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If you have yet to hear of LU KALA, prepare to fall in love.

One click of her new single “Criminal,” and you’re instantly sucked into her world: empowering anthems that will have you dancing around like the bad bitch you are. The song itself is reminiscent of a dance party in the 80’s: exuding nothing but confidence, elation, and one hell of a good time.

“I do music that is true to me, and it would be cool to see more girls feel like they can do the same, whatever the genre, no matter their race,” LU KALA states.

Born in Congo but raised in Toronto, LU LAKA is a pop singer-songwriter who writes lyrics inspired by real life experiences, wearing her heart on her sleeves with each release. 

So what does LU KALA have to celebrate? Everything.

Four songs in rotation on the radio airwaves back home in Toronto, two nominees at the Juno Awards (Single of The Year for “Pretty Girl Era” & Breakthrough Artist of the Year), a legendary performance with Cindy Lauper in front of an arena, a feature with Latto on “Lottery,” cosigns from Justin Timberlake, Eva Longoria, Serena Williams (the list goes on) — and this is just the beginning.

Sheen spoke with LU KALA in downtown Los Angeles, where she calls her new home. Read below as we discuss her new single “Criminal,” hearing her songs all over the radio back home, performing with Cindi Lauper, and more!

New single “Criminal”, what were the vibes when you made this record? It’s such a bop. 

Thank you. Honestly, “Criminal” was such a different feel for me. I had never done something that feels a little 80’s. I like the older eras, so I like playing with the 60’s, the 70’s. But the 80’s was something I’ve always said no to. But this was the first song I wrote this year. 

This entire year?

This whole year. [laughs] Since January, I know it just came out. Literally I walked into the year being like, I feel a little different. Something feels a little sexier, a little bad gal. I want people to see a different side of me. I’m wearing black. No one’s ever seen me wearing black. I’m usually the girl in colors. But “Criminal,” I just want people to know I’m a bad girl too. For the right person.

So what is your type?

I’m open, and personality is a really big deal. But I do like them a little taller. I’m a thick girl, I want you to make me feel a little small. I do like them a little taller, I’m not gonna hold you. But I’m pretty open when it comes to people. 

I love that you be making these bad bitch pop anthems. 

Yeah! The last couple years, pop, there’s been so many sad songs. Everyone’s depressed, everyone’s trying to jump. We gotta wake it up and be a little happier. I think you can make a pop song that’s not corny, that makes you feel like “I want to conquer the day and feel good about myself.” 

A lot of my songs are heavy with the breakup theme. “I’m out, I’m gone.” This was a little different, because no, I want to be bad for you. You bring out this bad side out of me, so that era is definitely matching what my dating life is missing. I’m really good at writing a breakup song, whether it’s a sad song or a happy: I’m hot now afterwards. I’m not very good at writing the love songs. God did not give me that gift. I’m still working on that.

Is “Who’s Gonna” a love song?

No, “Who’s Gonna” is who’s gonna give me the shit I want. It’s literally I’m feeling good. I can get doing this and that for myself, so who’s gonna be the one that’s gonna offer me the world? And if you can’t do that, please stay back. Even that was a different theme than people had been used to hearing me, but “Criminal” is me letting out my bad side. Being like: I want to be bad for somebody. Maybe I’ll do some time for you. Not in real life though, only in the music. [laughs]

What’s your ideal date night? 

Oh that’s good. Obviously, we all like doing a nice dinner, something that feels romantic. I thought it’d be cute to go somewhere a little dark, then the fire’s up. I did it before and I said no, it’s not the vibes. I need to be able to see the menu. [laughs] An adventure would be better. It’s boring now, doing the dinners and chatting. It’s almost like you’re talking online, but you’re talking to real life and you’re just sitting down. Let’s go and have fun. 

I went mini-putting with someone one time. That was a good time because one, we could talk shit with each other. And I’m very competitive when I play games, so I could get to know a different side to you. It’s a mixture of both: something that has a little bit of romance, but something that’s also a fun game. Let’s have a good time. 

How does it feel to have your songs playing all over the radios in your hometown of Toronto? 

It feels really good. I don’t think I realized that till the other day, but I’ve had four Top 10 songs on the radio in under two years. That’s pretty crazy. If we include America, I also had one Top 20 in America. It feels good, because I dreamed about that forever. A lot of times when you put in so much work, you don’t actually see the physical work. And when you see it, a lot of times you’re waiting for the next moment. 

