Lianne La Havas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lianne La Havas
La Havas in 2013
Background information
Birth name	Lianne Charlotte Vlahavas
Born	(1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 (age 35) London, England
Genres	Soul Jazz fusion R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Nonesuch Labour of Love

Lianne Charlotte Vlahavas (born August 23, 1989), known as Lianne La Havas (/liˈæn ləˈhævəs/ LEE-an-_-lə-HAV-əs), is a talented British singer and songwriter. She started her music journey by singing backup for other musicians, like Paloma Faith. In 2010, Lianne signed with Warner Bros. Records. She spent two years working on her songwriting skills before releasing any of her own music.

Her first album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, came out in 2012. Critics really liked it, and it was even named iTunes Album of the Year for 2012. She was also nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 award. Since then, she has released two more albums: Blood in 2015 and her self-titled album Lianne La Havas in 2020. Lianne has been nominated for a Grammy Award and two Brit Awards. She lives in London.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Lianne La Havas grew up in London, England. Her father is of Afro-Greek heritage, and her mother is Jamaican. She spent most of her childhood with her grandparents in Tooting and Streatham after her parents separated.

Lianne started singing when she was seven years old. She says her parents' different musical tastes greatly influenced her. Her father, who played many instruments, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. She wrote her first song at age 11. However, she did not learn to play the guitar properly until she was 18. She also sang in her school choir.

Lianne attended Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls. There, she studied her A-levels. She had planned to study art, but she decided to leave college to focus on her music career full-time. Her stage name, La Havas, is a simpler way to say her last name.

Her Music Career Journey

Starting Out and First Album (2008–2014)

Lianne La Havas in 2012

While in sixth-form in Croydon, Lianne met musicians who helped her record her first demo songs. Through these friends, she also met British singer Paloma Faith. Lianne later sang backup vocals for Paloma Faith on tour.

Lianne was discovered on Myspace in 2008. Duncan Ellis, who manages artists, heard about her from a colleague. When Ellis first saw Lianne perform, she was part of a duo called The Paris Parade. This duo helped kick off Lianne's career in music.

In 2010, Lianne La Havas signed with Warner Bros. Records. She spent two years improving her songwriting skills before releasing any music to the public.

Her first collection of songs, called an EP, Lost & Found, was released on October 21, 2011. It included a song with Willy Mason. In the same month, she released a live EP called Live from LA, which was available for free. Lianne first appeared on TV on October 21, 2011, on BBC Two's Later... with Jools Holland. Soon after, she supported Bon Iver on their North American tour in December 2011.

Her first official single, "Lost & Found," came out in the UK on April 30, 2012. Her first full album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, was released on July 9, 2012. By the end of 2012, iTunes named Is Your Love Big Enough? their Album of the Year.

On September 24, 2012, Lianne supported Alicia Keys at a special MTV concert in Manchester Cathedral. This performance was shown in 164 countries. She also appeared on BBC Two's New Year's Eve show on December 31, 2012. In June 2013, Lianne performed at the RockNess and Glastonbury Festival 2013 music festivals. She also played at the Isle of Wight Festival.

In early 2014, the famous musician Prince played a concert in Lianne's living room in London. She also sang on a song called "Warm Foothills" on Alt-J's 2014 album This Is All Yours. Prince's album Art Official Age, released on September 30, 2014, featured Lianne on several songs. She also performed with Prince on Saturday Night Live on November 1, 2014.

She worked with Aqualung on the song "Eggshells" from his album 10 Features, released on January 19, 2015.

Blood Album and Tours (2015–2019)

After touring for her first album, Lianne and her mother traveled to Jamaica. This trip inspired Lianne to write new songs for her second album. She performed for her family and producer, Stephen McGregor, who helped produce the album. Many songs were inspired by her connection to her Greek and Jamaican family history.

The first song from the album, "Unstoppable," was released on April 1, 2015. It was officially released in the UK on June 1, 2015. The music video for "Unstoppable" came out on May 12, 2015. The full album, called Blood, was released on July 31, 2015. Lianne toured the UK and Europe from May to September 2015 to support the album. Blood was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Lianne also sang on two songs, "Needn't Speak" and "Breath," on Rudimental's album, We the Generation (2015). She performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 27, 2015. She also did a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR in October 2015.

In 2016, Lianne La Havas joined Coldplay as a supporting act for their A Head Full of Dreams world tour in Europe and Latin America.

Lianne often plays a hollow-bodied 1964 Harmony Alden Stratotone guitar. She uses a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp with her band. For solo shows, she uses a SansAmp DI, and a Roland CUBE amp for practice.

Self-Titled Album (2020)

Lianne released "Bittersweet" on February 25, 2020. This was the first song from her self-titled album, Lianne La Havas. On May 4, 2020, she released the second song, "Paper Thin," and announced the album would come out on July 17, 2020.

The album was recorded between October and December 2019. Recording sessions took place in London, Bath, Los Angeles, and New York City. Lianne produced the album with her long-time helper Matt Hales, Beni Giles, Sam Crowe, and guest producer Mura Masa.

The album won the Best Album award at the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards. Many major music reviewers praised it. Jon Pareles, a chief pop music critic, said that Lianne's songs show feelings like passion and uncertainty. He also noted that her music structures are clear and balanced, and her singing and guitar playing are perfect. Another reviewer, David Cheal, called the album "soulful" and compared it to music by Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

Albums

• Is Your Love Big Enough? (2012)
• Blood (2015)
• Lianne La Havas (2020)

Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

• Is Your Love Big Enough? Tour (2012–2013)
• Blood Tour (2015–2016)

Supporting Tours

• A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016) for Coldplay

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lianne La Havas para niños