Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lánre. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lánre, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I’ve been a singer for as long as I can remember with my early beginnings being in a children’s choir in church and eventually attending a school for the performing arts in middle school. I was classically trained in voice, performance, and piano, and was part of an all-boys choir, so I was able to grow my talent for music at a very young age. Our choir toured the US as well as a few other countries, and it was there that I discovered my love of performing.

Even with all of that training, singing ‘well’ didn’t come naturally to me. In fact, I had to really work on discovering my own sound. I remember studying albums from iconic voices like Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson, and attempting to mimic their technique. It’s sort of an allegory for my life, as I’ve always had to work hard to reach my goals, which has made me enjoy the work just as much if not more than the reward.

That makes me immensely proud of my voice as well as my gift of songwriting. I never saw myself as a songwriter, but I was encouraged by a family member at 14 to write and record my own music. Much like when I first started singing, I wasn’t good at songwriting at first. But I was persistent in learning how to do it, and to do it to the best of my ability. Fast forward to now, I value my songwriting ability as much as my singing voice!

I’m so grateful for my artistic journey because it taught me the power of hard work and to never be complacent. I started mastering these gifts at a young age, and even today am eager to learn more and get better. My career path so far has taught me the life lesson of embracing the process and the hard work that comes with going after your dreams. It’s truly a beautiful thing!

Lánre, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lánre and I’m a singer-songwriter from Atlanta, GA. I’ve been singing and performing since I was 6 years old, and I wrote and recorded my first demo CD when I was 15. I didn’t start releasing music professionally until the pandemic lockdowns in 2020.

I’ve experienced a lot in my life, and my art certainly reflects that. From battling depressive thoughts to falling in with the wrong crowd to hide my pain, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. My music reflects that because it’s raw, vulnerable, and most importantly relatable. That doesn’t mean it’s dark-sounding, in fact, some have called my music very light-hearted and hopeful. I believe that both can be true because sonically, my music is a modern spin on my pop & RnB inspirations Beyoncé, Usher, and Justin Timberlake. But even with that, my music has a lot of emotional depth to it. One of my goals as an artist is to normalize black men having emotional journeys by sharing my life stories in new and interesting ways!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As I mentioned, I started releasing music professionally during the lockdowns of 2020. I found so much solace in being able to ‘escape’ the chaos of the world in 2020 by writing and recording. It has been the proudest moment of my career because I turned all my anxiety and fearful thoughts into something beautiful. I learned how to record myself and connected with producers around the world to make my debut EP, In My Dreams… which has since opened so many doors for me in my career. My perseverance was put to the test, like so many others during that time, and I’m proud to say that I thrived through it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Fundamentally, I think as a society we need to move on from the notion that pursuing a career in the arts is far-fetched or irresponsible. Yes, it’s a much steeper hill to climb than practical professions like being a lawyer or doctor. However, I think in today’s digital age, there are so many different ways creatives can be successful in their fields. It’s up to educational institutions to give young artists and creatives the resources to develop their skills and pursue the somewhat limitless opportunities that are available to them. I’m blessed to have been raised in a family that encouraged my creative pursuits, so I felt free enough to find those opportunities myself. Not everyone grew up in that type of environment, so a lot of potential creatives get discouraged from ever pursuing their dreams, which is so sad to think about. I think a change in perspective will help this fundamental issue.

I also think that creatives should be getting paid more. That responsibility lies with streaming services and concert venues mostly but can stretch through every facet of the music industry really.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lanre.us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanre.official/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanremusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanrekeyede
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lanre_music
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPkK6LnD1nxQGYsR2GChzww
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lanre.official

Image Credits
Tim Caver & Mathias Fau