progress and has inspired me many different ways.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Was it instilling confidence? Was it certain words of encouragement?
Can you identify particularly what that aura of John Legend
really did for you?
Speaker 4 (06:01):
You know, I think he's a really solid and grounded guy,
and he showed me that there's a way to do
this business without going crazy and by staying really just present.
He was really present with me both times I met him,
and he showed me that there is another way to
(06:22):
do this, that you can just be really good at
your craft and love the craft and not get into
the hooplah of like press and the debauchery of the
entertainment industry, which I think takes so many people down.
(06:43):
So I really wanted someone to show me that there
is another way, and he certainly did.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
And the influence that your parents had as well, I
have to think had some meaning and purpose.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Yeah, parents, My parents were not in the industry, and
I was I'm kind of like black sheep of the
family in a sense. Because not that they're not supportive,
but they will never fully understand what I'm doing because
they went took totally different paths. And that's fine, but
(07:20):
I really had to find it on my own, and
I think actually the fact that they weren't like holding
my hand through it made me fight even more so
in a way, it was influential for me to go
my own direction and just be very strong willed and
independent in my thought process.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
But what's so fascinating about your story. It ranges from
your musical path, and then it also is your advocacy
on behalf of artists as well, which is pretty crucial
and important. Talk about your work on copyright boards and
(08:02):
what that has meant in terms of your passion for
your craft and your fellow artists.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Yeah, thank you for saying that, and it's something that
I'm very passionate about. And to your point, with my parents,
because they weren't in the industry, I really had to
find my own way, and I didn't have anyone telling me, hey,
don't go this direction, or hey, maybe you need to
get a lawyer here, Hey maybe you need to learn
about this specific part of the industry. And I just
(08:31):
didn't have anyone doing that. So I fell on my
face a lot. And one of those things I fell
on my face with and we'll call it a failure,
but it just really a stepping stone because it happens
with everyone. But I had a major copyright issue that
would have changed my life financially come up that I
(08:52):
did not understand as a young twenty year old. And
I had written something that ended up taking off and
I had my name where on it, And so I
think a lot of artists get into copyright after it's
too late, and I didn't want another artist to go
through what I went through. So I took it upon
(09:12):
myself to learn as much as I could and to
each one teach one so that other young people, you know,
had an easier goal of it.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
And how long did it take you to sort of
learn that part of the business.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
I'm still learning. I think I'm always learning that, and
the structures are changing all the time, which is great,
but at the same respect, I feel like we're always
playing catch up. So I would say I took a
solid two years to learn as much as I could,
(09:53):
and I would just do an hour a day on
YouTube and educate myself.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Twenty twenty one was a big year for you. That
was the moment where you broke out with the song
American Love.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Can you talk about that song.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
The creation of it, take us sort of behind the
curtain on how that came to be such an important
step in your career.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Yeah, thank you. I love that song still to this day,
and I think it was my favorite off of my
first EP, so that one I wanted all live instruments on,
and I was very adamant about that. I actually recorded
it in analog, so I just really wanted it to
feel Americana and real and from the grassroots that I
(10:45):
came up in. As I mentioned to you before off
this club, I'm from Hotlanta, Georgia, so you know we
are we love real music and we love to play
and the folk element, and I think there is like
a hard folk element to that song, and I really
wanted that to be present. And I actually put a
(11:05):
big kind of fanom of the opera choir at the end,
so there's a lot of melody involved with that. And
I wanted to meld these different genres that I grew
up and that I love all into this one song,
and I was I think I was able to do
that and have live strings and real keys, real guitars,
(11:26):
like just everything real, because what I was experiencing in
my personal life was so not real. It was not
what I thought it would be. I'd kind of quote
unquote like made it in a certain way, and it
just wasn't what I thought it would be, And so
I wanted my music to be real when what I
(11:48):
was living felt really fake.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And you ended up headlining a one hour solo live
PBS special before the audience there at the the red
Lands Bowl Amphitheater, and it was a tribute to somebody.
