Lauv Exposes Pixar Secrets

Lauv is embracing a life he never imagined- creating songs for Pixar, and being sober. We're diving into why he's gone sober and what his plans are for it... plus- lots of details of how a Pixar movie and soundtrack comes together, and the changes that are made in a short amount of time!

It's one of my favorite chats in a while, so enjoy!

instagram.com/elizabethany

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
I appreciate you checking out my interviewpodcast. My name is Elizabethany And to
be honest, I've done so manyinterviews since I posted the last one.
I just never get around to sharingthem. I have a really bad completion
rate. Anyway, Love is withus today because he has a song that's
part of the Elemental soundtrack. Elementalis the latest Pixar movie and it's or

(00:25):
thirty. Well on TikTok it's calledSeal the Show. So we got to
talk about that. I asked himI wanted to know all about being behind
the scenes of Pixar, and I'mshocked the amount of changes that he saw
to this movie and what we foundout was a different amount of time than
I would have expected. It wasvery surprising. We're also talking about how

(00:47):
he is getting sober, what hisplans are for that and beyond. I
did this interview about three and ahalf minutes ago, and I already forgot
what we talked about. So let'sget into it with Oh, the last
time I saw you, you wereat the bar after a jingle ball.
We went to the dive bar.Oh yeah, and now you're talking about

(01:08):
being sober. I'm sober I'm fullysober. So what day are you on
now? Uh, today's day twelve? Okay, yeah, yeah. What
is it that makes you say like, are you planning on this being a
forever thing? Or is this achallenge? Or what are you thinking?

(01:29):
Man? Honestly, the plan isforever. Um, you know, I'm
trying to just remind myself to justthink of it like, you know,
day by day. But um,yeah, I was just like, first
of all, I'm so happy I'vedone it so far because it's been like,
also, congratulations, I should havesaid that. I shouldn't have been
like you were at the bar andnow you're sober? What the hell?

(01:49):
Like? Thank you? Thank you? Yeah, I know it feels great.
It feels great. So it wasthere something that or someone or whatever
that made you say like I needto take a chill. Yeah, I
mean there's just been there's just beentimes where I could feel like people around
me being you know, just likea little bit concerned, and without going

(02:14):
into too much detail, I wasjust like, once it's like other people
are concerned, I'm like, Ido not need to be, Like I
think deep down I've always known likeI'm one of those people that like can
just control like that I ultimately couldcontrol what's going on. And I was
like, Okay, I'm proving I'mgoing to do that now, like I'm

(02:35):
done. Like I was just like, I'm I don't I don't want people
feeling that way, like people thatcare about me feeling that way or anything
like that, and and myself likeI shouldn't. I feel so much better
now that I'm kind of like actuallytaking care of myself and I'm working out
a lot and eating well and justyeah, it's kind of wild too,
because when you're such a party person. And I say this as the party
person, I mean, I feellike half of my identity is alcohol.

(02:59):
But whenever I tell my friends thatI want even just a weekend or whatever
where I don't drink because I knowhow good it makes me feel when I
don't, it's like everyone's so shockedabout it. Yeah, and then you
feel good and you're like, Idon't know what to tell you. I
can still have fun without drinking.Like I'm still my party person. I'm
just not taking things in. Iwill say, being at like in the

(03:24):
bigger social situations or parties is theprobably the only part that's truly challenging for
me so far. Um, yeah, a little bit of the social anxiety
kicks writing and you have to dothat a lot. Okay, So I
know we want to talk about thisshow from Elemental or the song from Elemental.
So I'm curious if when you've createdmusic in the past, have you

(03:47):
ever thought that a director is afan of you and one day they're going
to call you and be like youwe need you. No. I mean,
yeah, that's that's such a goodquestion put so well, yeah,
because it really was just I justhad it just hit me one day.
I was like whoa, Okay,Like yeah, like they want me to
do the song for a Pixar film, Like that's really crazy. Yeah,

(04:10):
when when I saw that he wasusing a different one of your songs just
as a placeholder. I mean,that's got to be a really crazy thing
you don't think of when you're puttingmusic out for your fans. No,
definitely not. Yeah. Yeah,such a cool experience too. Like it
was just like getting to go inand like watch like an early storyboard of
the film and just like get somebackstory from Pete and stuff, you know,

