As someone who loves old-school R&B and soul, hearing Lánre for the first time a few months ago felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s wonderful to see high-quality, thoughtful pop and R&B music back in the spotlight, and Lánre is leading that charge with his latest single, Last Night Alone. Drawing on early 2000s electro-pop textures, the song mixes old-school elements with Lánre’s own style. In creating the track, he combines admiration for artists like Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Brown with his own story of love and vulnerability. It also nods to one of Lánre’s all-time favourites, Beautiful People. He says the lyrics came naturally, capturing the hopeful mood of the music and the emotions he wanted to share.

From electro-pop to soulful R&B tracks like High. and Beautiful Lies, he enjoys exploring different sounds. His voice is always front and center, with producers like Mileage shaping the music around it. Recognised by outlets like GQ and Rolling Stone UK as an artist to watch, he plans to keep exploring different genres – from alt-rock to country – while growing his own voice in pop and R&B.

Recently, View of the Arts sat down with Lánre for an interview, where he shared how he stays true to his own style rather than industry expectations. 

With “Last Night Alone“, I tell a very personal story about love and the surrender that comes with letting love grow.

View of the Arts: You have just released a new single called Last Night Alone. The song taps into early 2000s electro-pop textures while still sounding distinctly yours. When you’re working with old-school sounds, how do you balance paying homage to the past with making sure the song reflects your own artistic identity today? What’s the creative process for this track, including lyrics?

Lánre : I take a lot of inspiration from artists like Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Brown. With that, I put my own spin on that sound that I’ve drawn so much inspiration from. With Last Night Alone, I tell a very personal story about love and the surrender that comes with letting love grow. This topic balanced really well with the hopeful longing I felt with the track, so the lyrics started writing themselves.

VOA: Your discography moves between electro-pop tracks to soulful R&B cuts like “High.” and “Beautiful Lies.” Vocally, do you feel more at home in one lane, or does switching between those styles give you new ways to stretch your work as a singer?

L: I never want to feel tied to just one genre. I love discovering new ways to express myself, and that can be through any genre that inspires me.

VOA: You have spoken about surrendering expectations in life and music, which fed into the themes of Last Night Alone. How does that mindset shape the way you write and release songs now compared to earlier in your career?

L: There’s a freedom that comes with surrendering that I didn’t learn about before, till this real-life experience. I stopped putting expectations on everything and just let life bring me beautiful surprises. This is reflected in the way I’ve been approaching music lately, by allowing my natural creative flow to take over without constraints.

VOA: Your vocals are immaculate – they really carry a song even without production. How intentional are you about arranging space in a track so your voice sits front and center, and what do you look for in a producer or collaborator to achieve that balance?

L: Thank you! I always look for productions that I can easily complement with my voice without them competing with each other. My frequent collaborator, Mileage, is a genius at creating tracks that make space for my vocal arrangements and complement my voice well. With Last Night Alone, I’m telling a very personal story, so it was important for my vocals to sit well on the song, with the production helping to carry the theme.

VOA: With the visualizer for Last Night Alone, you worked again with Angel Vivaldo. How important is the visual side of your work to you, and what do you want fans to take away from your videos that they might not get just by listening?

L: The visuals for Last Night Alone were a callback to the iconic dance scene from the movie Flashdance, and more recently, Dua Lipa’s Electricity. A lot of my music calls back to the ’90s aesthetic of visual storytelling, and this visual felt like such a great match to help tell the story of the song.

VOA: You’ve been recognised by outlets like GQ and Rolling Stone UK as an artist to watch in 2025. Do those nods change the way you approach your career, or do you try to block out industry expectations and focus on the music?

L: I’m so honoured to have been recognized by publications like GQ and Rolling Stone UK for my music. However, I don’t make music for the accolades or recognition. I make music because it’s my safe place to express myself, and I hope that, within that expression that others would be able to relate to it and feel seen. That’s what drives me more than anything.

I’d love to explore more alt-rock and country songs. Those are two of my favorite genres of music! 

VOA: You’ve mentioned influences from Usher to Chris Brown to Beyoncé, but you’re also shaping your own lane in today’s pop and R&B. When you think about longevity, what kind of artist do you hope people will remember you as 10 years from now?

L: I hope people will remember me as an artist who truly enjoyed making music and entertaining people with my voice and performance. I also strive to never compromise who I am as a person so that people can like me better. Beyoncé has a quote that goes something like: “Never water yourself down to make people like you. Be who you are and let them catch up.”

VOA: Has being an artist changed other aspects of your life since you became one?

L: Yes, I’m a whole lot busier than I’ve ever been, hah. Seriously, though, I think it’s helped make me more empathetic to other people’s experiences, and it’s made me more tuned in to my own self-expression. I feel like I have direct line access to my emotions now.

VOA: Are there any specific concepts or music styles that you would like to explore in your future releases?

L: Yes, so many! I’d love to explore more alt-rock and country songs. Those are two of my favorite genres of music! 

VOA: Improvisation is a large part of the creative process for many artists. How strictly do you separate improvising and composing in your work?

L: There’s a balance of improvisation and structure you need in every song. With Last Night Alone, I let the ideas flow organically and then tied them together structurally once I felt I had all of my best ideas on paper

VOA: When you are not working and writing songs, what do you do to get away from it all and relax? 

L: I love traveling and hanging out with my friends and loved ones! I also enjoy going to local restaurants with my friends and staying in shape by working out three to four times a week.

VOA: What’s next for you? 

L: We have a bunch of new and exciting shows and festivals planned for the rest of this year and early next year. I also have some exciting new music that I’m working on with new producers. I’m excited for people to hear this new music, which further explores the pop genre in new ways.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Tom Dewh

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}