Here’s an artist whose name is set to reflect and chronicle the future of his life and career.
LAVI$H is an up-and-coming Toronto-based artist whose unique sound is making waves in the music industry for its fusion of hip-hop, R&B and pop music.
The rapper, singer and songwriter was born in Lusaka, Zambia but was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He says he became involved in music through his cousins at the age of 13. One day, he decided to visit their place and ended up producing his first song at their home studio.
“I made my first song under my stage name Kid Crew because I wore a lot of crew necks which is the weirdest, lamest thing ever thinking back to it now but that’s how I started,” the singer said to Now Toronto.
At 16 years old, he dabbled in different sports and hobbies, such as basketball, football and skateboarding, before setting his mind on music and developing his craft. Following a successful performance in Winnipeg, he decided to relocate to Toronto to hone his skills and grow in a bigger market. He says the city embraced his arrival with open arms.
Compared to Winnipeg where he felt his music was not flourishing, he says Toronto’s atmosphere was different. Its music scene felt like a family.
“Coming from a place where it’s like, we d on’t appreciate or we’re not going to take this type of music seriously to coming here…and it’s like, ‘Welcome home. You know, you are loved. You are wanted. You have a gift. You have talent.’ It’s just so welcoming and warm that, you know, I have to call it home. Even though Winnipeg is where I grew up, Toronto’s where I really found who I am,” he said.
Currently, LAVI$H is signed to Def Jam Recordings, the same label where esteemed artists such as Rihanna, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and more are under as well.
It’s clear the young artist is on the rise to fame and fortune, but during this in-between period to mega stardom, it can be difficult to navigate matters as there are metamorphic changes happening in his life. For instance, LAVI$H’s team is growing bigger, he’s found a new home, and his fan base continues to multiply daily. He shares how it feels to exist in this new territory and what exactly that means going forward.
“…It’s weird and dope at the same time because, OK being around Chubbs, being around Drake, being around my homegirl, Sevyn Streeter, or being around Skrillex. It’s crazy because these are ultra famous people…It’s crazy because I’m not even a nobody, but it’s like, I’m in some kind of gap between them…It feels like I’m just in the middle,” he said.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like, I’m trying to get there but I’m already there with them. And so, it feels super weird…I’m not entirely there. It’s there but that just goes to show you that you have to put in the work…You have to execute,” he explained.
Recently, the emerging artist celebrated his 26th birthday and to mark the occasion, he reflected on some major milestones in his life that were of great importance to him. Some of the defining moments include signing to Chubbs, signing to Def Jam Recordings, moving to Toronto, and lastly, getting his own place, finding independence and learning about responsibility.
In specific, relocating to Toronto is one of the changes that has had an incredible impact on LAVI$H physically and mentally. During his time in Winnipeg, he always felt as if he wasn’t getting enough support from the community towards his music career.
An interesting fact that many of his fans probably don’t know is that his hit single, “Big Mistake” is actually about his experience in Winnipeg. Though, on the surface it sounds like it could be about a woman, the lyrics are actually about the city.
“…I kind of wrote it about the city but put it in the body of a woman. So, when you hear the music, when you hear the song, it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s talking about some girl,” but when you realize the lyrics, you know, like ‘stabbed me with icicles and skated on my blood in January,’ I’m talking about Winnipeg, because it’s f***ing minus God knows what out there,” he revealed.
Meanwhile, his song “World In My Hands” is about a special person who he wanted to show off. Similarly, “We Make Sense” is also about someone but not in the way that fans might think.
“I never said this before, but I wrote it in somebody else’s perspective talking about me…I guess it kind of sounds like I’m talking about somebody else, but it’s not. A lot of songs that I write, I write them from perspectives or a lot of songs that I write, I write them from a conversation that me or Triz had, or me or Greg had, or you know, somebody on the team,” he said.
In terms of new music, the singer says he will be dropping some singles very soon. He was unable to mention an exact date but emphasizes that it won’t be long.
In addition, LAVI$H also announced he will be joining American singer-songwriter, Victoria Monet, for her “The Jaguar Tour,” alongside other notable artists such as Leon Thomas, Alex Vaughn and Ambre, among others.
LAVI$H’s EP, You Made A Big Mistake, is available on all streaming platforms.