(04:31):
behind the inspiration for the film,And it was just one of those
things that I just feel like thekid inside you're just like that's crazy,
crazy, so nuts. Okay,so you say storyboard. I didn't think
about that before either. So howearly in the process. What was it
like to see a Pixar film beingcreated? Mind blowing because it's like you

(04:59):
really like it may makes me realize, Like, I mean, I can't.
I went in a couple of timesand I got to see like little
like bits of the animation as itwas being done, and like I got
to go in and literally into likea room with some of the animators and
just like watch them like tweak thingsand stuff like that. Like that was
just nuts, like so crazy,yeah, because it just it evolves so

(05:19):
much from the early like from whatI originally saw was like drawings, like
moving drawings. So is that whatyou think is because I can't. I've
listened to books about the Pixar creatorsand stuff and just their whole process of
because they're also particular about every littledetail. So is there a detail that
you would have never expected them changing? Oh that's a really good question.

(05:44):
Um. I think more so thanthat, I was just like really like
how how I watched the animation likelike turn from somewhat simplistic and like being
like, Okay, I see what'sgoing on here. So like going to
the premiere and like seeing the finalproduct, I was actually just like my

(06:04):
jars on the floor. I wasjust like this is so crazy because I
watched somebody Pisar films and it mademe kind of see all of that like
differently, like whoa, Like Iwonder how that one started and how that
one started, and like all therelentless time they put in. I mean,
it's just such a big team.It's such a big team effort.
Everybody's just like living in the world. It feels like everybody in that world
is like really so passionate about thepurpose and like the the bigger picture that

(06:30):
it's just like really inspiring, andit seems like it's so many different heads
coming together that maybe don't always agree, and then they still come out with
the best product, which is kindof a dream team. Yeah. No,
it's crazy. I mean, becauseI think about like making music,
it's like at most I'll be workingwith like on the craziest day, all
in the studio with like four orfive other people, maybe maybe like maybe

(06:54):
six, but like working on youknow, with that many people. Like,
that's just that's wild that I wasgoing to ask if it changes the
way that you do your process ofmusic, Like do you want a bunch
of people in there picking apart everylittle thing? Or hell no? No?
I mean I like, I likeI like working with only a couple
people at a time, like justlike you know, having like maybe two

(07:15):
people to like bounce stuff off of, um, just for the energy and
the chemistry. Um. But Ido like playing my stuff, like the
demos for like other you know,creators and stuff and getting advice and stuff
like that. That's that's super fun. Okay, who is whose opinion do
you high in or hold in likethe highest regard when you are presenting it

(07:40):
to people who that's a really goodquestion. Um. I mean two people
that came to my mind immediately aremy friend Michael Pollock, um and who's
an amazing, amazing songwriter. He'swritten a bunch of hits. Um yeah,
if anyone you know, listening orlike whatever hasn't heard of stuff like

(08:01):
he's written just so many hits fora lot of artists. Him and Jay
Cash, my other friend, Ifeel like, are two people that I
really trust their opinion because they're justsuch amazing songwriters but also such big music
fans that I feel like I geta chance to, like I don't know,
like hear what they're hearing for asecond, and like them not being
so attached to the story and justbeing attached to like the idea of the

(08:24):
product or like I hate to sayproduct, but the idea of like the
art. Yeah, so do youyou how much of yourself did you put
into Steal the Show? A lot? I mean it was it was very
like im. I basically freestyled allthe melodies and the piano chords and then

(08:45):
hads and in that freestyle got someof the lyrics, like just the like
the some of the key moments ofthe lyrics just kind of came out subconsciously.
And then I got together with anothergood friend of my Michael Matosa,
is a great songwriter that I loveworking with in a person that I really
trust, And it was really coolbecause it was like a combination of my

(09:07):
story, but like really more soit was really more so like me seeing
the film and being like, howdo I connect to the story that they're
telling? So that was that wassuper different for me super cool. Do
they give you any kind of requirementsfor the song? Not only requirements,
but like I think I knew,like when you know they had a place,