I want you to talk about your late mentor Frank Fetta.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Yeah, Maestro Frank Fetta. He was really the first person
I ever truly loved, and I knew that I loved
him when he passed. It was the first time someone
in my life really close to me passed and his
last wish was to put me on And so Reland's
(12:33):
Bowl did a full hour on PBS and I got
to sing every genre from opera to rock to original
music to jazz, everything, and it was just such a
wonderful experience and I think will always be one of
(12:54):
my favorites. He's real special, how special?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
How special? Thank you for sharing and that.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
So tell me about what you've been up to lately
and what you're working on and putting out and that
you're excited about.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Well. I just had a song come out with Ghost
Vace Killer a couple of days ago, so that was
really exciting. It's called Lost Boys with a Z and
I met him a couple of years ago and I
it's just playing keys at a bar and he quote
unquote found me, so to speak, and from there we
(13:32):
developed a friendship and he's he's a dear mentor to me.
And so we have this song that just came out,
and I have an EP coming out on August twenty
second called Sorry I'm Human. I'm really really excited for
y'all to hear that.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh that's great. I heard the Atlanta and you came out.
He came out. Now, how long does a project felt
like that? And you know, from start to finish, you know,
take to come together.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Well, in all honesty, I'll say two solid years for sure.
I had started writing some of the songs many many
years prior, but they just saw the light of day now,
So in totality, probably about five years from you know,
(14:23):
top to bottom.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And there's obviously trial and error in terms of some
of the writing, some of the way you'd sort of
view it in terms of you know, orchestration and everything.
So I'm assuming there's a fair amount of experimentation that
is going on in that process.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
For sure. It takes a long time to find a
cohesive sound without everything sounding the same. So I certainly
sat in the studio for you know, sometimes three hours
for one sound. So it's it's yeah, it's a laborious process,
(15:02):
but it's fun and when you find it, it's like
you just get so excited because the whole thing kind
of just comes together. And I always start writing on
the keys. That's where I start all of my songs,
and if it doesn't work on the keys, it's not
going to work in production because you can add a
bunch of fancy stuff, but if the song isn't there,
then what do you really have? So everything that I
(15:25):
on this record really translates to keys and is key based.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Those hands look very powerful there.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
I'm like, where are you from?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
They really do? They're delicate too, they are for sure.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, we'll be right back with more of the taking
a walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I love in a world where we frequently talk about, uh,
you know, busting genres. I love in terms of your
you know, genre breaking. You're classically trained, you've got roots
in opera, jazz and theater and heano, and you've got
(16:16):
a pop side, you've got a rock side. It's so diverse.
Where did this curiosity and diversity come from?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I think again, it kind of stems from your first
question of like, what was the moment that you fell
in love with music? And I love so many different genres.
And I think because I was in musical theater for
a long time, I had to play so many different
roles in different styles, like one, you know, one month,
(16:52):
I'd be doing a rock show and then the next
I'd be doing an opera show. So I had to
constantly bounce back and forth between all these different genres.
And they sit in a different place in your voice
when you sing. So I had explored all of these
i'll say, different vibrational places within my facility, and at
(17:14):
one point I had kind of lost my true voice
because I was putting on all these characters. And so
it's been a really great development to undevelop that and
to kind of pull away from the I'm ex genre
and just mix them all into who I am now.
So I think it all kind of ties in at
(17:35):
the very end.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
How do you approach vulnerability in your lyrics and your performances?
Speaker 4 (17:44):
You know, I don't even think I really think about vulnerability.
I always try to get to the truth of what
I'm feeling and right from a place that I've already
had the answer to the question that I'm asking, So
I think it just comes out naturally. I'm a pretty
(18:05):
passionate person in general, and I always speak from my
heart no matter what, and I always try to cut
straight to the truth. So I think I'm just always
searching for that.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
What are the themes or messages that you hope listeners
take away from your newest work.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
I like to talk about Sorry I'm Human as like
a thorn in your side that you just left there
and you keep bumping up against things, but you never
took the thorn out, so you never really took a
look at what's inside. And I like to think of
(18:48):
this album as taking that arrow out and looking at
it so that it can actually heal and not shaming it.
