L'Rain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids L'Rain
L'Rain in Columbus in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Taja Cheek
Origin	Brooklyn, New York; Yale University
Genres	Experimental pop
Occupations	Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, curator
Labels	Mexican Summer, Astro Nautico

Taja Cheek, known as L'Rain, is an American musician. She is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and curator. L'Rain is best known as the lead singer and songwriter for her band, also called L'Rain. Her music is known for being experimental. It mixes many different styles and sounds. She calls her unique way of making music "approaching songness."

Her first album, L'Rain, came out in 2017. It was listed as one of the best albums of the year by music websites like Pitchfork. Her next two albums were also very popular. Fatigue was released in 2021. It was named album of the year by The Wire magazine. Her 2023 album, I Killed Your Dog, was also highly praised. It was featured on "best of" lists by The New York Times and Rolling Stone.

L'Rain has worked with other artists. These include Vagabon and Helado Negro. She has also performed at famous places like the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Early Life and Education

Taja Cheek grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She lived with her mother, father, and grandparents. Her father, Wyatt Cheek, worked in music marketing. Her grandmother ran a liquor store. Her grandfather owned a jazz club in the 1950s. L'Rain's mother, Lorraine C. Porter, was a teacher. L'Rain chose her stage name to honor her mother. Her mother passed away before L'Rain's first album was released.

As a child, Taja studied ballet and modern dance. She went to Alvin Ailey#The Ailey School. She also learned to play piano, cello, and recorder. In high school, she started playing bass guitar. She joined different bands, including one that covered songs by Iron Maiden. She went to Yale University to study music. She later changed her major to American Studies. She focused on visual arts, sound, literature, and performance. She earned her degree in 2011. While at Yale, she was the music director for the radio station WYBC. She also helped book music shows.

Music Career

After college, Taja Cheek moved back to New York City. She continued to play in bands in Brooklyn. One of these bands was called Throw Vision. They released their first music in 2013.

In 2017, L'Rain released her first album, L'Rain. It was released by Astro Nautico, a record label in New York City. On this album, she sang and played many instruments. These included keyboards, guitar, bass, and percussion. Other musicians also played on the album. Andrew Lappin helped L'Rain produce the album. Pitchfork magazine called L'Rain one of the best experimental albums of 2017.

In 2018, L'Rain worked with other artists. They remade an old 1980s house song called "Your Love." This new version was for a special album. The album helped raise money for an organization. This group works to help people who were formerly in prison.

L'Rain's second album, Fatigue, came out in 2021. It was released by Mexican Summer. The Wire magazine named Fatigue the album of the year. Many other news outlets, like NPR, also praised it. On Fatigue, L'Rain sang and played many instruments. These included guitar, bass, and piano. More than twenty other musicians also played on this album. Andrew Lappin and Ben Chapoteau-Katz helped produce it.

In August 2023, L'Rain announced her third album. It was called I Killed Your Dog. It was released in October 2023. L'Rain produced this album with Lappin and Chapoteau-Katz. Her bandmates also played on it. This album received many awards. It was named one of the best of 2023 by Pitchfork and The New York Times.

L'Rain has toured with many popular bands. These include Black Midi in 2021 and Animal Collective in 2022. She also toured with Big Thief and LCD Soundsystem in 2023.

Art and Public Projects

In 2011, Taja Cheek started working with Creative Time. This is an arts group that helps artists create public projects. In 2014, she helped set up a special radio station. It was inside a pink Cadillac car. This car was parked outside a subway station in Brooklyn. This project honored important community leaders.

In the same year, Cheek helped organize "The Kara Walker Experience: WE ARE HERE." This was a public gathering for people of color. It took place at the Domino Sugar Refinery. In 2015, she worked for High Line Art. She helped organize an art show and performance by Kevin Beasley.

In 2016, Cheek joined the art team at MoMA PS1. This is a modern art museum. In the same year, she also started hosting music events. These events were in the basement of her Brooklyn apartment. The space was called 49 Shade. Many experimental musicians performed there.

At MoMA PS1, Cheek helped organize "Sunday Sessions" and the "Warm Up" series. She worked on these through 2021. The "Warm Up" events featured famous artists. These included Cardi B and Lizzo. As of July 2022, Cheek was listed as a "former Associate Curator" at PS1.

In 2023, Cheek became the first artist curator for the BRIC's Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival. In 2024, she was named the artistic director of Performance Space New York.

Musical Style

L'Rain often layers her voice in her songs. She also uses loops of her vocals. Her music often includes sounds she has recorded from real life. These are called field recordings. She sometimes changes these sounds. She might make them higher or lower in pitch.

L'Rain has said that her music is hard to put into one category. She likes her music to be unique. She wants listeners to interpret her music in their own way. She also wants to show that a person's background doesn't mean their music has to sound a certain way.

AllMusic described L'Rain's music as "dreamy" and "genre-blurring." They said it mixes soul, psychedelia, and gospel. It also includes sounds from musique concrète and other styles. Pitchfork said her album Fatigue uses vocal loops and different instruments. This creates a changing style of experimental pop. Reviewers have also said her music includes free jazz, ambient music, and disco. It also has elements of hip hop, R&B, and post-punk.

L'Rain is the main person behind her music. However, she works closely with a team. She believes her project is a group effort. Andrew Lappin and Ben Chapoteau-Katz are her closest helpers. They co-produced her second and third albums. As of 2023, the band members are L'Rain, Lappin, Chapoteau-Katz, Zachary Levine-Caleb, Justin Felton, and Timothy Angulo.

Discography

Studio albums