At 23, Lola Blue is making indie-pop filled with memories of growing up, falling in love, getting hurt and trying to hold onto the fearless part of yourself that still wants to wear a fancy dress to a piano recital and absolutely smash it. Her debut EP 'Pinky Promise' pulls together stories from her late teens and early twenties with the same warmth and excitement she remembers feeling as a kid.
"Little me was fearless," she says, grinning. "I try to channel her every day."
That kid was raised on Bowie, The Smashing Pumpkins and Phoenix thanks to a dad with "amazing taste in music", singing along while he jammed with friends at home. "I don't remember a time when I wasn't curious about music," Lola says. "I remember when I was 7 begging my parents for singing lessons and piano. I was instantly passionate about it, and I loved performing at recitals in a little fancy dress."
Before the glossy indie-pop and Sofia Coppola-inspired visuals, there was a teenager in Massachusetts making songs in her bedroom on GarageBand with a ukulele and keyboard. "During my freshman year of university, I started working with my friend and producer William Corudory, and what we made together became the first three songs I released," she explains. "A couple of years later, I moved to Los Angeles and met Jackson Phillips (Day Wave), who I made my upcoming EP with."
LA had already been sitting in her imagination for years anyway. Growing up in the small town of Carlisle, Lola spent most of her time outdoors, figuring out how she felt about things and getting lost in her own thoughts. "I'm an only child, so a lot of the time the way I kept myself busy was just being outside and being adventurous," she says. "Being outdoors is the only place where I can really process what I'm feeling or thinking, and honestly, without that I probably wouldn't have anything to write about."
That mix of suburban daydreaming and art-school obsessiveness feeds straight into 'Pinky Promise'. Before moving west, Lola was studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where the visual side of the project started coming together alongside the music. "It's rooted in aesthetics and artists I've loved since high school, like Sofia Coppola and Justine Kurland," she says. "Sonically, I was inspired by a lot of what I listened to growing up: Phoenix, The Radio Dept., Tegan and Sara, The xx, and Florence and the Machine."
“Little me was fearless, I try to channel her every day”
— Lola Blue
The title itself came from wanting to bottle the feeling of being younger and freer and less worried about every tiny detail in your life. "This project is really nostalgic for me," Lola explains. "It tells some of the stories from my early adult years, around 19 to 22. I wanted the EP to feel sweet and free."
There's also a lovely full-circle moment wrapped up in it. "I always felt this rush to grow up," she says. "Funny enough, my dad used to always tell me to really enjoy my teen years, because one day I'd want to feel that kind of freedom again. I didn't understand what he meant at the time, and it turns out he couldn't have been more right."
The actual process of making the EP sounds refreshingly straightforward. "A journal and pen, my producer Day Wave, a bag of sweets and chips and a whole lot of reminiscing," Lola laughs.
“My dad used to always tell me to really enjoy my teen years”
— Lola Blue
That openness sits right at the centre of the record. Across singles like 'Heartbeat', 'Daisy' and 'I Don't Know How To Leave', she writes about grief, toxic relationships, love and growing pains in a way that feels incredibly direct. Thankfully, oversharing comes naturally to her.
"I've always been a very open person, so it feels natural," she says. "Being honest in my lyricism is how I feel the most free and fulfilled."
That honesty got easier once she realised how many people might see their own lives reflected back in the songs. "The stories I'm telling are so universal," she says. "We've all experienced similar things, and that's why this EP feels so special to me."
Working on the project also cracked open a few emotional doors she hadn't expected. "I think making this project made me realise how important it is to enjoy the little moments," Lola says. "I definitely haven't mastered that yet, and I still have a lot to learn about myself. But what was really sweet about being seventeen was how excited I was about the small things."
Even now, she feels like she's only scratching the surface. "Towards the end of the project, I started realising there's still so much I haven't even processed or touched on yet," she says. "Writing this EP opened up a really natural story, and it made me excited for the music I'll release after this project."
Considering these are her first proper releases, the response has already been pretty massive. "Putting out art and music is very vulnerable, and pursuing anything is so scary," she says. "It has been sooo amazing to see people resonating with the songs, that's always been the hope and dream."
Next up comes the bit she's been waiting for most: actually getting in front of people. "I can't wait to start playing shows," she says. "I'm really excited to build a body of music that feels completely unapologetic and honest."
Before all that, though, there's summer. And apparently, summer means rehearsals, writing, preparing for her first live show and possibly abandoning plans to go swimming so she can stay home watching TV instead. "My debut EP comes out 15th May, and I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!" Lola beams. "This summer is gonna be filled with me writing new music, rehearsing with my band, and getting ready to play my first live show."
Away from music, she still paints, makes collages, rides horses and plays Minecraft while binging shows, which honestly feels very on-brand for somebody making dreamy indie-pop called 'Pinky Promise'.
Lola Blue's EP 'Pinky Promise' is out now.