But really looking at the dark parts and being okay
with them, or at least saying hello to them, and
you know, wishing them well so that you can heal,
(19:08):
because that's what makes us human. And for a long
time I just masked the parts of myself that I
didn't think people would like. And now I'm like, here's
a bright, shiny light here all the parts that I'm
not cool with, because I gotta get cool with them
so that I can heal.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
It's an outlet to sanity.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Totally. It's like therapy, you know, music is it's like
therapy for me, so well it.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Is for us too, right, think of all that it
does for us. It's for an artist's standpoint, it's therapeutic,
and for us as an audience it is as well.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Yeah, it's like we connect through shared experiences and hurts
and also joys and and I really I think, deep inside,
I just want to connect with people.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Do you worry sometimes in the chaotic pace of today
that people lose some of that joy as at least
not from the artist's standpoint, but as fans sometimes.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
You know, I just think as people we do it
just goes so fast that it's hard to stay present.
It's really hard. I mean, I think we're all over stimulated,
and again we're all searching for the same things, which
is love and truth and resonance and connection and music
(20:42):
has a way of bringing us all in the same room.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You've had some great collaborations. I want you to talk
about them. Obviously, your new work is a collaboration that
you spoke about. But who are some of the other
collaborations that you would like to talk about that you've
that you've been part of, And what do you look
for in a creative partner.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
It's a great question. Well, I collaborated with Ray Scabo
on this this piece. Sorry I'm human, and he and
I spent a lot of time together and it was
it was really cool the way it developed. He is
ghost Face Killa's head engineer and producer, and I met
(21:30):
him through ghost and ghost said, hey, I like one
of your songs you lost boys when you heard the
keys just my key and vocal, and he said, would
you like to produce this out? I said, yeah, I
would love to, and and so from there he put
me in touch with Ray and then Ray and I
hit it off and made this piece. So I think
(21:51):
in terms of what I look for. It kind of
finds me wherever I'm at and whatever I need in
the moment. And I think that we find each other
as collaborators.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
You know, it just happens.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Yeah, it really does. It's all organic serendipity totally.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Who are some of the folks you haven't collaborated with
that you can dream about and think, Man, it wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
That be awesome?
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Well, aside from taking a walk in the park with you,
what Dad would love to do and whenever you're in
New York, let me know, we'll do that.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Got it.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
But I'm a huge, huge, huge Lady Gaga man, and
I would just love to have a coffee with her.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I mean, you've been it's been described. When they talk
about you, they say, I think Lady Gaga meets Phantom
of the Opera.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I think Moya came up with that. It's a good one.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's good, but it's but you know, I envision this
meeting with you and Miss Lady probably happening quicker than
you even think.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
I would be honored. I would be so honored. She's
you know, she's also musical theater, so she's a storyteller.
She loves these wild concepts and just bringing you into
her world visually and sonically. And I'm a huge proponent
of that and I try to carry that within my
(23:32):
own work too. Well.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
It occurs to me too.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
One of her talents, among her musical talents and beyond,
is obviously you know, she's been successful at acting as well.
Would I ever see a world with Lenna love taking
you know, a.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Crack at acting?
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Yeah, I've actually been in a couple a couple of things.
I played Gwen Stefani on a TV show Once You Did.
It was funny because I ended up meeting her later
in life and that was cool. So yeah, I love
it all and I'm open to all of the above.
(24:19):
I'm very curious to see where my life's gonna lead
me because I feel like I have my hands in
so many different honey pots and I'm so curious about
different parts of the entertainment world. And I really do
love it all.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
And if you're curious, then that opens doors.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
It does. I feel like I'm no longer in a
narrow stream. I feel like I'm in the ocean.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Wow, outstanding. I take me back to singing for tips
at Coldstone Creamery.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
You know, I've always been singing for tips. That is
not the first time I've sunging for tips. Yeah, that
was my first job, and I gained twenty five pounds
because it was I love Reese's Cups so much. No,
but it was. It was a great job. It was
really fun, and I have I've had so many different
(25:18):
like catering jobs, and yeah, I've done it all in
that sense.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Well, but you're instantly connecting with the audience too, which
obviously you you have mastered how to do that, you know.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Well, I thank you. I think there's always further to
go there. But I did enjoy just meeting people and
singing to them whenever they would, you know, hear me.
