Ava Laurel (They/Them/She), better known as Lava La Rue - an anagram of her name - is the 22-year-old West London artist making hypnotic lo-fi hip hop music. Her 90s style soulful flow makes her one of the most intriguing underground artists of 2020. Her smooth raps and neo soul instrumentals tend to transcend the musical boundaries of a single genre. As a young, working class, queer, woman of colour with a clear vision Lava finds inspiration to inflict change through her art.

The DIY artist’s newest release, ‘Angel’, in collaboration with Deb Never, is an accolade to queer love. The playful notions of the ‘Angel’ music video incorporate a glittering 90’s cowgirl aesthetic with the atmosphere oozing electric hues and impeccable design dynamism between the set and the styling.

While best known for her solo projects, Lava is also the founder of the NINE8 collective - a group of friends making music and having fun. “With Lava I’m always planning 5 years ahead of what I’m doing, with NiNE8 I just do what’s fun.”

In expectation of a post-Covid-19 future, the multi-hyphenate artist is set to announce new tour dates for 2021.

Coeval had the opportunity to catch up with Lava and delve deep into her roots, her underground collective, and her recent project summeroflove2.0 - ahead of the creative’s new song and music video, ‘Angel’, dropping 12/11/20.

How did growing up working-class in West London influence your sound and your creative vision?

West has one of the biggest Caribbean communities in the UK. In Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill specifically, you grow up hearing people hang their speakers out their window blasting dancehall or vintage rocksteady vinyls showcased on full volume underneath the Westway during Bello (Portobello) Market on weekends. The culture of West London being the birthplace to much of the punk movement like The Clash and various Dub collectives, you can see that in the way the elders dress around here - not because it was “cool” but because they were genuinely around it when these movements were happening. And then you see it in the younger generation - not because they think it’s cool but because their parents were around it when it was all happening in West. So these kids grow up with that mentality. Most of my friends from West, their parents were ravers or hippies or squatters or gangsters. Everyone here (posh Kensingtonites aside) is absolutely mental.

How did you find your people in founding the arts collective NINE8? Was it an organic process?

I just got to 16 and really was on my own wave. I just wanted to party and make music every day and find a way - so the music could help me create and put on great nights! Then I found other kids my age who felt the exact same way! We are a friendship group first and foremost before a collective.

You founded the NINE8 collective, but you are also a solo artist - what do these different creative processes look like?

In NiNE8 I spend most of my time primarily working on creative direction, cover art, graphics, website and merch. It takes up 70% of my time in relation to the collective and the other 30% is hanging in the studio with all my friends and jumping on every other song with a quick-fire hook or verse for when we drop a tape. I don’t put too much thought into the music with NiNE8 - I do what’s genuinely fun or exactly how I feel in that moment. Lava on the other hand is much more of a slow and more thought out process in regard to the music. I spend more time song writing and constantly sat on 20 songs at a time playing them every day figuring out which ones to release and how I can push myself furthest as a musician. With Lava I’m always planning 5 years ahead of what I’m doing, with NiNE8 I just do what’s fun.

Your project ‘summeroflove2.0’, in collaboration with the collective FOR OUR SIBS and launched with your single ‘G.O.Y.D’, explores redefining conversations around touch and love after a worldwide pandemic. Why is this important to you and what do you hope to achieve through this?

I feel like with each generation we had started to become more and more distant. The pandemic only highlighted that. Back in the day kids used to idealise finding their “soulmate” and being with their best friends for life and growing old and watching each other’s kids grow. Now a lot of kids are on a “trust nobody - fuck b*tches get money” flex. And even though I believe there should be a balance of self-preservation and not thinking you’ll find happiness in other people, when I hear other rappers talk about how they trust no one - not even their own lover - I’m like “damn what kinda toxic circles are y’all hanging in?” Of course, I had people do shit behind my back but that’ll never stop my search for love, peace & unity. And I was like, damn, you know what self-isolation will show us? That we need another summer of love. People have been forced now to stay at home and reflect, to get involved in politics and vote, to question our government, to go to protest like they did in the first summer of love. And now people will miss partying and value human touch more than ever!

As a queer, “proud black non binary femme lil wlw stud” - in your own words, how do you incorporate these themes (race, sexuality, identity, etc…) into your work - and what do you want to say about them in your music and other projects?

I don’t have to consciously incorporate these. I just talk about things that happen to me in everyday life and naturally those will be themes in my music as they’re part of my everyday life! I just try and be my authentic self.

How do you continue finding inspiration as you work through all these different projects in varying mediums?

I’m overly stimulated and inspired by literally every element of walking down my street, watching a movie, listening to new records. It’s actually overwhelming all the constant sources of inspiration - I have to ground myself and stay focused sometimes.

Your next single is a queer love song in collaboration with Deb Never called “Angel” - what can you tell us about this collab and what inspired the single?

Deb came to where I live in West London to write a project and I had went to where Deb lives on the West coast to write a project and once we were in the same room together we were on the exact same frequency. Imagine us lost in the desert dancing like flowers.

What has been a highlight in your career so far?

Definitely tour. Nothing feels better than going to a city for the first time and seeing people sing back your lyrics.

So then, what’s next for Lava La Rue - what are you most looking forward to?

My next project is like my first movie. Imagine bigger movies each time. Lots more movies.