Q&A: Love You Later Turns Inward on “Art Gallery”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
LEXI AVILES WANTS YOU TO KNOW—that you can’t truly find yourself until you lose yourself. Aviles, the Nashville-based artist behind Love You Later, leans into that idea on her latest single, “Art Gallery,” released March 6.
The track unfolds similarly to a coming-of-age moment, returning home and realizing nothing fits the way it used to. With visual lyrics practically transporting you into a crowded room at an art gallery, Aviles continues to experiment with her sound, all while bringing her listeners a familiar dreamy and cinematic sonic universe. Even the ending dissolves slowly, like the realization settling in.
The paradox of feeling alone in a crowd is a theme that is evident throughout the lyrics. Whether Aviles travels solo or navigates familiar places, the song reflects her ongoing journey toward self-trust. Following the viral success of tracks like “Lost in Los Angeles” and millions of streams across her work, Aviles is continuing to build momentum with each release she puts out.
We caught up with Aviles about the inspiration behind “Art Gallery,” navigating growth in your 20s and stepping further into her sound. Read below to learn more.
LUNA: I really loved listening to “Art Gallery” and I love that it focuses on self-discovery, returning somewhere familiar and not recognizing it anymore. Was there a moment or experience that sparked the song for you?
AVILES: Yeah, I feel like there wasn't a specific moment necessarily. I tend to write a lot about this kind of feeling. I'm a four on the Enneagram, so I feel like that explains a lot already (laughs)—just always feeling like no one understands me completely. There was a moment in my therapy session once where my therapist suggested that I go to an art gallery or museum and appreciate the art around me, and learn to be with myself and love being with myself. It’ll be uncomfortable at first, but getting used to that is really important in order to love other people. You gotta love yourself. It is easier said than done. Like I said, not a specific time and place, but it was also inspired by my therapist.
LUNA: That's awesome. Did you tell your therapist about the song?
AVILES: What's actually funny is I didn’t remember that she suggested that to me. I ended up going a few months later when I was in New York, and I went to a bunch of museums. Once the song came out, she DMed me on Instagram and was like, “Is this because I told you to go to an art gallery?” And I was like, wait, yes, I forgot you were the one who told me (laughs). So yeah, it was kind of a full circle moment.
LUNA: I love that.
AVILES: Yeah, in retrospect I realized she inspired it. It’s funny.
LUNA: I love the line about feeling alone in a crowd at the art gallery. What does that represent to you emotionally?
AVILES: I live in Nashville but I love to travel [to places like] New York and LA. I'm from Southern California, so whenever I go home, I'm used to crowded places. Whether it’s the subway or a concert, it’s easy to still feel alone even if you’re surrounded by people. Even on the internet, you’ve got followers and likes, but that doesn’t add up to loving yourself. It’s that realization and learning to feel confident in myself in those situations. I also love to travel alone. That’s a big thing for me. I’ve gone to London by myself, and for the majority of those trips I’m just in my head, having conversations with myself. There’s something really cool about that.
LUNA: Is there a reason you prefer traveling alone?
AVILES: I feel like I love traveling more than anyone else in my circle, so I end up going alone because no one else wants to go (laughs). But a lot of the time I just decide to go by myself. It makes more sense. There’s something very main character energy about it.
LUNA: And it’s probably easier logistically.
AVILES: Exactly. If I’m having a day where I don’t want to do anything, I don’t feel bad staying in my hotel room. It’s pretty great.
LUNA: The song talks about outgrowing people and places. How do you navigate that without feeling pulled back?
AVILES: That’s hard. I don’t necessarily feel guilt, but I do feel the nostalgia and growing pains. You know you’re supposed to move on, and it doesn’t have to be sad—sometimes you and a friend are just moving in different directions. Being in your 20s is different. I like nostalgia; it feels comfortable. Those people and places were once familiar, so it’s hard to move forward sometimes, but it makes room for new experiences.
LUNA: I loved the idea of losing yourself to love yourself. Where did that come from?
AVILES: I don’t know where the phrase came from. It just is true. Once you go through life and hard times, you learn a lot about yourself and become more resilient. Through that, you hopefully learn to love yourself. Heartbreak, death, tragedy—those things have made me who I am.
LUNA: Your music is very dreamy, but this song feels like you’re exploring new things sonically. How did that come about?
AVILES: The past three singles—“Mouth to Mouth,” “Lonely Around You” and “Art Gallery”—were songs I worked on with my friend Chris [Koo]. He was a new collaborator, but we had a lot of the same influences. It kind of naturally turned into what it is. I also wanted to have more of a hand in production, which was a first for me. I got to play most of the instruments, so it feels more like me.
LUNA: I loved the ending of the track. It fades out in a really reflective way. Was that intentional?
AVILES: I love an outro—that’s one thing about me (laughs). I think it came naturally. We got to the last chorus and I remember being like, let’s do something totally different. I felt like there was more I wanted to say before the song ended. The sounds were fun to experiment with. It kind of ties it in a bow, but also feels like a dot dot dot—it makes you think and hopefully want more.
LUNA: I noticed a lot of visual imagery in the lyrics. Do you think visually when you write?
AVILES: Yes, totally. Especially in this song, I wanted to put you in the art gallery. Overall, I love visuals and getting descriptive. Some of the best songs have strong visuals; it’s the best part of storytelling.
LUNA: I love the cover art. How did that come together?
AVILES: That photo was actually from two years ago. The song hadn’t been written yet. But I was entering this new world creatively. I’ve always loved that photo. We shot it at a place in Nashville called The Paper House. When I was thinking about cover art, I was honestly broke and couldn’t afford another shoot, so I went through what I had and realized that photo worked perfectly.
LUNA: If you could place this song in a movie, what would it be?
AVILES: When Harry Met Sally. I think that would be really cool. I love that movie.
LUNA: How does “Art Gallery” feel like a step forward for you?
AVILES: Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I’m working on new music and have more releases in the works. These three singles are ones I’m kind of sitting on for a second. Like I said, “Art Gallery” feels like a dot dot dot—more introspective and leaves the listener wanting more.
LUNA: You mentioned wanting the song to feel grounding. What does that look like for you?
AVILES: Spending time alone. Meditation. Being outside. Taking walks. Not being on my phone as much. Deep breaths. Those are the things I go to when I feel anxious.
LUNA: If listeners take one thing away from the song, what do you hope it is?
AVILES: I think the same lesson I learned writing it. You can have a million friends or two friends and still feel lonely. It’s not until you find yourself and learn to love yourself that you can extend that love to others. The greatest relationship you’ll have is with yourself.
LUNA: Any upcoming plans you want people to know about?
AVILES: I’m working on some shows; one in Nashville and one in LA over the next few months. I want to play a lot more live shows this year. That’s my favorite part of all of this.
