Music Star Lánre On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Guernslye Honoré

Know your worth — Do research about how much you should be getting paid for shows, features, etc., and make sure you don’t budge on that price point. The worst thing they can say is “no” and most of the time people are willing to negotiate anyway.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Lánre.

Charting 1 million+ streams worldwide, breakout singer-songwriter Lánre writes catchy heartfelt songs set to a blend of RnB, electronic, and pop music. Lánre, born Olánrewaju Keyede, began his music career at age 10 in his hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey where he attended a music school and was classically trained in vocal performance. Lánre’s artistry promotes a sense of nostalgia akin to the era of pre-streaming pop stars like Michael Jackson, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Chris Brown, which he frequently lists as major influences on his music and look. He is definitely an artist to keep an eye on as he blazes his path toward superstardom with every hit. Lánre is artistically at the top of his game and surely has a huge future ahead. And the most exciting part — he’s still only really just getting started.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in a small town called Plainfield, NJ with my two parents and older brother. I’m a first-generation Nigerian-American and grew up in a really big extended family. There’s a lot of love in my family, and they instilled a great deal of it and faith in me. My parents were both small business owners and worked hard their whole lives, they also instilled that work ethic into me and my brother.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?

I fell in love with music watching Lion King as a toddler. I sang around the house and drove my family crazy. They wanted to encourage my natural affinity for music so they put me in a church choir and eventually an all-boys chorus school where I was classically trained in music and the performing arts. With the help of my producer cousin, I wrote and recorded my first demo CD when I was 14 years old and discovered my love for songwriting.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I did a show in Boulder a couple of years ago and someone came up to me after performing my song, Beautiful Lies, which is a song I wrote about my struggles with addiction to alcohol and feeling lost in life. He explained that he was a former drug addict and he resonated with the song. That was the first time that I understood the impact my music can have on others, made me fall in love with performing, and has since made me a better performer.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Oh, that brings back memories! When I first started out, I had this hilarious mix-up. I was scheduled to perform at Vinyl-Center Stage in Atlanta and they’d asked me to come in for a soundcheck. Being new to the industry, I mistook ‘soundcheck’ for ‘rehearsal’. So instead of simply testing the audio levels, me and my band went full-on concert mode!

The other bands weren’t too happy with us and we were honestly exhausted after playing our whole set. It was an epic faux pas, but it taught me an important lesson: know the industry jargon!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My journey in the music industry wouldn’t have been the same without my teachers at Newark Boys Chorus School, particularly Mr. Emory and Mr. Morris.

Mr. Emory taught me the importance of organization, accountability, and hard work with my education. He never let me miss a homework assignment and held me back after school to make sure I had all my classes in order before the next day. Although it seemed harsh then, it taught me to be prepared and accountable.

Mr. Morris, on the other hand, instilled in me a love for the art of singing and composition, along with discipline and hard work. He had this way of making us feel the music, not just sing it. Once, we spent an entire class dissecting a single line of a song, understanding its emotion and depth.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m currently in the middle of releasing my sophomore EP, ‘up all night.’, a musical genre-blending story of thoughts and situations that keep me up at night. I’ve been releasing the project as singles since last year, and it’s set to release in full when the story culminates in July. From heartbreak to feeling burnt out about my career, this project has been so therapeutic for me to write. This process has helped me re-discover myself and my love for music. ‘up all night.’ is set to be released in full this July and I’m so excited to share it with fans.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

The first reason is that it’s important for people in our society to feel seen. As a Nigerian-American male, I offer a unique perspective to the world around me through my music, a perspective that is shared with millions of people around the country. This can help people feel a sense of belonging and confidence to live out their dreams and live authentically, which can only make society better.

The second is education. There are so many beautiful stories to be told, across cultures, and giving them platforms to tell them gives people outside of the culture the opportunity to learn more about it.

The third is representation. The US is a melting pot of cultures and histories. That’s what makes it so unique in the world, and having that represented in media is what accurately portrays us to the rest of the world which I think is important.

As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?

