Lauv
| Lauv | |
|---|---|
 Lauv in March 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ari Staprans Leff |
| Born |
August 8, 1994[1] San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Website |
lauvsongs |
Ari Staprans Leff (born August 8, 1994), known by his stage name Lauv, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut EP, titled Lost in the Light,[2] was released in 2015.[3][4] He is best known for his singles "I Like Me Better", and "The Other".
Early life
Leff was born on August 8, 1994, in San Francisco, California to a mother of Latvian descent[5] and a father of Russian and Polish Jewish descent[6][7][8]. As a child, he was interested in music and took piano and viola lessons before learning how to play the guitar at the age of 11.[9] At the age of 14, before he ever had any sort of relationship, he was obsessed with writing love songs and breakup songs.[10] After finishing Radnor Middle School in Wayne, Pennsylvania, he attended high school, where he played in several bands and studied jazz before moving on to electronic music.[9]
Leff graduated from New York University, majoring in music technology.[9]
Career
2014–2016: Beginnings and debut
During his college years, Leff strayed from his intensely personal song-writing style and focused on writing and producing for other artists. But during his sophomore year, he stumbled upon an illuminating interview with Paul Simon, in which Simon described his song-writing approach as a process of uncovering his innermost buried feelings. The interview helped Leff to get in touch with the way he used to write.[10]
Shortly thereafter, Leff adopted the stage name Lauv, Latvian for 'lion' (lauva), in a nod to his mother's heritage; additionally, his first name, Ari, means 'lion' in Hebrew, and to his zodiac sign is Leo.[10][11]
Then, while recovering from a break-up in 2014, he revealed his feelings through co-writing "The Other" with Michael Matosic.[9] The song is a fusion of rhythm and blues and indie-pop with influence from jazz guitar. He felt that the song was special to him and did not want to give it up to another artist,[12] so he released the song under his own stage name. The song gained blog attention and went viral, peaking at number three on blog aggregator Hype Machine,[13] and hitting the Global Top 100 on Spotify.[10]
After graduating, Leff signed to the publishing company Prescription Songs.[10]
In 2015, Leff released his debut EP, Lost in the Light, which featured "The Other".[2]
Then, apart from releasing a single titled "Question" featuring Travis Mills, Leff worked on writing and producing songs for other artists. Most notably, he co-wrote and co-produced "No Promises" for Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato.[11]
2017–present: "I Like Me Better", touring with Ed Sheeran and first world tour
On May 19, 2017, Leff released the single "I Like Me Better",[14] an up-tempo track which also achieved popularity. The song was inspired by his relationship that started two months after he had first moved to New York City to further his studies.[11]
In the same year, he headed his own 'Late Nights, Deep Talks' tour, in which he performed in eight cities across the United States. The tour began on May 23 in Los Angeles and concluded on June 7 in New York City. On July 9, he also performed at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[14]
It was announced on September 4, 2017, that Leff would be joining Ed Sheeran as the supporting act on his Divide Tour in Asia.[15] Several of Ed Sheeran's Asia tour dates had to be cancelled or rescheduled as a result of injuries he sustained from a bicycle accident, but Leff proceeded with promotional tours in cities such as Manila, Philippines,[16] and Jakarta, Indonesia, officially kicking off the Divide tour with Ed Sheeran in Singapore on November 11, 2017.