Some people didn't want to I do.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
It anyway, Oh I don't think they. I doubt that seriously.
They would.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
They would want to hear you, and and they would.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
They would grow to.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Love you quickly for your for your work and your
your style and your personality.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
You know, well, thank you and your talent so well.
I want to close with this.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
You mentioned continuous learning and your curiosity and how this
has sort of brought you to where you are today
with the new work and everything. But when you envision
what else you'd like to learn that would shape you
as a person and an artist. What do you think
(26:25):
that is.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
It's a really great question, you know. When we think
about the future, we can only see so far in,
you know, And I try to visualize what I want
to experience in my life every morning when I wake up,
every night before I go to bed, and for the
(26:47):
first time in my life, I can't see what's next.
And it's kind of a cool place to be in
because I know I've got this project coming out. I
know that I love music more than my life itself.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
And.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
I don't I truly don't know what's next, and I'm
okay with it. So I think I'm just staying open
in that ocean of possibility to what comes in, and
I'm staying positive and staying on the growth path and
just an expansive path of wanting to connect with people
(27:30):
and connect with myself more so, if anything, I would
say that it's kind of like a broad general way
to look at it. But I'm just trying not to
give myself an x Marx to spot anymore and just
let life take me down the current that I'm supposed
to be on and trust that.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I also take from this. You do all this with
an incredible sense of gratitude.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I do. I have been through a lot for a
person of my age, and I see that it was
all for something and it's making sense. And I think
for many years I questioned what was happening, and now
I'm just kind of like, stop questioning, Appreciate where you're at,
(28:20):
Appreciate what you've been given. I've been given so much
and I have so much love to give back, and
so I'm really in the receptive mode right now and
very grateful for this conversation and for my team and
what I've been able to develop and who I am now.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Leanna Love. It's so wonderful to be with you.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I just can't wait till the next time, the in
person or the virtual or both.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
This has really been a joy.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
And congratulations on the new work, and I know we'll
be continuing to hear great things from you and your future.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Thanks, bus, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts
and wherever you get your podcasts
Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Welcome to Taking a Walk, the podcast where we explore
the stories, passions, and journeys of fascinating people one step
at a time. I'm your host, Buzznight, inviting you to
join me for an audio diary of insightful conversation and
music history on Foot. Today, we're going to be talking
with the truly dynamic artist Lana Love. Known for her
(00:22):
genre blending sound, fearless creativity, and deeply personal songwriting, Lana
has quickly become a standout voice in today's music scene.
Whether she's performing on stage or crafting songs that resonate
with listeners around the world, Lana brings a sense of
honesty and artistry that's impossible to ignore. On this episode,
(00:46):
I'm going to dive into Lana's creative process, the stories
behind her music, and the moments that have shaped her
unique journey.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So let's settle in right now and talk to Lana
Love on Taking a Walk.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, Lena, thanks for being on Taking a Walk. It's
an honor to be with you.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
Yeah, thanks for having me appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So, since we call this show Taking a Walk, and
even though we are virtual, I do want to ask
you the opening question here, which is if you could
take a walk with somebody living or dead. Doesn't have
to be someone musical, but it's nice if it is.
But it's your walk. Who would you take that walk with?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
I'd take that walk with you. Wow, yeah, we're here
right now. I wish we could be in person.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh that's so nice. I love it in person walk.
I love a virtual meetup. But that would be so
nice to take that walk. Where would we walk?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Well, I'd like to go to your hometown because I
haven't spent much time in Boston, and I think you
could probably show me around and teach me a little
bit about what goes around there.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
All right, there's a lot of great places to walk.
It's a great walking city, and great walking cities are
great places to just disappear and take in the history.
So we'd have a great walk. So let's let's do it. Sometimes,
let's do that, and if not, we'll do it in
to New York. We'll pick one of your favorite spots
in New York City. So an amazing story that you have.