So when I had that moment of pause: wait, that’s happened. I had my first Billboard Hot 100 in America. I had two or three in Canada. Wait, things are actually moving. I’m excited. Soon, we gon’ take over the airwaves in America. I feel it, I feel so close. It also makes me happy. People had missed pop music. People are starting to crave it again, so hopefully I’m a part of what is next.

Do your family and friends hit you from back home? Like “I just heard you on the radio!” 

Everyday. It got to the point where they don’t even do it anymore because they hear it so much. When my song “Pretty Girl Era” got on the radio in Canada, I had just moved here. So I never heard it for eight months, but everyone says “I don’t think you understand that you play nonstop.” I remember flying home and being whoa, okay. It is playing a good amount. Now, my songs are in competition with each other. It’s really weird.

Talk about opening for Cindi Lauper, that’s legendary!

Last time I was in town, I opened for Cindi Lauper. Some of my team from LA flew in to Toronto, it was their first time in Toronto. Right as they got back to the hotel from the airport, they got an Uber to go to dinner and one of my songs was playing on the radio. Around the same time, my other friend was on the way to an event, my other song was playing. Afterwards, we met up for drinks, then “Lottery” started playing. So that was the third song of mine in two, three hours. I was like, shit. 

People tell me they play them in rotation, but I don’t think I realized to what extent. It was pretty amazing for me to see, because I don’t live there anymore, so I’m not really taking it in that it plays that much in the country. Also for my team to experience that, they’re like “damn!” When they were at my show, it was my first arena show. I didn’t have any covers for my set, it was a 30 minute set. But the crowd knew so many of the songs. Oh my gosh, this is a real thing. It feels like it’s starting to happen. 

Were you nervous? An arena show is big! 

I was nervous, but I was more excited than I was nervous. I remember at one part, I told the crowd: “put your lights up.” I thought no one was gonna do it, because it’s so embarrassing. You see concerts when someone puts their mic out and no one responds back. We’re either gonna get embarrassed or it’s gonna land, and the majority of people put their lights out. It reminded me why I do this and how badly I want what’s next. It felt really good.

How’s your mental health nowadays? Are you getting more sleep? 

I don’t know if I am. You know when you start touring, it goes up and down. Just doing a couple dates kicked my ass, so I can only imagine… Hello, how does Beyonce do that long? How’s Taylor Swift doing two years? That’s really insane. But my mental health, it goes up and down. Being an artist, there are moments you’re really sad. There’s moments you want things to go to the next level. The world thinks they are, but you don’t really feel like they are. The lows could be really low, then the highs could be really high. And they could be so close together, so experiencing those types of emotions is such a roller coaster. 

Today I’m in a good place, I got to rest for the last two days. But I really do think it’s a week by week thing. And when you want something so badly, I’m really hard on myself. That does play with your emotions a lot. If you’re gonna be in this world, I really think that everyone needs therapy. Everyone in the music industry needs to go to therapy. I started therapy for the first time last year, then life got crazy and I honestly stopped prioritizing it. But it’s something I want to get back into, because I can feel my brain going like this [hand motions]. I have ADHD so my brain is all over the place, I don’t know how to focus. In this industry, you really need to know how to focus. 

So mental health is… we’re good today, but it is a tough job. The average person works the kind of job — they also have highs and lows, but I don’t think they have them to the extent someone in the music industry or an actor or entrepreneurs have them. You really feel like your whole world is crashing down, or blowing up for the best or for the worst. I really do think that more people need to prioritize it. More people need to figure out: how do I reel it in, and how do I take me time? How do I celebrate my wins so that I don’t let the lows eat me up for a long time? And I know how to get back up.

When you are low, are you able to pour into the music? 

I am to a certain extent. When I write something like a ballad… I was in the studio yesterday and I said: guys, I’m tired. We’re not writing a ballad. That takes so much energy out of you. A least for myself, because I’m writing from my own truth, because you have to really dive really deep in. I might not want to do that when I’m really tired, but I do use my life in my music first. “Bae, where are you at?” I’m gonna add it to the song. “Hey God, what’s going on?” It’s my self-therapy, when I can really think this is what I’m going through, and let me put it in the music.

Anything else you want to let us know? 

Project coming soon. My second EP, but it feels like my first project. It’s coming very, very, very soon. Get ready to feel very sexy, fun, hot, every emotion possible. Because hello? LU KALA is who you play to get ready to.

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Falcon Publicity