Leff embarked on his first world tour[17] 'I Met You When I Was 18.' beginning January 18, 2018 in Seattle, Washington, featuring Jeremy Zucker as support act. He released the single "There's No Way", a collaboration with Julia Michaels, on September 27, 2018.[18]
In June 2018, Leff was ranked as number one on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, dated June 9. As of September 29, he has been at the top spot of the chart for a total of 13 weeks.[19]
Discography
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] |
AUS [21] |
BEL (FL) [22] |
CAN [23] | ||
| 2018 | I Met You When I Was 18. (The Playlist)[24] | 50 | 64 | 77 | 40 |
EP
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Lost in the Light[2] |
| 2017 | Lauv (Japan)[25] |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [26] |
AUS [27] |
AUT [28] |
CAN [29] |
DEN [30] |
GER [31] |
NZ [32] |
SWE [33] |
SWI [34] |
UK [35] | ||||
| "Question" (featuring Travis Mills)[36] |
2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Met You When I Was 18. (The Playlist) | |
| "Breathe"[37] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lauv (EP)[25] and I Met You When I Was 18. (The Playlist) | ||
| "The Other"[38] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Like Me Better" | 2017 | 27 | 8 | 5 | 62 | 27 | 7 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 58 | ||
| "Easy Love"[25] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[upper-alpha 1] | —[upper-alpha 2] | — | — | |||
| "Paris in the Rain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Met You When I Was 18. (The Playlist) | ||
| "Getting Over You"[49] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[upper-alpha 3] | —[upper-alpha 4] | — | — | ||
| "Chasing Fire"[52] | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | —[upper-alpha 5] | — | — | — | |||
| "Paranoid"[54] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Bracelet"[55] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Superhero"[56] | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[upper-alpha 6] | —[upper-alpha 7] | — | — | TBA | ||
| "There's No Way" (featuring Julia Michaels) |
— | 41 [59] | — | — | — | — | —[upper-alpha 8] | —[upper-alpha 9] | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [26] |
AUS [27] |
CAN [29] |
NZ [32] |
SWE [33] |
SWI [34] |
UK [35] | |||
| "A Different Way" (DJ Snake featuring Lauv) |
2017 | 23 | 59 | 78 | —[upper-alpha 10] | 65 | 63 | 85 | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
Notes
- ↑ "Easy Love" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[47]
- ↑ "Easy Love" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number 12 on the Swedish Heatseekers Chart.[48]
- ↑ "Getting Over You" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number three on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[50]
- ↑ "Getting Over You" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number 20 on the Swedish Heatseeker Chart.[51]
- ↑ "Chasing Fire" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number six on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[53]
- ↑ "Superhero" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 19 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[57]
- ↑ "Superhero" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number two on the Swedish Heatseeker Chart.[58]
- ↑ "There's No Way" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[60]
- ↑ "There's No Way" did not enter the Swedish Singellista Chart, but peaked at number five on the Swedish Heatseeker Chart.[61]
- ↑ "A Different Way" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[62]
Writing credits
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Faking It" | Olivia Noelle |
| 2016 | "Broken" | Tritonal featuring Adam Lambert |
| "No Party" | Daniel Skye | |
| "Plastic" | Laura Roy | |
| "Because of Me" | Billy Gilman | |
| 2017 | "All My Love"[63] | Cash Cash featuring Conor Maynard |
| "Boys"[64] | Charli XCX | |
| "No Promises" | Cheat Codes featuring Demi Lovato | |
| "Sorry for Myself" | CADE | |
| "Made of Gold" | Olivia Noelle | |
| "How Was I" | Jessica Jarrell | |
| "Idea of You" | Arty featuring Eric Nam | |
| "Beg" | Jack & Jack | |
| "Cross Your Mind" | Wingtip featuring morgxn | |
| 2018 | "High for Me" | Olivia Noelle featuring Kid Ink |
| "Fuck Around & Fall in Luv" | Olivia Noelle | |
| "High for Me" |
Tours
Headlining
- Late Nights, Deep Talks Tour (2017)
- I Met You When I Was 18. World Tour (2018)
Supporting
- Last to Leave Tour – Louis the Child (2017)
- Divide Tour – Ed Sheeran (2017)
- Tell Me You Love Me Tour — Demi Lovato (2018)
References
- ↑ California Birth Index, 1905-1995
- 1 2 3 Lauv (October 3, 2015). "Lauv - "Lost In The Light - EP" (Official Full Stream)". Retrieved May 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "On The Rise: An Interview with Lauv".