(02:25):
You are one of the most fascinating people I have
spoken to in terms of your diversity of styles and
the work that you do. Uh, it's it's a fascinating story.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Where will begin?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I think, is that infamous moment that you knew that
you were deeply connected with music?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
What was that moment you know?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I think the first I like to say when I
popped out of the womb, but the first memory that
I have I was four or five years old and
we had a piano that was gifted to us, and
it was in our living room and I would always
just go tinker on the piano as a child, So
(03:13):
I think I was always drawn to music. And my
mom used to play Fan of the Opera and hold
it up to her belly when she was pregnant with me,
And when I was five, I ended up picking out
music of the Night on the piano by year. So
I think I was just always naturally drawn to melody,
(03:37):
and to specifically fam of the Opera when I was
a kid, but just anything with a real melodic presence.
I think I always wrapped my head around that and
wanted to explore that within my own work. But that
was really the first moment that I knew that music
was going to be a big part of my life,
(03:58):
or it is my life.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Did you have a plan B.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I tried. I tried so many times. I have a
plan B, but it just always knocks on my door.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
What would do plan be have been? Though? What would
it have encompassed?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You know?
Speaker 4 (04:18):
I thought I was going to be a doctor for
a while, and I wanted I was very you know,
drawn to the body and how it works. But it
just did not happen that way. I went originally to
University of Florida for I was going to go to
med school or wanted to do that pre med, and
(04:40):
then I got into the musical theater program there and
my life just took me totally different direction.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And who are the folks that had incredible influence on
you that really shaped your desire and your passion for music?
Speaker 4 (04:56):
You know, I have to say it's fun but John
Legend really did as a young child, I was twelve
years old when his song Ordinary People came out, which
is one of the best written songs of all time.
I'm convinced, and I learned how to play it, and
(05:18):
I would just play it over and over and over
and over again. And it's funny because years down the line,
I ended up meeting him while I was serving champagne
at an event in Harlem, and then a couple years
after that, I ended up meeting him in person again
and he picked me to be on his team on
(05:39):
the Voice. So I think he's been really instrumental in
my progress and has inspired me many different ways.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Was it instilling confidence? Was it certain words of encouragement?
Can you identify particularly what that aura of John Legend
really did for you?
Speaker 4 (06:01):
You know, I think he's a really solid and grounded guy,
and he showed me that there's a way to do
this business without going crazy and by staying really just present.
He was really present with me both times I met him,
and he showed me that there is another way to
(06:22):
do this, that you can just be really good at
your craft and love the craft and not get into
the hooplah of like press and the debauchery of the
entertainment industry, which I think takes so many people down.
(06:43):
So I really wanted someone to show me that there
is another way, and he certainly did.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
And the influence that your parents had as well, I
have to think had some meaning and purpose.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Yeah, parents, My parents were not in the industry, and
I was I'm kind of like black sheep of the
family in a sense. Because not that they're not supportive,
but they will never fully understand what I'm doing because
they went took totally different paths. And that's fine, but
(07:20):
I really had to find it on my own, and
I think actually the fact that they weren't like holding
my hand through it made me fight even more so
in a way, it was influential for me to go
my own direction and just be very strong willed and
independent in my thought process.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
But what's so fascinating about your story. It ranges from
your musical path, and then it also is your advocacy
on behalf of artists as well, which is pretty crucial
and important. Talk about your work on copyright boards and
(08:02):
what that has meant in terms of your passion for
your craft and your fellow artists.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Yeah, thank you for saying that, and it's something that
I'm very passionate about. And to your point, with my parents,
because they weren't in the industry, I really had to
find my own way, and I didn't have anyone telling me, hey,
don't go this direction, or hey, maybe you need to
get a lawyer here, Hey maybe you need to learn
about this specific part of the industry. And I just
(08:31):
didn't have anyone doing that. So I fell on my
face a lot. And one of those things I fell
on my face with and we'll call it a failure,
but it just really a stepping stone because it happens
with everyone. But I had a major copyright issue that
would have changed my life financially come up that I
(08:52):
did not understand as a young twenty year old. And
I had written something that ended up taking off and
I had my name where on it, And so I
think a lot of artists get into copyright after it's
too late, and I didn't want another artist to go
through what I went through. So I took it upon
(09:12):
myself to learn as much as I could and to
each one teach one so that other young people, you know,
