Lauv on Partying with Ed Sheeran, India Memories and Playing Lollapalooza

When American singer-songwriter and producer Lauv aka Ari Leff made his India debut supporting U.K. pop star Ed Sheeran in Mumbai in 2017, he took back “very good memories of Ed just vibing” during their time together.

In India, Sheeran’s 2017 gig was also infamously in news cycles with paparazzi photos of him partying with Bollywood celebrities. Over a video call from his home in Los Angeles, Lauv says he hadn’t seen the news at the time, but counts it as a “very fun tour.” He adds, “I’d love to go and experience some more parties, I think that’d be really fun… yeah, great times.”

Lauv is back in the country this week, as one of the top-billed artists performing at the second edition of Lollapalooza India in Mumbai on January 27th. On the back of performing in 2017 on the same stage as Sheeran and then visiting for a solo tour in 2019, Lauv says he’s looking forward to being a bit more organized to make the most of his trip this time. “One thing I haven’t done in the past that I really want to do is I’m gonna put together a list of things that I want to do, so that I don’t waste any time, I don’t sit in my hotel. Usually, I’m so exhausted or anxious or busy from traveling that I rest to play the show, maybe get some food, walk around a little bit,” he says. Mentioning how he’s almost 30 years old now, Lauv takes it as a sign to make a schedule and “go places and do stuff.”

The artist behind songs like the billions-streamed “I Like Me Better,” “I’m So Tired…” and “All 4 Nothing (I’m So In Love)” has often charmingly and vulnerably captured universal themes of love, self-care and mental health across two albums. In 2021, Lauv even got to play Lollapalooza in Chicago. He recalls that it was a huge experience but says that coming back to India for a festival like this is “going to be even more iconic.”

Catalog-wise, this is the first time Lauv will perform songs off his 2022 album All 4 Nothing in India. He describes his current set as “very personal, very large scale and very emotional.” He says, “Over the years, I’ve been kind of evolving the way I do the sets. Maybe there’ll be some medleys, there’ll be a great mixture of all the eras of my music. I’m actually still finalizing stuff. I have an opportunity right now to feel it out a little bit more.” Lauv adds that sometimes, he does like to change the whole thing around close to last minute. “So we’ll see,” the artist says with a smile.

One song we’re likely to hear at Lollapalooza India is “Steal the Show,” made with composer Thomas Newman and songwriter Michael Matosic for the Disney Pixar animated film Elemental last year. Lauv credits Newman with injecting the seemingly Indian classical-informed melodies and rhythms heard on “Steal the Show” and recalls that the project was “so unexpected” when it came his way. He got to see early screens and drawings and was told that his song would play during a specific montage in the film. Lauv says, “I was like, ‘Cool, no pressure at all. I got this.’ I was just pretending, like ‘Oh yeah, just another day!’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s not just another day. This is crazy!’”

He had never worked with a composer like Newman, who has had an extensive background working on film music. Overall, Lauv called the experience “dope.” He adds, “The song happened very naturally, it was very organic. It took a little bit of work and then suddenly, it was done. Next thing I knew, I’m going to the premiere and there’s my song in Elemental and that was crazy.”

Safe to say, there’s plenty of Lauv music on the way in 2024. The artist says he’s “very deep” into making his next album. “I had a meeting yesterday, where I was like, ‘Okay, I have probably five albums worth of songs that are really good.’ If I’m allowed to say that. Now, I just got to finish them all and start putting music out,” he says. It comes at a time of self-reflection and making changes for himself. “Really focus on myself and what makes me happy,” he adds.

The new year holds “really big aspirations” for the artist, within and outside of music. Lauv says, “[There are] a lot of things I wanna do this year that I’m really excited to grow into. I think it’s going to be the most expansive year yet for me, just on a lot of levels.”

Lauv performs at Lollapalooza India on January 27th, 2024 at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai. Get tickets here.