(09:33):
you know, one of my othersongs as a placeholder, Like I
knew kind of what they were hopingfor and um, and they would pick
little cues like okay, like wewanted to be like really like like this
is the falling in love montage,so like you know, sweet feelings of
falling in love and like happiness andlike upbeatness and there'd be notes along the

(09:54):
way and stuff. But it reallygave me so much creative freedom. So
I feel like that's if it hadn'tbeen that, I don't know if it
would have worked. So were youin love when writing a song about falling
in love at that time? Iwas not in love. I don't think
I was, just yeah, Iwas just kind of I was I think
a combination of reminiscing and also justdreaming. So I mean, I feel

(10:16):
like it is it's a feeling thatyou remember even if it's not happening in
the moment. But it would suckif you were going through a breakup and
you're having to like write this cutelittle song. Yeah yeah, um okay,
I wait and now I got sidetrackedof where I was going. Um

(10:37):
oh okay, So not really anyrequirements, so they don't tell you like
it needs to be called steal theshow or okay, And what was the
song that of yours that they wereusing as a placeholder? I was,
I'll like me better. Okay.I think I told you I jingle Ball
that it was my rain tone fora long time. That's so crazy.
When did they first hit you upabout this? Oh? Wow? It

(11:01):
was like I would say, itwas probably like like Last Falls. Yeah,
I think it was like Glass Fall. Wow. And you still saw
them do so many changes to themovie even just in that all time it
is being Yeah, it's crazy,like I mean like also getting to go
in with like Thomas Newman and youknow who scored the whole thing, and

(11:22):
going in and like to a liveorchestral recording session, like it was like
I don't know, two hundred stringplayers in a in a sound stage playing
strings, like getting involved in theprocess, and like that was just Yeah,
it was truly something that I wasjust like didn't even know I could
do or like it would be myfuture. So now are you addicted?
Do you want more movie soundtracks?I love to do more movie songs.

(11:46):
That would be sick okay speaking amovie soundtracks obviously huge weekend for the movies.
Do you go to the movies often? I don't, but I really
want to go see Barbie and Iwant to see Uppenheimer. So are you
going to try to do the Barbenheimer? Do you tell like, can you
call a theater and be like sneakingme into the side or how does that
work? It's not even like that, honestly, Like I feel like I

(12:07):
um, yeah, like thankfully,Like when I'm at now, it's like,
I don't It's not like people arecoming up to me that crazy often
or anything like that. So that'snice. I've been asking people if you
were a Barbie or Kendall um,what would you be, Like what accessories
would you have? So I saidI would be house party Barbie, and

(12:28):
I would come with a folding tableand red solo cups. I feel like
for some reason, I want likea like a definitely like a hot pink
bag, and I want oh,I don't even know that's actually I'm making
that question so deep in my headOh, it's deep. It's very deep.
Look, I gotta think about thatone. Yeah, that's crazy.

(12:52):
I don't know. It's kind offun to ask other people because you see
people be like, wait a second, what is my personality? What do
I love? And you don't wantto do the obvious, although I kind
of went obvious with my house partystuff, but like other people were saying
they would be a crazy Chuaba personor the hot girl walk person with like

(13:13):
the Lulu Lemon and the hookahs.Yeah, I feel like I want to
just feel like spicy and cute andjust like do a little do a little
walk like I don't know, Idon't know what that means, but that's
kind of out. You have goodken hair right now. I feel like
it would work. You have goodken hair, like it would be a

(13:35):
good dull hair. Okay, sick, it's I just showered, so it's
kind of wet right now, butappreciate you showering before this. At least
I'm clean, you know, forthe for the interview. Are you at
your house? Are you out atyour pool or something? Yeah? Literally
spot amazing in La. So it'swell, it's not that early. Yeah,

(13:56):
it's not so bad. I've beengetting it. I went to bed
at like almost three that I gotfor like eight. So here we are.
And when you're not drinking it ordoing other things, it's wild how
easy it is. It's so mucheasier. Well, I appreciate catching up
with you and congratulations on this.It's so fun to hear more about the
Pixar backstory stuff. Yeah all right, yeah, it's super sick. Hopefully

(14:18):
we'll see you again soon. Absolutely, Hi, thank you,