had an easier goal of it.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
And how long did it take you to sort of
learn that part of the business.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
I'm still learning. I think I'm always learning that, and
the structures are changing all the time, which is great,
but at the same respect, I feel like we're always
playing catch up. So I would say I took a
solid two years to learn as much as I could,
(09:53):
and I would just do an hour a day on
YouTube and educate myself.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Twenty twenty one was a big year for you. That
was the moment where you broke out with the song
American Love.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Can you talk about that song.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
The creation of it, take us sort of behind the
curtain on how that came to be such an important
step in your career.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
Yeah, thank you. I love that song still to this day,
and I think it was my favorite off of my
first EP, so that one I wanted all live instruments on,
and I was very adamant about that. I actually recorded
it in analog, so I just really wanted it to
feel Americana and real and from the grassroots that I
(10:45):
came up in. As I mentioned to you before off
this club, I'm from Hotlanta, Georgia, so you know we
are we love real music and we love to play
and the folk element, and I think there is like
a hard folk element to that song, and I really
wanted that to be present. And I actually put a
(11:05):
big kind of fanom of the opera choir at the end,
so there's a lot of melody involved with that. And
I wanted to meld these different genres that I grew
up and that I love all into this one song,
and I was I think I was able to do
that and have live strings and real keys, real guitars,
(11:26):
like just everything real, because what I was experiencing in
my personal life was so not real. It was not
what I thought it would be. I'd kind of quote
unquote like made it in a certain way, and it
just wasn't what I thought it would be, And so
I wanted my music to be real when what I
(11:48):
was living felt really fake.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
And you ended up headlining a one hour solo live
PBS special before the audience there at the the red
Lands Bowl Amphitheater, and it was a tribute to somebody.
I want you to talk about your late mentor Frank Fetta.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
Yeah, Maestro Frank Fetta. He was really the first person
I ever truly loved, and I knew that I loved
him when he passed. It was the first time someone
in my life really close to me passed and his
last wish was to put me on And so Reland's
(12:33):
Bowl did a full hour on PBS and I got
to sing every genre from opera to rock to original
music to jazz, everything, and it was just such a
wonderful experience and I think will always be one of
(12:54):
my favorites. He's real special, how special?
Speaker 3 (12:58):
How special? Thank you for sharing and that.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
So tell me about what you've been up to lately
and what you're working on and putting out and that
you're excited about.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
Well. I just had a song come out with Ghost
Vace Killer a couple of days ago, so that was
really exciting. It's called Lost Boys with a Z and
I met him a couple of years ago and I
it's just playing keys at a bar and he quote
unquote found me, so to speak, and from there we
(13:32):
developed a friendship and he's he's a dear mentor to me.
And so we have this song that just came out,
and I have an EP coming out on August twenty
second called Sorry I'm Human. I'm really really excited for
y'all to hear that.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Oh that's great. I heard the Atlanta and you came out.
He came out. Now, how long does a project felt
like that? And you know, from start to finish, you know,
take to come together.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Well, in all honesty, I'll say two solid years for sure.
I had started writing some of the songs many many
years prior, but they just saw the light of day now,
So in totality, probably about five years from you know,
(14:23):
top to bottom.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
And there's obviously trial and error in terms of some
of the writing, some of the way you'd sort of
view it in terms of you know, orchestration and everything.
So I'm assuming there's a fair amount of experimentation that
is going on in that process.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
For sure. It takes a long time to find a
cohesive sound without everything sounding the same. So I certainly
sat in the studio for you know, sometimes three hours
for one sound. So it's it's yeah, it's a laborious process,
(15:02):
but it's fun and when you find it, it's like
you just get so excited because the whole thing kind
of just comes together. And I always start writing on
the keys. That's where I start all of my songs,
and if it doesn't work on the keys, it's not
going to work in production because you can add a
bunch of fancy stuff, but if the song isn't there,
then what do you really have? So everything that I
(15:25):
on this record really translates to keys and is key based.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Those hands look very powerful there.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
I'm like, where are you from?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
They really do? They're delicate too, they are for sure.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yeah, we'll be right back with more of the taking
a walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I love in a world where we frequently talk about, uh,
you know, busting genres. I love in terms of your
you know, genre breaking. You're classically trained, you've got roots
in opera, jazz and theater and heano, and you've got
(16:16):
a pop side, you've got a rock side. It's so diverse.
