Exclusive Sit-Down With Atlanta singer-songwriter, Lanre

Atlanta's newest singer/songwriter is bringing new meaning to the word 'popstar' into the new streaming era of music

Born and raised in Central New Jersey Lánre (born Olánrewaju Keyede, December 16, 1992) began his music career at age 10 when he attended a music school and was classically trained in vocal performance. Since then, he continued performing in off-broadway musical productions and local festivals in Atlanta when his family moved south during his sophomore year of high school in 2008. It was in Atlanta that Lánre discovered his songwriting talent and released a 6-track demo at age 15 under the tutelage of his cousin and mentor, Mike Will Made-it.

Lánre continued writing and performing his songs in and around Atlanta during and after he graduated college where he discovered his sound of a mix of RnB, Electronic Dance, and Pop genres that was truly unique to him. Lánre's artistry promotes a sense of nostalgia akin to the era of pre-streaming pop stars like Michael Jackson, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Chris Brown, which he frequently lists as major influences on his music and look. With the 2020 release of his debut EP, In My Dreams, Lánre has shown that he is ready to make an impact on the music industry in a major way. In just a year of its release, the independently released project has gained over 300k+ streams, with lead single “Beautiful Lies' ' crossing 190k+ streams. He also received support by BBC Radio for his single, “Somebody New (graymattr Remix)”, which is crossing 180k+ streams. Atlanta’s newest breakout singer is definitely an artist to keep an eye on as he sets the stage for the new-age of superstardom. Lánre is artistically at the top of his game and surely has a huge future ahead. And the most exciting part – he’s still only really just getting started. Be sure to follow and stream Lánre's latest releases on Spotify, Apple Music and more.

How are you taking charge of your music right now? In so many ways! The biggest is that I'm getting so many exciting opportunities to perform in front of crowds this year. That's very exciting for me because performing is my favorite part of being an artist. In my opinion, it's the best way to get people to learn about your music and you at the same time. How are you charging up while promoting your latest music? By 'charging up' do you mean motivated? Ha well, with my latest single 'No Bodies' I stay motivated to promote it by thinking of how happy it makes people feel. It's one of the funniest and carefree songs I've ever written, and people have really been responding to it since its release. Promoting a song can be tiresome at times, so it keeps me going to know that my song is going to make people around the world happy. What is a big declaration you want to make known when it comes to your music? BE YOU! The good, the bad, and the ugly, because that's what makes us so special. I feel like making music at this level forced me to stop trying to be cool all the time in order to be true to my art. Thank God for that because I feel like I'm the truest version of myself that I've ever been and that's a message I encourage as an artist. Is there more of you as an artist that fans haven't seen yet? Most definitely, I have some really personal things about my life that I haven't shared on my songs yet that I have plans to do soon. I'm a very private person, but my fans have earned that! I'm also discovering new things about myself every day, so I'm taking my fans and listeners along the ride with me as I learn. What do you have lined up performance wise for your fans to listen to the music? I'm doing two showcases in Austin, TX for SXSW week, a couple of shows in Atlanta, GA, and a whole bunch of shows in Colorado and Los Angeles during the summer! There are going to be so many opportunities for my US fans to see me live coming up, and I'm so excited about that. I'll be working on doing shows for my international fans soon too! Is there something that you could take it or leave it when it comes to the music industry? One thing I could definitely do without is the disingenuous nature of the industry. I'm starting to learn that people are very opportunistic so it's hard to tell if someone is actually trying to help you or get something out of you. It comes with the territory I guess, but that type of mentality is so opposite to how I was raised. If you see me working with someone it's because I genuinely get along with that person, not just to get more 'clout' or money from them. Before you get into what you'll be making next, what is something that is the deal breaker for you on whether the project gets made? I've been thinking a lot about intention lately, and if the intention of me releasing or even working on a song feels off, I don't do it. I don't care how good the song is, because music is so spiritual that if you have bad intentions in the development phase of a project, it can reverberate into your life and others. I like to have clear and good intentions when working on a project before releasing it, that way, I'm able to genuinely share my excitement for it with my fans when it's released. Let's find your music and more! Leave us with links! Thank you! You can stream my music on all the major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube at Lánre. You can also keep up with me on Instagram @lanre.official, TikTok @lanreofficial, & Twitter @lanre_music. I’m going to be doing a lot of shows this year, so be sure to check my social channels for updates on those! For Press Inquiries: bsquaredmgmt@gmail.com