On the morning of his first The Between Albums Tour Hong Kong show, in a room plastered with bright cerulean blue posters promoting his latest album, Lauv extends his hand as he greets me with a warm smile, “Nice to meet you, I’m Ari.” For those who didn’t know, both Ari and Lauv mean “lion” — names the singer lives up to by courageously clawing deep into his emotions, creating resonating music that explores love and growing pains. 

As we sit down, I ask him how it feels to be finally back in Hong Kong again. “Really humid and really hot. I forgot that. Being outside is so hard,” he candidly confesses before picking up a bottle of pink-tinted water. “Gotta drink my electrolytes!” He chuckles. After four years since he last performed in the city, Lauv has now returned to take the stage at the AsiaWorld-Expo with his global hits, which are unbelievably catchy yet exceptionally heartfelt. After all, Lauv is Love.

 

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Your latest song, “Love U Like That”, in your words, “marks the beginning of a new era” for you. What does this song mean to you personally? And what do you want your audience to take away from this song?

This song is me stepping into myself, exploring myself and not shutting myself down; not judging myself and loving myself. This is something I’ve seen in other people that I’ve loved and respected but haven’t really given myself the opportunity to explore truly. So yeah, that’s the beauty of this song. 

As hard as it is, or as hard as it can be, try to accept who you are and not judge yourself. I was at war with my head and still can be a lot of the time, and I have been for so many years non-stop. I think if my song can make you feel, even for just a moment, you can accept what you are thinking and feeling, explore it and not be afraid of it. It’s a beautiful thing. 

You champion self-empowerment through your music. What are some little ways you empower and ground yourself in your everyday? 

Meditation is huge for me. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about intentionality. I’m such an overthinker. Sometimes, everything flows, but sometimes, it is just about being intentional. Usually, my intention is just to connect with people and create a genuine connection with them. Focusing on what is important to me and living [true to] that helps me stay grounded and find my focus. 

What is the biggest challenge you have faced on your musical journey? 

Ooooh, this is a good one. I have been making music forever, like I’ve been writing songs since I was 12, you know? So honestly, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced, and I would say I’m still facing, is having something huge happening really early in my career. It has been the biggest blessing, but it has also been really hard for me because I feel like I need to live and create past that. I kind of always feel like I’m in the shadow of my own success. When I am not thinking about it, I’m just having fun. Then, all of a sudden, there’s this pressure and attention and all these eyes on me. Now, I am figuring out how to feel free again, which is something I am exploring in the new album I am working on. I’m genuinely trying to push through to the other side of it all — not just exploring dark stuff but exploring happiness and finding what it actually means to be happy and empower myself.