Singer/songwriter Lavalu’s reputation is already one step ahead of her; she is regarded by many as the new Dutch music sensation. This creates expectations of course, expectations she has fulfilled without a doubt on her debut album HOPE or liquid courage. Twenty years of classical piano lessons, five years of searching for a new kind of rock/pop music, more than 150 gigs and many rehearsals and writing sessions, have resulted in a stylish, honest, self-willed and stirring album. Lavalu is a multi talent: she acts, sings, plays the piano, composes and writes. As a three-year old girl she was constantly hitting the keys of the piano and already at that age she was making up her own tunes. For twenty years she intensely studied classical piano and was never really interested in pop music. Until she reached the end of puberty and discovered artists like Radiohead, Björk, Tori Amos and Moloko and thought: ‘Ah! So that’s also possible.’ From that moment on she became inspired to write and compose herself and in 2003 she kicked off a singer/songwriter career under her own name, Marielle Woltring.
In 2005 she released her first EP Anxiety under the name Lavalu – ‘a name that came to me once and which felt right’. Late 2007 the EP Now was released which sold extremely well after her shows. Now also resulted in an invitation to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival (2009), where she was programmed on the biggest outdoor stage (Parc Vernex) between Grace Jones and B.B. King. She also performed successful live shows at various Dutch festivals including Noorderslag, the Uitmarkt, Festival ad Werf, and shows at the Bimhuis and Paradiso in Amsterdam; all of these gigs got raving reviews.
Born in the USA, ‘the land of hope and dreams’ (Cleveland, Ohio), Lavalu has always held on to her personal ‘hope and dream’ in order to create her own musical style. The title of her debut album comes from the realisation of that dream, a dream that she lived up to with lots of guts and even more courage. ‘It took us five years to find the kind of music that adds something to that which is already there,’ says Lavalu. ‘This is the sound that I always dreamed of. I tried out various names for it, from ‘Nu Pop’ to ‘jazzpoprocktriphop’, but it never seemed to cover the feel of it. I cannot describe it. I can only say that the pop genre is intertwined with jazz, classical music, triphop and other musical elements. So I just say something like Radiohead asking Tori Amos for a dance while Miles Davis is beating time.’
Lavalu produced her debut album together with her sax player Miguel Boelens (Young VIP 2005), thinking: only Lavalu knows how Lavalu should sound. Piano and drums were recorded in the German studio fattoria musica (Osnabrück) and another part of the album was recorded in studio BWave in Arnhem, the Netherlands. But most of the songs were recorded in Miguel’s daughter’s babyroom, which was turned into Studio Babyroom for the occasion. In this small room of 1,5 by 1,5m, HOPE or liquid courage was knocked into shape. Miguel turned out to be an excellent producer, engineer and artistic sounding board for Lavalu. Band members Yonga Sun (drums, Best Dutch Soloist 2005) and Jörg Brinkmann (cello) turned their self-willed sound into an essential part of this record. Various guest musicians, including Mark Haanstra (bass) and Sander Hop (guitar), also contributed to the band’s sound. Joeri Saal (who previously worked with Marike Jager and Moke) created the stirring final mix.
The music of Lavalu has something magical, something inviolable; each track produces new surprises every time you listen to it. That also goes for the themes that she refers to. ‘The intense feeling that there has got to be something more. Something special and magical. That’s what keeps me busy. The inner desire to chase it, to find or to create it, without knowing what it is or what it looks like.’ Also the fragile side of love is a recurring theme, sung about in poetical but also raw words. ‘I write almost all lyrics in times of intense desire, in which I experience the emotion of an event all over again. The words to express this emotion will then follow automatically.’ HOPE or liquid courage is the result of various musical influences, a desire for beauty and a strong urge for innovation. Lavalu: a name to remember.
Releaseparty HOPE or liquid courage (Mandibulate Records/Rough Trade):
September, 24, 2009@Paradiso, Amsterdam
Benelux and digitale release: September, 25, 2009