Emerging French alt-pop artist L.A. Rochelle has released his new single IDONTEVERWANNATHINKABOUTYOUNOMORE, with a new EP, Chapter 1: Denial/ Anger, to follow on March 4. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
The Chapter 1: Denial/Anger EP is the first in a series of releases tackling the stages of grief that he experienced when his best friend took the life of his other best friend - both were his flat mates living in Paris, who were forced to hide their gay relationship due to fear of judgement from their family.
Speaking about IDONTEVERWANNATHINKABOUTYOUNOMORE, L.A. Rochelle said, "This wasn't written as a romantic pop song: it’s an inner monologue capturing the war between my head and my heart.
"This is my way of bringing these scars to the surface to try and heal. It’s me hoping that if I can excavate this internal conflict, I would be able to hear my heart over my head.
"This duality is symbolised in the bilingual nature of the lyrics: my psyche sings the opening statement in English, and my subconscious is firing back in French."
Tell us three things about yourself?
Let’s see . . . I was born in France, but I live in London, I play more than ten instruments and I absolutely HATE when I realise that my socks are not matching!
How would you describe your music?
Electro-pop. It’s a mash-up of electronic music with pop and R&B.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Oh, there are too many to list. From Nirvana to Gucci Mane, Steve Reich to Britney Spears. I listen to so much music - constantly. And since I DJ a lot, I am also always looking for new songs to play.
What was the first gig you ever went to and the first record you ever bought/downloaded?
The first record I ever bought was Surfer Rosa from The Pixies. I remember cycling to the record store on my own to go and buy it when I was 6 years old. I still think it’s a masterpiece to this day. The song Where is My Mind is on it.
The first gig I went to was Placebo when I was seven. I used to love them as a kid, and I had managed to convince my dad to drive me to go and see them live. He knew how much that meant to me and how obsessed I was with music, so he agreed to take me for my birthday. What a legend, he drove me two hours back and forth and stayed in the car during the whole show.
What’s your favourite song right now?
I can’t chose one but I have been obsessed with 16 by Baby Keem and IDONTEVERWANNATHINKABOUTYOUNOMORE by L.A. Rochelle ;)
Favourite lyric of all time?
'My heart is a valley, it’s so shallow and man-made’. This single line in the song River Lea by Adele is one of my favourite lyrics. It’s not the best song, but I am a sucker for analogies, and this one is STRONG.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
My Heart Will Go On (the Titanic theme) by Celine Dion -100%!
Oh wait, maybe Sorrow by The National. The conceptual Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson had the band play this song live on repeat for a whole day at the MoMA PS1 in NYC, and it was really magical. It’s a song you can play endlessly.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Following me on Spotify and Instagram is a good way to start engaging with the L.A. Rochelle world, the videos, the DJ mixes I post. Then TikTok where I often post some ’Techno Tuesday’ videos (I do this thing when often on Tuesday I will do a techno remix of a classic pop song). I always love to chat with people who vibe to the music I make, so just say ‘hi’ or send a little dm. x
