After releasing several addictive and catchy songs over the past year, it’s getting much clearer that LØLØ is destined to become a major pop-punk sensation. With a loyal TikTok following, an abundance of deliciously playful lyrics, and an enormously fun attitude, she continues to cement herself as a superstar in the making with every new release.
LØLØ’s latest single, “u turn me on (but u give me depression),” is another example of her ability to create a song with maximum replay value. The song details the ease of falling in love with an axe murderer in comparison to her current relationship with someone deeply affecting her mental health. While the lyrical content may sound dark and gloomy, LØLØ always manages to juxtapose her lyrics with fun, upbeat, and lighthearted melodies to dance along to.
As the Toronto-born singer-songwriter continues touring, she is also preparing for the release of her EP, debbie downer, which will be available to stream on September 30. There is a lot in store for LØLØ’s musical journey, and it’s time for everyone to get buckled in for the ride.
Pop Crave chatted with LØLØ about her new single, “u turn me on (but u give me depression),” collaborating with Maggie Lindemann, and the impacts of TikTok on the music industry.
Your new single, “u turn me on (but u give me depression),” is so much fun! Can you explain the inspiration behind the song and what the songwriting process was like?
Thank you!! It’s kind of funny actually. Basically, I thought things were for sure, one million percent, going to go a certain way with a guy on a night out, and that we’d end up in my bed together. Instead, at the end of the night I was in my bed alone and crying. Then, mid-cry, I started laughing at myself. 1, for how pathetic I was being, and 2, for how polar opposite I thought things would turn out. It was always extremes with this guy — one second, I’m on cloud nine, and then the next I’m crashing down straight to hell. That’s when I wiped away a tear and wrote down in my phone, “u turn me on, but u give me depression.” I then brought the idea into a songwriting session, and I said, “Okay, hear me out! I wanna write a song with ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression)’ as the tag line.” My co-writers were unsure at first, but then we all got really into it. And thus, the song was born on a very hot afternoon during my first Nashville trip.
I love the color palette for the “u turn me on (but u give me depression)” music video! How did you come up with the concept for the video?
The whole video was kind of a big rush, since I just wrote the song in June, and I had to get everything submitted ASAP in order to include it in my upcoming EP. I love how it all came together, though. I told the director, Justin Alexis, the backstory, and that I wanted to make sure there was a scene when I’m in bed with an axe murderer. The rest he came up with. He’s very good at that.
What about the world of pop-punk do you think specifically drew you to that genre of music?
I feel like in this genre no one takes themselves too seriously, and I love that about it. It’s not trying hard. But it’s hard to say what really drew me in because I started liking the music when I was really little.
Your song “debbie downer” with Maggie Lindemann is another absolute bop! What was it like working with Maggie Lindemann on both the song and music video, and are there any other artists you’d love to collaborate with in the future?
Thank you so much! It was epic working with Maggie. We had been writing together a bunch for her upcoming album, and so when I showed her “debbie downer,” she was super down to write a second verse with me and hop on the track. She looked so hot at the video shoot too — it was honestly hard to concentrate.
I’d love to write with Julia Michaels or Taylor Swift; I think they’re the best songwriters of all time. I’d love to collab with a band I looked up to growing up just to live out some fantasies: Green Day, Weezer, Avril, Simple Plan.
You’re a very humorous, tongue-in-cheek lyricist. Is there a certain line you’ve written from a past song that you’d say is one of your personal favorites?
“You could shove me out an airplane, push me off a cliff, Throw a toaster in a bathtub that I’m lying in, cuz baby that would hurt less than this.”
Which song of yours was the quickest one to write, and which one was the longest?
The quickest was probably “lonely & pathetic” — the longest was probably “junkie.” That song went through a lot of different verses and pre-choruses before I found the right thing. The chorus was always the same, though.
“THE FLOOR IS LAVA!!” is one of my favorites from you! How did the song come about?
I started eating weed edibles during the pandemic. My anxiety also got way worse, and then suddenly the floor became lava!!
You’re currently part of Hoodie Allen’s tour, and you’ve recently performed at places like Lollapalooza and the Sad Summer Festival tour! What has been your favorite part about the touring experience?
My favorite part is definitely getting to see people singing back my lyrics to me — that will never stop being the coolest thing ever. And then meeting those people after the shows, and hugging them, and knowing that we are best friends.
As someone who garnered a large following from TikTok, how would you say TikTok and other social media platforms are altering the way the music industry functions?
A lot more people get to share their music with the world, which is great. I think for the most part TikTok is great. It’s just sad when a song doesn’t have a “viral TikTok part” to it. It can still be a really, really good song, but if it doesn’t go viral on TikTok, sometimes you feel like a failure! L-O-L!
What else can fans expect to see from LØLØ within this upcoming year?
An EP! More songs! And hopefully more shows! 🙂
LØLØ’s new song, “u turn me on (but u give me depression),” is out now.