Where did this curiosity and diversity come from?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I think again, it kind of stems from your first
question of like, what was the moment that you fell
in love with music? And I love so many different genres.
And I think because I was in musical theater for
a long time, I had to play so many different
roles in different styles, like one, you know, one month,
(16:52):
I'd be doing a rock show and then the next
I'd be doing an opera show. So I had to
constantly bounce back and forth between all these different genres.
And they sit in a different place in your voice
when you sing. So I had explored all of these
i'll say, different vibrational places within my facility, and at
(17:14):
one point I had kind of lost my true voice
because I was putting on all these characters. And so
it's been a really great development to undevelop that and
to kind of pull away from the I'm ex genre
and just mix them all into who I am now.
So I think it all kind of ties in at
(17:35):
the very end.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
How do you approach vulnerability in your lyrics and your performances?
Speaker 4 (17:44):
You know, I don't even think I really think about vulnerability.
I always try to get to the truth of what
I'm feeling and right from a place that I've already
had the answer to the question that I'm asking, So
I think it just comes out naturally. I'm a pretty
(18:05):
passionate person in general, and I always speak from my
heart no matter what, and I always try to cut
straight to the truth. So I think I'm just always
searching for that.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
What are the themes or messages that you hope listeners
take away from your newest work.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
I like to talk about Sorry I'm Human as like
a thorn in your side that you just left there
and you keep bumping up against things, but you never
took the thorn out, so you never really took a
look at what's inside. And I like to think of
(18:48):
this album as taking that arrow out and looking at
it so that it can actually heal and not shaming it.
But really looking at the dark parts and being okay
with them, or at least saying hello to them, and
you know, wishing them well so that you can heal,
(19:08):
because that's what makes us human. And for a long
time I just masked the parts of myself that I
didn't think people would like. And now I'm like, here's
a bright, shiny light here all the parts that I'm
not cool with, because I gotta get cool with them
so that I can heal.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
It's an outlet to sanity.
Speaker 4 (19:31):
Totally. It's like therapy, you know, music is it's like
therapy for me, so well it.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Is for us too, right, think of all that it
does for us. It's for an artist's standpoint, it's therapeutic,
and for us as an audience it is as well.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Yeah, it's like we connect through shared experiences and hurts
and also joys and and I really I think, deep inside,
I just want to connect with people.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Do you worry sometimes in the chaotic pace of today
that people lose some of that joy as at least
not from the artist's standpoint, but as fans sometimes.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
You know, I just think as people we do it
just goes so fast that it's hard to stay present.
It's really hard. I mean, I think we're all over stimulated,
and again we're all searching for the same things, which
is love and truth and resonance and connection and music
(20:42):
has a way of bringing us all in the same room.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
You've had some great collaborations. I want you to talk
about them. Obviously, your new work is a collaboration that
you spoke about. But who are some of the other
collaborations that you would like to talk about that you've
that you've been part of, And what do you look
for in a creative partner.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
It's a great question. Well, I collaborated with Ray Scabo
on this this piece. Sorry I'm human, and he and
I spent a lot of time together and it was
it was really cool the way it developed. He is
ghost Face Killa's head engineer and producer, and I met
(21:30):
him through ghost and ghost said, hey, I like one
of your songs you lost boys when you heard the
keys just my key and vocal, and he said, would
you like to produce this out? I said, yeah, I
would love to, and and so from there he put
me in touch with Ray and then Ray and I
hit it off and made this piece. So I think
(21:51):
in terms of what I look for. It kind of
finds me wherever I'm at and whatever I need in
the moment. And I think that we find each other
as collaborators.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
You know, it just happens.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Yeah, it really does. It's all organic serendipity totally.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Who are some of the folks you haven't collaborated with
that you can dream about and think, Man, it wouldn't.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
That be awesome?
