Q&A: Lola Violet Manifests Her Future in Her New Single “VISION.”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KATHERINE CHUNG ☆
Photo by Zach Arquilevich
WITH OVER 100 MILLION STREAMS AND A DREAM TO OPEN FOR SOMEONE ON TOUR- Lola Violet is on a path to success. She is no stranger to the harsh feeling of being rejected in her personal life and the music industry. After being told she did not have the right sound or vision, she turned that pain into a new era, starting with the powerful single “VISION.”
From starting as an artist, unsure about her identity, to becoming Lola Violet 2.0, she is truly embracing the color ultraviolet, which symbolizes mystery, exploration, and artistic brilliance beyond what we can see. It is no coincidence that her album, ULTRAVIOLET, is filled with Easter eggs that unravel deeper mysteries and hint at stories set to be revealed later this year.
To prepare for the future, she has set a goal for herself: to do TikTok livestreams every night on the treadmill to prepare her body and mind for touring life. She understands that it takes time to make it in the music industry. To hype up her ever-growing Lola Violet fanbase, she has released a few merch items that embrace the 2.0 version of her career.
Read below to learn more about her artistic vision and what drives her creativity to new heights. “VISION” is a song for the people who are dreamers, believers, and achievers who do not want to give up on their visions.
Photo by Zach Arquilevich
LUNA: Could you give readers an introduction to who Lola Violet is and your music aesthetic?
VIOLET: My name is Lola Violet. I am an independent singer-songwriter. I go live on TikTok every day. My new album comes out in October, and I am releasing a single every month until then. My music pulls from dance-pop, club-pop, and darker electronic influences.
LUNA: “VISION” is a song about an experience you had yourself rather than one involving a relationship with another person. Can you talk about the creative process behind this single compared to older songs like “Messy” and “Void” on your debut album, Reckless Distraction?
VIOLET: I wanted to try a new sound. I love the dark, poppy vibe I had going on in Reckless Distraction. But I wanted to try something a little lighter for the first time. I feel like a lot of my music in the past was pretty sad songs and about heartbreak. This new era is more like, “Yeah!” It is a big F-YOU album to everyone who did not believe in me. I wanted it to sound more like a dance party, though. The whole concept of the album came when this producer, whom I aspired to work with, rejected me. Then they said that they did not see the vision with my music. It sparked this fire in me to succeed and show them that I can make great music without you. I do not need you. The whole album is about that feeling I had when people rejected me in the industry. However, this idea could also be applied to romantic relationships, too. Kind of like a double meaning, y’know?
“VISION” was not the first song I wrote for the album. It was the first song that made me realize I wanted to do an album with that same lighter concept. I never have an album plan. I go to the studio, create a song, see if it has good vibes, and work with different producers to hear other opinions. Although I feel like I have a few songs already that will be out later this year that are more like, ‘look at me now. I am successful.’ After I made “VISION,” I was looking back at all the songs I already had and was like, "This could totally be an album to people who rejected me in the industry.” Originally, some songs on the album were not meant to be about the music industry, but looking back at the three other songs I had, I noticed that it all worked together nicely.
LUNA: This is the first single on ULTRAVIOLET, which explores the push-and-pull theme between seeking validation and learning when to let go. Is there a reason why you continue to follow this pattern in your music?
VIOLET: I think it is because you want something so bad and you cannot have it. Rather than sitting on it, you have something good that you can turn into. Rejection is redirection.
LUNA: Understandable. In your debut album, you wanted romance, and now you desire something else for yourself. Is that correct?
VIOLET: Exactly!
LUNA: Could you explain the context of the phrase, ‘Bye baby bye,’ in the song to listeners who haven’t heard your music before? Is it meant to be romantic, rebellious, or towards another person?
VIOLET: Going back to being rejected a lot in the music industry, like most artists who are starting, most of the time you are spoken down to by everyone who is high up in the industry. The ‘Bye Baby Bye,’ is like saying, ‘Why am I wasting time with you when you don’t have what I am looking for?’ I thought it’d be fun to switch that narrative around and be like, ‘I am successful and you are still looking for the next big thing, bye.’
LUNA: For anyone new to the Lola Violet universe, can you explain the meaning behind the name and the color violet? Where did the inspiration come from?
VIOLET: I am in this transition era of my life. I have been known as the blue girl for so long. I am over it, and I want a change. For so long, I was trying to find my identity in my music, and a color that described it. Blue really served me for a while, but I have not seen many artists go towards blue. Violet seems more like me.
I was at this conference, and everyone was asking me what my name was. I decided I was going to wear the color purple every day. I would tell people, “My name is Lola Violet,” and they would go, “Oh my gosh, Lola Violet. You are wearing the color violet. I get it now.” It became more memorable and stuck with me.
LUNA: With over 100 million streams and a strong presence on Instagram and TikTok, do you ever find yourself seeing events, places, or objects and thinking, “That feels like the vision for this song”?
VIOLET: Definitely! I go on cruises, and I always get inspiration from them. I get anxious going to clubs in general because I live in Los Angeles. Something I love about cruises is that I can be safe and free without worrying about creepy people. I have gotten a lot of inspiration from traveling.
Even though this album wasn’t inspired by cruising, every time I go on one, it gives me a creative reset. It always brings back my motivation to write more poppy, club-vibe songs.
LUNA: If you had to create a vision board introducing this new era of Lola Violet, what would be on your vision board, and why?
VIOLET: You see, this is the problem I have been having. I am trying to figure out what my brand is. I feel like I have been all over the place with it. I started with Pop, then I went to Indie Pop, and dabbled with Psychedelic Jazz. Now, I am delving into this Club Pop genre.
I am inspired by Britney Spears, Charli XCX, and also the vibes ABBA gives off. I am trying to think about it. A club vibe would definitely be on the vision board. I am super into the color purple now. That is one thing I am sure about: it would be covered in neon purple. I am still discovering what my brand is.
LUNA: Speaking of the color violet, do you have a vision and plan behind the release of ULTRAVIOLET?
VIOLET: I wanted to start this new project off with a bang! I have not released music in about a year and a half. This is the first single at this time. I wanted people to take me seriously. I am releasing one song off the album every month. There will be a story behind that until October comes. Then I will release the final two songs to complete the album.
