Lillie Amadea West, known professionally as Lala Lala, is an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

musician and songwriter based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Early life

West was born in California, but was raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

until she was twelve years old. Her father was a filmmaker. She then moved with her family to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and attended the

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA, ) is a visual and performing arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is a public school, ...

. She would soon relocate to Chicago to attend the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

and become involved with the city's underground music scene. A long time fan of music, it was not until West began college that she would begin to create music of her own after being encouraged by a friend to purchase a guitar from

Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is a privately held American company operating a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussi ...

. She dropped out of college after "a year and two months", then moved to Chicago when she was 19.

Career

Lala Lala's debut album, ''Sleepyhead'', was self-released in 2016 and was followed up by their sophomore album titled ''The Lamb'', which was released in September 2018 on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

imprint Hardly Art. Upon the announcement of the band's second album,

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

gave Lala Lala the prestigious recognition of "Band to Watch" in July 2018. The release of Lala Lala's sophomore album, ''The Lamb'', was met with favorable reviews by various notable publications, including

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

, whose review by Steven Arroyo states that "On her second album, Lillie West retains the charming simplicity of her songs, but she finds new depth as a songwriter as she explores the act of standing up to herself," awarding the album with a high numerical score as well. In January 2019, Lala Lala released a single titled "Siren 042," a collaboration with

Yoni Wolf Jonathan Avram "Yoni" Wolf (born April 30, 1979) is an American alternative hip hop and indie rock musician and co-founder of the record label Anticon. From 1997 until 2004, Wolf released music under the stage name Why?. In 2004 he transferred ...

, frontman of the American band WHY?, which was premiered on

the Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

and was reviewed well by music outlets. A writer for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, Adelaide Sandstrom, praises the collaboration, "Siren 042," writing that the song displays West's "ability to offset sharp lyricism with shimmering guitar and singalong-worthy vocal refrains." In March 2019, West set out on a nationwide tour opening for the

Conor Oberst Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes (band), Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos (band), Desaparecidos, the Faint (previou ...

and

Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar and Electronic music, electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has won four Grammy Aw ...

duo

Better Oblivion Community Center Better Oblivion Community Center was an American indie rock superduo consisting of musicians Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. They released their self-titled debut album on January 24, 2019, through Dead Oceans. Background Oberst and Bridge ...

. Later in 2019, Lala Lala opened for

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie (commonly abbreviated to DCFC or Death Cab) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The ...

on their U.S. Summer tour. It was announced that in July 2019, Lala Lala will perform at the

Music Festival in Chicago In July 2021, Lala Lala released a single, "Diver," the first off her third album, ''I Want The Door To Open'', which was released in October 2021. The album received positive reviews, with Pitchfork summarizing, " iring her simple, unaffected vocal style with carefully synthesized arrangements, the Chicago-based musician departs from her indie-rock foundations in search of musical and personal freedom." West released two new singles in 2023, "Hit Me Where It Hurts" in September, and "Armida" in November. In 2024, she released the instrumental album ''if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird,'' which was written and recorded during a residency in Iceland and includes eight instrumental compositions. Of the album, West notes, "I hope that the music is able to invoke the rhythm, sway, and connection I felt with the landscape in Seyðisfjörður, as well as my ongoing attempt to communicate with the divine."

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Sleepyhead'' (2016, self-released) * '' The Lamb'' (2018, Hardly Art) * ''I Want the Door to Open'' (2021, Hardly Art) * ''if i were a real man i would be able to break the neck of a suffering bird'' as Lillie West (2024, Hardly Art)

EPs

* ''Lala Lala'' (2014, self-released) * ''Have a Good Day'' (2015, self-released)

Singles

* "Siren 042" featuring WHY? (January 11, 2019) * "Legs, Run" (January 21, 2020) * "Fantasy Movie" b/w Valentine featuring

Grapetooth Grapetooth is a Chicago-based new wave-influenced duo. The project, which consists of Clay Frankel and Chris Bailoni, was started in 2015. Career Twin Peaks member Clay Frankel and Chris Bailoni, also known as Chicago producer Home-sick, met i ...

(February 12, 2020) * "€ € € €^^%%!!!!!heaven!!!!!!" featuring Baths (July 24, 2020) * "Hit Me Where It Hurts"(September 27, 2023) * "Armida" (November 9, 2023) * "holyholyholy" (April 1, 2024)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lala Lala Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American indie pop musicians School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Musicians from London Musicians from Chicago Musicians from Los Angeles British emigrants to the United States 21st-century American musicians 21st-century American women musicians American women guitarists American women singer-songwriters American expatriates in England American feminist musicians Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Illinois