Lauv

For electro-R&B bard Lauv (which rhymes with wow with a v on the end), happiness comes not only from music, but from the freedom to embrace and express every emotion. “Musically, that was always my place, to confront and figure out what was going on in my life,” he told Apple Music. This self-awareness and relentless journey of self-discovery permeates everything the L.A.-based singer/songwriter (born Ari Staprans Leff in 1994) does—all the way down to his adopted name, Lauv, which is an homage to his mother’s Latvian heritage and means “lion” in that language. Combining his eclectic musical tastes and studies in piano, guitar, jazz and electronic music and production, Leff christened the moniker with 2015 viral hit “The Other”, a silky pop ballad written after a bad breakup. That relationship became the inspiration for 2018’s I Met You When I Was 18—a document Lauv called a playlist rather than an album, a collection of 17 tracks that run like piercing, polished diary entries, including the snappy, soulful valentine “I Like Me Better”. But for his first true album, 2020’s ~how i’m feeling~, he chose to look further inward, opening up about his mental health struggles while beautifully boiling down the anxieties of Generation Z. His piano-based ballads like “Modern Loneliness” employ a quivering falsetto that pulls steadily at the heart. Still, as deeply personal as Lauv gets, he thrives alongside a diverse mix of collaborators (including Alessia Cara, Sofia Reyes, and BTS) and continues to build his sound—and sense of self. “I’m kind of hitting this place where I’m like, ‘What am I going to do that’s not going to be boring to myself?’ he revealed to Apple Music. “I need to grow and I need to evolve in order to be happy. [I’m] always trying to figure out what the next vibe is going to be.”