- ↑ "Lauv - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ↑ "INTERVIEW: LAUV Reveals The Touching Inspiration Behind 'I Like Me Better' | iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1940". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1930". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ↑ "United States Census, 1930". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 "Spotify". play.spotify.com. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Lauv | Summerfest, The World's Largest Music Festival". Summerfest - The World's Largest Music Festival. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- 1 2 3 "INTERVIEW: LAUV Reveals The Touching Inspiration Behind 'I Like Me Better' | 103.5 KTU". 103.5 KTU. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ↑ "INTERVIEW: LAUV Reveals The Touching Inspiration Behind 'I Like Me Better' | 103.5 KTU". 103.5 KTU. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
LAUV's first single "The Other," was the first song that felt special enough to him that he didn't want to give it up to another artist
- ↑ "I'm watching Lauv at Ones To Watch!". Ones To Watch. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- 1 2 "Lauv Premieres New Song 'I Like Me Better' Before Upcoming Tour: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Independent singer, songwriter and producer Lauv will join Ed Sheeran through his Asia tour, 14 date run commencing in Osaka". Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ↑ "Lauv 2017 Manila [DOLBY]". YouTube. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ↑ Lauv. "a boy on his first world tour". Twitter. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ↑ @lauvsongs (September 24, 2018). "WE HAVE A SONG COMING OUT THIS THURSDAY & IT'S CALLED THERE'S NO WAY @JULIAMICHAELS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Billboard Emerging Artists". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ↑ "Lauv Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ↑ "ARIA Chart Watch #476". auspOp. June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
- ↑ "Discografie Lauv". Ultratop. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
- ↑ "Lauv Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ↑ "I met you when I was 18. (the playlist) by Lauv". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 1, 2018.
- 1 2 3 "エド・シーランの来日公演の前座を務めるラウヴ、ニュー・シングル"Easy Love"を本日リリース". NME Japan (in Japanese). October 6, 2017.
- 1 2 "Lauv – Chart history (Billboard Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
- 1 2 Peaks in Australia:
- "I Like Me Better": "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 2, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- "A Different Way": "ARIA Chart Watch #440". auspOp. September 30, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- "Chasing Fire": "ARIA Chart Watch #467". auspOp. April 7, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Discographie Lauv – austriancharts.at". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- 1 2 "Lauv – Chart history (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Track Top-40 Uge 33, 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
- ↑ "Lauv – Offizielle Deutsche Charts". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- 1 2 "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 2, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- 1 2 "Discography Lauv – swedishcharts.com". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- 1 2 "Discographie Lauv – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- 1 2 "Lauv | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Lauv - Question feat. Travis Mills (Official Audio)". Lauv. June 9, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Lauv - Breathe (Official Audio)". Lauv. October 7, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Lauv - The Other (Official Audio)". Lauv. March 6, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Lauv – The Other". Music Canada. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Lauv – I Like Me Better". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
- ↑ "BPI Awards - bpi" (To access, enter the search parameter "Lauv" and select "Search by Keyword"). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lauv)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Lauv "I Like Me Better"". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Lauv – I Like Me Better". Music Canada. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Lauv – I Like Me Better". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Swedish Heatseekers Chart – 13 October 2017". Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Lauv – Getting Over You [Official Audio]". Lauv. February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
- ↑ "Swedish Heatseeker Chart – 2 mars 2018". Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ↑ "Chasing Fire – Single by Lauv". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ↑ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ↑ "Paranoid – Single by Lauv". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ↑ "Bracelet – Single by Lauv". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ↑ "Superhero – Single by Lauv on iTunes". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 36, 7 september 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 40, 5 oktober 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 2, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ↑ LAUV (7 July 2017). "All My Love - Cash Cash (feat. Conor Maynard)".
- ↑ LAUV (26 July 2017). "Boys - Charli XCX".