For Canadian pop-rock artist LØLØ, her Lollapalooza set at the BMI stage marked her first big festival appearance. 

As the singer-songwriter prepares to release a new song this month, she sat down with buzz before her set to talk about how she found her voice in her music and feelings before her first performance at Lollapalooza.

buzz: This is your first time at Lollapalooza. How are you feeling leading up to your performance at the BMI stage?

LØLØ: I’m feeling excited. I have that, like, jitter feeling. It’s a good, pukey feeling if you know what I mean, but it’s a good one. I’m really excited. It’s the biggest festival I’ve done. I’ve only done one other festival besides this, but this is, the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Last year at this time, I was looking at photos of Lollapalooza being like, “I wish I could perform there,” and this year, I’m here, so I think that’s really cool.

buzz: When did you realize that music was an avenue that you wanted to pursue?

LØLØ: When I was really little, I always loved singing. I actually used to want to be on Broadway. That was my dream. I also — as a kid — kept a diary always. Then I started learning guitar in grade nine, and my guitar teacher was like, “You should write songs,” and I was like, “No, no, no, no, like, people knowing my diary, no f****** chance.” Then he was like, “I’m not coming back next weekend” — or next week whenever we had our lesson — “unless you write a song,” and I was like, “OK.” And then I tried writing a song, and I loved it. It felt really natural, I think, because I was used to writing my feelings. Ever since that moment, I was like, “No, f*** Broadway. I want to be an artist,” and I started writing songs, and then like couple years later, released my first song.

buzz: How did you find your voice in your music, and what do you want it to convey to listeners?

LØLØ: Growing up, my favorite things to listen to were the Green Day “American Idiot” album, Hilary Duff and Avril Levine, and I feel like that’s a really good amalgamation of what my music has become today — just like a way poppier, girlier version of Green Day. I tried a lot of different things. The first song I ever put out had the punky guitars and stuff, and then I kind of like went a different direction that was way more pop, because my first song ever got on the radio in Canada, and I was like, “Oh, no, I’m a radio artist. I need to make pop music.” And I ended up not liking any of the super bubblegum pop stuff that I did, and I was like, “You know, I need to take a break. What do I really want to write about?” I wrote a slow song, then wrote stuff with more hip hop elements, then I wrote my song called “Hate U,” which is more pop-rock. Then I took a step back. I was like, “What do I like the best? OK, I like this pop-rock stuff,” and then so I went with that.

buzz: You’ve been touring this summer. How does being at Lollapalooza compare to those other venues you’ve played at on tour?

LØLØ: I’ve been on this festival called Sad Summer Fest, it’s like a Warped Tour-esque situation. I’m the first band of eight on that, but it’s been really cool. Big crowds, really big crowds. I guess this stage is probably smaller, but somehow it means more. But it’s good because today’s actually a day off from that tour, so I feel well-prepared.

buzz: So you’re spending your day off playing at one of the biggest music festivals in the country.

LØLØ: Yeah, no days off nowadays. (laughs)

buzz: What sort of atmosphere do you hope to achieve during your set at the BMI stage later today?

LØLØ: I feel like my set is a lot of me oversharing about my life because, with my lyrics and my songs, I’m just, I guess, brutally honest. Sometimes we share too much probably, but I kind of just am myself, and I want people to feel like they relate to the songs. Like, it’s OK if they’re going through a breakup, or it’s OK if they feel lonely and pathetic, or if they have crippling anxiety and it feels like the floor is lava. Yeah, just trying to create welcoming vibes and for everyone to just be friends in the audience, even if they came alone.

buzz: Playing at Lollapalooza is a big deal, but hypothetically, if you could play a show at any venue, or any festival, which one would you pick and why?

LØLØ: Besides Lollapalooza, I guess I would pick the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto because I’m from Toronto, and I saw my first concert there. It’s like our Madison Square Garden. I don’t know what the equivalent here is in Chicago, but it’s like the big arena. So I guess I would say that just so I could be like, “Holy s***, I’ve seen so many shows here, and now I’m on this stage.” That’s definitely a goal.

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