I keep in mind that my music career is not just about me. My goal as a musician is to help people feel seen and to help them not to feel alone. I’ve felt very down and lonely at times in my life, and music and my faith in God have always been the things that see me through those dark times. I want to make people feel that same sense of belonging when they listen to my music, so when there are obstacles that get tough I keep that in my mind’s eye and keep pushing forward.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . Not everyone is going to be your friend — I’m a very trusting person, and therefore I used to automatically want to start friendships with people I would work with within the music industry. Working and trying to make ‘friends’ with people led to a lot of messy disappointments that could’ve been avoided if I approached it as a business relationship first, and friendship second.

2 . Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself — If someone is turned off or offended by you having a strong stance on something, then they’re not a true collaborator and they saved you a lot of time and headache by walking away from the project themselves.

3 . Know your worth — Do research about how much you should be getting paid for shows, features, etc., and make sure you don’t budge on that price point. The worst thing they can say is “no” and most of the time people are willing to negotiate anyway.

4 . Keep your files organized and get all your session files from your engineers/producers — There are so many sync placement opportunities that will come your way, and it will save you so much if you have the production files of all of your music handy to give to them. It’s not the responsibility of the producers/engineers to hang on to that stuff, so don’t bet on your work to always be accessible to you through them.

5 . Don’t take things too personally — This is called the music business for a reason. You are an entity that is separate from your music and your music career. So when someone offers a critique on an aspect of either of them, it’s not an attack on you, it’s an opinion on the work you produce. This will save you so much time spent being angry about a bad review or troll on social media. You are great and your music is an extension of your greatness, but it doesn’t define who you are. Only God can do that.

Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?

I have a long-running list of song concepts and ideas on the notes app on my phone. Every time I get a random idea or hear a cool line on TV, I write down a line or two and add it to the list. When I get to the studio and hear a new production, I reference that list to see if any line matches the mood of the beat I’m listening to. If it does I build the song from there. Alternatively, sometimes I think of a whole song idea in a dream I’m having and send the rough song idea to a producer and we flesh it out from there.

For collaborations, I typically look out for a few things: their work ethic, making sure our musical sensibilities complement each other, and most importantly, making sure that we have a natural chemistry as friends. Checking all three of those boxes usually leads to great music and an even better working relationship!

Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart?

I make music that I genuinely love listening to. I think a lot of the music today is made by artists who want their songs to be popular, so they craft it in such a way that it fits into a certain mold (this applies to every genre). I don’t approach my music that way. I write every song with one main mission: How can I tell this story in a way that would be really cool for me to listen to? That authenticity and connection to my music is what I feel like listeners and fans have latched on to because it makes them feel connected to me. That’s something I admire about my favorite musicians and I’ve learned how to do the same thing with my music.

How do you connect with your audience?

I use social media for most of my fan interactions when I’m not on the road playing shows. My favorite part of the day is when I take 30 mins- 1 hour to reply to comments, DMs, etc. from followers of my various pages. I also go on TikTok Live a few times a week to interact with fans new and old, and sing covers. It’s so cool to be able to interact with them even if it’s for a brief moment. Some fans have been following me since I first started my career in 2020, and I’ve gotten to see them get married, graduate, and start careers of their own! It’s such a blessing to have these interactions with them every day, and it’s a bond that I cherish so much.

With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?

I make it a point to meditate for at least 10 minutes in the morning and to take several breaks when I’m on the road. Finding my center in the chaos of touring is what keeps me sane and makes me a better performer.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Thank you for that. I believe one of my purposes in life it to bring people together by uniting us with music. Particularly with black men. So often we were raised to think we have to be emotionless to be “strong” or “manly”. When the opposite is true. We are stronger and more connected to our masculinity when we open ourselves up emotionally. I demonstrate that very potently in my music and I hope it connects and inspires people to do the same.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I would love to sit down with Beyonce and ask her about all parts of her career journey the world didn’t get to see. Not just the challenging stuff either, but the real day-to-day things that we wouldn’t have guessed she had to do. She’s been such a major influence on my life since I was a child, and now that I’m an adult on a similar career path, I would love to know more perspectives on the reality of this industry from a source I would trust the most.

Mark my words, this dream conversation scenario will be a reality one day!

How can our readers continue to follow your work online?

I’m very active across all of my social media channels, especially Instagram and TikTok, my handle for both is @lanre.official. I share my upcoming releases, show dates, and other fun stuff that I’m working on those channels. I also like having fun with the audience, so I’d be honored to have your readers join my community :)

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

Thank you for having me! It was my pleasure.

About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.