- Words Notion Staff
- Photography Carina Kehlet Schou
To celebrate the release of her new single “G.O.Y.D.” (which stands for Girl Of Your Dreams), Lava La Rue picks 10Trax for Notion.
22-year-old artist Lava La Rue is all about the DIY approach, making use of what she can to be creative and producing art she can share with those around her. Her latest single “G.O.Y.D.”, a queer anthem, features soothing, trickling guitar and smooth vocals blending into swift raps from Lava.
The new song follows on from Lava’s recent ‘summeroflove2.o’ audio-visual project, which explores the redefining conversations around touch and love after a worldwide pandemic. Through the project, Lava collected visuals of what the shift meant to those around her – all in support of @foroursibs – a collective that centers Black Trans, Non-Binary, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex folks. FOR OUR SIBS are providing sustainable aid for their ‘siblings’ through the work of community care, mutual aid, fundraising events, and more. Set up by Maliyah Worthy, the collective use the term sibs (siblings) in relation to the Black Trans* community – because “we are more than just individuals we are fam!”
Lava’s love of music has been running through her for years. As a teen, she formed the collective NiNE8, and has gone on to rack up millions of streams, sell out her solo shows and support the likes of 070 Shake and Christine & The Queens. Outside of music, however, she’s just as creative, getting involved in projects across the spheres of art, music and fashion. Most notably she curated a show at Men’s Fashion Week and a TATE Modern “LATE” takeover.
To celebrate Lava’s new single, we asked her to pick 10Trax that she’s loving at the moment. Jump in!
"Maybe in the Summer" by SASSY 009
"There’s been an insane wave of Norwegian female musicians rising right now. They’re not just incredible songwriters/composers but just effortlessly cool. Between Okay Kaya, Girl In Red and Smerz my queer lil heart can’t handle all these crushes. However my all time most listened to has to be electronic project SASSY 009, the alias of Suni Lindgaard. She dropped “Maybe in the Summer” at the end of last year off her EP “KILL SASSY 009” and it soon became the soundtrack of what would be the very last pre-lockdown parties and rave adventures I’d go on."
"Strawberry Privilege" by Yves Tumor
"Yves Tumor is what you call a real 2020 rockstar. Their latest album takes elements of Psychedelic Rock from the 70’s but fuses it with experimental noise techniques and an unapologetic black queer energy. They dropped an album “Heaven To A Tortured Mind” earlier this year via WARP records (who have some of my faves on their roster Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Kelela) and it the first time in a longtime I listened to an album back to front, on repeat, and deeply identified with every song."
"Fuck The World (Summer In London)" by Brent Faiyaz
"Everyone got that one song that just make them feel like a lil baddie. Kinda song you wanna kiss your girls neck to n shit. In the corniest way possible this song makes me think of my babygirl. Its the epitome of a “lil vibe.” The video was shot in some bait places around London on a DIY flex on the Hammersmith n city line n - stuff which I find so funny. Just seeing Brent Faiyaz outside Shoreditch High Street where I’ve laid on the curb drunk at 3am tryna order myself a cab to the next motive, is surreal."
"Pretty Girl hi!" by UMI
"UMI is honestly so cool and down to earth. I love her voice. Everything she does is mad positive energy and healing vibes and is the kinda friend everyone deserves. This song is a big fave for me as the main line is “butterfly, gemini, pretty girl hi” and as someone who is both a butterfly and a gemini, and likes to say “pretty girl hi” - I relate."
"Make It Count" by Finn Foxell
"Finn Foxell is what you call a “real one.” Authentically himself, he’s one of the people I can say are proudly representing my home of West London and doing his best to accurately depict how we be living without compromising any of his artistic ideologies in the process. He went on tour with me as main support on my debut headline tour last year. Being on the road with him was honestly one of the best memories of my year of being 21. We did it all. Every messy on tour adventure that could have been had….we had that. He’s one of the few rappers left where every lyric he says, I know from first hand he really means it, or really been it. That's rare these days."
"Being Me" by Louis Culture
"Another real one, representing my city. Louis Culture really about to grow the biggest cult following. No pun on his name but he truly brings a unique perspective on the culture for many of us who grew up on the same music, in the same city, going to the same parties and schools. There are still so many untold narratives to be said and what it's like growing up black in this part of London - that deserves to be put in the spotlight and I’m championing Louis Culture to be one of the voices for that."
"No Going Back" by Yuno
"So funny story but I actually found out about this song whilst buying a new sofa in IKEA. You know the little show rooms Ikea have where they set up fake interior design rooms with their products? Well they have this one product in a fake bedroom where it was a bedside lamp, that was also a speaker. When testing the speaker out, there were 3 choices of songs you could select….this was one of them! It was such a vibe I went home and added it to my daily playlist, looked him up to and gave him a follow (We had some mutuals!) And voila - now I listen to this feel good banger every morning whilst grabbing my matcha ice tea!"
"Sorry" by Snakes
"If you were around 2015/2016 going to D.I.Y rock gigs in London (as myself and my best mate Biig Piig spent every weekend, or weeknights after college) you’ll be familiar of the circuit of London indie/alt rock bands. Most of them regularly played the Windmill Brixton, Shacklewell Arms and a couple other pub venues (that I shan’t name) who would take my dodgy almost-legal ID back then. Sorry (originally called Fish when I first saw them live) were one of the bands who really grew from that scene and stood out to me as something different. The lead singer Asha Lorenz is pretty hands on with the project and co-directed/edited this video to their song “Snakes”. I can really see her visual style that aesthetically matches up with her voice come through when she has a hand the the creative process - and as someone who is always doing that myself, have infinite respect for others who do it too."
"Just Keep Goin’" by Tobi Lou
"I have nothing else to say other than this is my little internet bop right now. My lil back of the Uber bop. My lil drinking at home alone, feeling myself in the mirror bop."
"The Room (Freestyle)" by Lex Amor
"Lex is the UK’s secret underground lyrical gem. We once played a show together (I performed under one of my alter ago’s dressed head to toe as a pink rabbit) at an art exhibition curated by Rago Foot, Ryan Hawaii and some other really sick black visual artists you guys should check out. Anyway this track was produced by Wu-Lu, another rare Pokemon spreading Easter eggs around South London’s music scene. That whole crowd are some really lovely people and insanely talented to the point where 40 years from now I can easily see music theory grads studying everything they did for the culture in these times."