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Well, aside from taking a walk in the park with you,
what Dad would love to do and whenever you're in
New York, let me know, we'll do that.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Got it.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
But I'm a huge, huge, huge Lady Gaga man, and
I would just love to have a coffee with her.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I mean, you've been it's been described. When they talk
about you, they say, I think Lady Gaga meets Phantom
of the Opera.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I think Moya came up with that. It's a good one.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
It's good, but it's but you know, I envision this
meeting with you and Miss Lady probably happening quicker than
you even think.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
I would be honored. I would be so honored. She's
you know, she's also musical theater, so she's a storyteller.
She loves these wild concepts and just bringing you into
her world visually and sonically. And I'm a huge proponent
of that and I try to carry that within my
(23:32):
own work too. Well.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
It occurs to me too.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
One of her talents, among her musical talents and beyond,
is obviously you know, she's been successful at acting as well.
Would I ever see a world with Lenna love taking
you know, a.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Crack at acting?
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Yeah, I've actually been in a couple a couple of things.
I played Gwen Stefani on a TV show Once You Did.
It was funny because I ended up meeting her later
in life and that was cool. So yeah, I love
it all and I'm open to all of the above.
(24:19):
I'm very curious to see where my life's gonna lead
me because I feel like I have my hands in
so many different honey pots and I'm so curious about
different parts of the entertainment world. And I really do
love it all.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
And if you're curious, then that opens doors.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
It does. I feel like I'm no longer in a
narrow stream. I feel like I'm in the ocean.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Wow, outstanding. I take me back to singing for tips
at Coldstone Creamery.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
You know, I've always been singing for tips. That is
not the first time I've sunging for tips. Yeah, that
was my first job, and I gained twenty five pounds
because it was I love Reese's Cups so much. No,
but it was. It was a great job. It was
really fun, and I have I've had so many different
(25:18):
like catering jobs, and yeah, I've done it all in
that sense.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
Well, but you're instantly connecting with the audience too, which
obviously you you have mastered how to do that, you know.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Well, I thank you. I think there's always further to
go there. But I did enjoy just meeting people and
singing to them whenever they would, you know, hear me.
Some people didn't want to I do.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
It anyway, Oh I don't think they. I doubt that seriously.
They would.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
They would want to hear you, and and they would.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
They would grow to.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Love you quickly for your for your work and your
your style and your personality.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
You know, well, thank you and your talent so well.
I want to close with this.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
You mentioned continuous learning and your curiosity and how this
has sort of brought you to where you are today
with the new work and everything. But when you envision
what else you'd like to learn that would shape you
as a person and an artist. What do you think
(26:25):
that is.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
It's a really great question, you know. When we think
about the future, we can only see so far in,
you know, And I try to visualize what I want
to experience in my life every morning when I wake up,
every night before I go to bed, and for the
(26:47):
first time in my life, I can't see what's next.
And it's kind of a cool place to be in
because I know I've got this project coming out. I
know that I love music more than my life itself.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
And.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
I don't I truly don't know what's next, and I'm
okay with it. So I think I'm just staying open
in that ocean of possibility to what comes in, and
I'm staying positive and staying on the growth path and
just an expansive path of wanting to connect with people
(27:30):
and connect with myself more so, if anything, I would
say that it's kind of like a broad general way
to look at it. But I'm just trying not to
give myself an x Marx to spot anymore and just
let life take me down the current that I'm supposed
to be on and trust that.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
I also take from this. You do all this with
an incredible sense of gratitude.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I do. I have been through a lot for a
person of my age, and I see that it was
all for something and it's making sense. And I think
for many years I questioned what was happening, and now
I'm just kind of like, stop questioning, Appreciate where you're at,
(28:20):
Appreciate what you've been given. I've been given so much
and I have so much love to give back, and
so I'm really in the receptive mode right now and
very grateful for this conversation and for my team and
what I've been able to develop and who I am now.
Speaker 3 (28:42):
Leanna Love. It's so wonderful to be with you.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
I just can't wait till the next time, the in
person or the virtual or both.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
This has really been a joy.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
And congratulations on the new work, and I know we'll
be continuing to hear great things from you and your future.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Thanks, bus, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts
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