12 year old Lani Luv is a quintuple threat who deserves your undivided attention. She can sing, freestyle rap, model, dance, and act. Her skills give adults a run for their money. Lani Luv’s latest collab with the equally talented, 10-year-old artist BoujeeBaby titled “How We Do It” is a fantastic representation of her strengths as an entertainer and her New York background.
We, at For The Culture Zine, were grateful to get the chance to interview Lani Luv to learn more about her artistry, the music video for “How We Do It”, and how she got into music.
Q&A With Lani Luv
Q: “How We Do It” is such a fun track that perfectly showcases your style and the city your New York roots. What was it like collaborating with BoujeeBaby and what did you learn from the experience?
LANI LUV: This was my first time collaborating with an artist from another state that’s pretty far from where I live. Overall, it was a fun experience to work with BoujeeBaby. She is a cool, nice and talented young artist. We got to know each other during the pandemic and we became closer by communicating virtually. BoujeeBaby reached out to me through Instagram and we hit it off and then we began working on the How We Do It. I’m still amazed that the song is out and that we were able to do this without even meeting each other yet. It was all done digitally. I think what I learned is that you need to be dedicated to this work and have a strong team to get things done. At my age, I could not have done this alone and I’m blessed that I have good people who work with me and BoujeeBaby to make this happen.
Q: Did you face any challenges creating a song together virtually?
LANI LUV: I can’t really think of any big challenges because we worked smoothly to get the song completed as soon as possible. I guess the only challenge that I can think of is meeting some of our timelines as we were both in school and we had to make sure we were completing our work for school and meeting our deadlines. I would say that was the hardest part and I’m still learning how to master prioritization.
Q: The music video is dope! I especially love the choreography. What was your favorite scene to film and why?
LANI LUV: Thank you so much! To be honest, I love all of the scenes, but if I had to pick a scene it would be the Tribe Call Quest mural. There was no choreography in that scene, all I had to do was be myself and have fun! The word ‘represent’ is written on the mural and I felt that’s what I was doing representing my city, what I do best and how I felt. I think that’s what Tribe Called Quest did too when they came out as a group with their different style.
Q: Who are some of your musical influences?
LANI LUV: I have a variety of favorite musicians and artists in each genre. For example, in the old school generation, I love TLC, Destiny’s Child, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Kanye West, Biggie and many more. I’ve been exposed to these artists and get to listen to a lot of music from the past that my family loves. For the new school generation, some people that I think are on fire are Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Lakeyah, Megan Thee Stallion, and more recent kid rappers such as Baby Santana, That Girl Lay Lay, GoKeeKeeGo, and others. I also love Roddy Ricch, NLE, Lil Baby, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
Q: How would you describe your music?
LANI LUV: I would describe my music as empowering, fun, and positive. I think my music is something that everyone can listen to and enjoy. People can be inspired by my music when they listen deeply to the lyrics. Right now, I’m focused on spreading music that people can feel good about and there is a common theme in all my songs and that is to be the best you, show the best you and believe it!
Q: How has growing up in New York influenced your artistry?
LANI LUV: When you think of New York you think of diversity, uniqueness, we do it how we do it and that’s it. There’s Juilliard Art School that focuses on artistic education, you learn the classics, there’s hip hop from all the NYC boroughs – we have the best jazz from Harlem and cultural music because of NYC’s melting pot. We get music education in school which helps to develop our creative abilities and enhances our academic skills. There is music all around me; while riding the trains, on the streets, in school, at church, in the playground, when I’m chilling at home, it’s literally everywhere. And now, music is a part of me and who I’ve become.
Q: What inspired you to pursue music especially at such a young age?
LANI LUV: At a young age, my mom put my sister and I in a lot of activities such as music school, piano, dancing, singing lessons, and choir at church. On the other side of my family, my dad would rap back in the day and I recall he would rap to me a lot when I was little. I write a lot and most times it comes easy to me. I also listen to a lot of music and rappers; and one day, I just decided to write something and I thought it was good and that’s how it all started.
Q: What’s coming up next for you?
LANI LUV: I’m currently working on new songs and writing freestyles almost everyday. I just want to create things that I love and hope that everyone loves it too!<3 <3