Canada is really sharing some of the most fascinating and exhilarating music these days. Musicians seem to be unveiling stellar tunes that hold sway in multiple genres for fans to enjoy. LOLAA, made up of Toronto sisters Lex and Nadia, are doing just that with their latin influenced sound. With the release of their self-titled EP, ‘LOLAA’, in late May, the ladies are bringing that musical magic out for the masses to get down with.
Exploring music this time around opened the doors for LOLAA to become a collective reality. “We felt pigeonholed in our last band, (Magneta Lane) and had been doing that for 10 years. So we decided to do something drastic. It’s like when you go through some really hard things, and one day you decide, fuck it I’m shaving my hair off, I need change. Basically that was it, just time for a change, and finally listening to that voice telling us to be our own catalyst.”
Honesty keeps these musicians in check as they progress forward. “We don’t really think about it as pushing a mold per say, but what maybe gets us writing better songs would be just telling each other when each other’s ideas suck and trying again. The best songs have always come from trying harder.”
Within the craft, their evolution remains ambitious. “[We would love to play around with] more Latin American influences. [We also want to] finish the Spanish recording [of ‘LOLAA’], and reach the audience we want. [We] would love to collaborate with Latin artists that are just doing amazing creative shit. We want to play more with beats and percussion, and less with synths.”
Favorite elements in their music are easy to choose from. “Off our EP I would say Always Been, and Spirits. [It’s] Always Been because of the rhythm, and basically the song is an ode to Jon Secada‘s Just Another Day, ha-ha. We just released the video for this as well which we had so much fun doing. Spirits is a song we wrote dedicated to a friend that passed away. [We] don’t want to chat too much on it, it just brings up a lot of emotions that have been hard to sort through even when playing live.”
Show dreams are plentiful as the growth of their style continues. “I think we are just getting started, and we don’t think we’ve had our best performance yet. What would make our lives is getting up onstage and playing live with some other groups we look up to and [some people you] wouldn’t expect us to collaborations with. [Anyone] from Buscabulla, Cafe Tacvba, Calle 13, Rey Pila and Celia Cruz, if she was still with us. We really want to play in Mexico City… That is a dream we haven’t realized yet. Rudio Fest and Primavera Sound would also be [some future] goals.”
Music as an industry is a difficult ones these days, LOLAA gave their thoughts on being a part of it all. “I think the industry can be tough to navigate through, you need thick skin. [You] just [need to] know who you are, and know when to push back and speak up, especially as a woman. There’s so much power in saying ‘NO’ to things that you know don’t make sense to your greater creative vision. In terms of the state of music today, there are so many great artists that are yet to be discovered, and that are doing cool things in their own respective communities. I admire those people. The ones that have intelligent and honest things to say. We would also like to see an all female band dominate the world in the next couple of years that changes culture and defines a new genre. I would like to see that in my lifetime. We also love 80’s/90’s pop music, it hasn’t been the same since.”
When not working in music, other mediums can sate their needs. “I used to paint but haven’t done that in a while. Maybe I’ll take that up again. Also, we can salsa dance. We might not look like we can, but we most definitely can, ha-ha.” To relax the options are clear, “sleeping in, Netflix, snacks and a glass of wine.”
Inspiration is never far behind. “[We really enjoy] meeting new people that are so outside of what we already know, and just experiencing new things and perspectives. [We love] traveling and meeting people that have interesting stories.”
Jam on.
Check these ladies live at the following dates:
08/19 – Chicago, IL @ Pilsen Festival
08/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary
08/26 – New York, NY @ Pianos (7pm)
Also, give their tune Always Been a watch and a listen below:
