Today we’d like to introduce you to Lánre.
Hi Lánre, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been singing and performing since I was eight in the church children’s chorus in my hometown of Plainfield, NJ. I went to a middle school for the performing arts when I was ten and was classically trained in music and performing. I kept doing music in high school through activities like musical theatre. I also wrote and recorded my first demo when I was 14 with help from my cousin, Mike Williams (Mike WiLL Made-It). So as you can see, I’ve been doing music my whole life!
I started releasing music professionally in 2020 though, a few months before the nationwide lockdowns. In a weird way, it was the best time for me to start my professional career because I had to learn how to record on my own and market myself from my laptop. I graduated college with a degree in business marketing, so my digital marketing skills certainly helped. It was still a challenge getting my music career off the ground while so much was happening in the world. I’m grateful for it though because music truly became my escape and at the same time, a way to connect with people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My path has certainly come with challenges! I’ve always had a love for music and singing, but the actual act of singing and performing didn’t come naturally to me. In fact, I wasn’t that good at it as a kid. As I mentioned before, I went to a performing arts school in middle school. I would see very talented kids get picked for special performances and very much doubted my own skills and abilities. I was so frustrated because I knew I had the passion and potential to be great, it just wasn’t translating into my actual output yet. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that my outward voice started to match the potential I felt inside. I think a big part of this was because of puberty!
Separately, I had a lot of really dark times in college and my early twenties that drove me away from music. Battling depression, overdrinking, and overall lack of motivation, I felt so aimless and wasn’t motivated to do anything with my life. I wrote my hit song, Beautiful Lies about this time actually. It wasn’t until I made my way back to music in my mid-twenties that I re-discovered my passion for life and got out of that dark hole.
Dealing with depressing thoughts and self-doubt are still challenges I face today, but I have much better ways to cope and deal with them now. Especially because I’m on the path, I was always meant to be on.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My name is Lánre and I’m a singer-songwriter based in Atlanta, GA! I’ve been releasing music professionally since 2020 and have been gaining a following of listeners and fans ever since. My debut EP, ‘In My Dreams’ that released in 2020 crossed 300k+ streams and I have two singles, ‘Beautiful Lies’ and ‘Somebody New – graymattr Remix’ both over 230k+ streams worldwide. Now that venues are back to having acts appear regularly, I’ve performed in venues in NYC, Austin, and Atlanta so far in 2022. I will be playing a lot of shows in Colorado and LA starting end of May this year. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, but I’m just getting started and the best is yet to come.
I stand out from the crowd of other R&B/pop male singers because I’m not afraid to be vulnerable in my lyrics and song topics. In my debut EP, I talk about depression, getting broken up with, and what it took to overcome that. The songs I’ve released since then have also been personal, expressing how I feel about change, falling in love for the first time later in life, etc. I grew up studying acts like Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Usher, and Justin Timberlake and they approached their music the same way. I think that vulnerability and authenticity are missing from today’s music scene, and I plan on bringing that back in a big way.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My practical definition of success is being able to see my friends and family reap the benefits of my hard work and career. When I can effortlessly help one of my friends start a business or put all of my little cousins through college, that’s when I’ll know I’ve reached the success I’ve always strived for.
I’m a strong believer that the road to success is not a linear path. There is so much to be learned through failure. That’s a lesson I’ve learned many times in my life because nothing really came easy to me. I had to fail 100 times before I got it right once. That is what true success is to me too because I can help the person or people who come after me learn from my mistakes so that they can end up even better than I am. Will Smith had a very powerful quote that has become one of my mantras during challenging times, “Fail forward and fail often”.
Contact Info:
- Email: lanre.mgmt@gmail.com
- Website: lanre.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanre.official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanremusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lanre_music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPkK6LnD1nxQGYsR2GChzww
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lanre_music
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@lanreofficial
Image Credits
Garrett Cardoso
