STORY // Angie Piccirillo
PHOTOS // Cameron Postforoosh
STYLING // Cristina Acevedo @ Wilhelmina LA
It’s about that time again when all the music fans — real and wannabe — will make their way out to the desert to the ferris wheel at Coachella and claim that they were there for “fill in the blank’s” come back performance…
It was last year at this time that Robby Hauldren and Freddy Kennet of electro-pop supergroup Louis The Child realized that they would be performing at Coachella — a milestone that most artists consider to be a big one. Perhaps the funnier part is that they heard the news whilst in their dorm rooms at USC where they were students — probably next door to many of those music fan wannabe’s who would actually be attending Coachella with hopes of seeing the next big act.
Louis The Child’s newest EP, “Love is Alive,” was just released this year — after teasing us with little pieces of ear candy with collabs with Icona Pop and Grammy Nominated label mate, K.Flay, in the years before. The six song EP shows the duo’s dynamic range of sounds from the dusty drums of “Fire” featuring the sultry vocals of Evalyn; the darker Caribbean inspired vibes of “Slow Down Love” with Chelsea Culter; to the more playful lyrics of “Phone Died” in which Blaise Railey sings “I woulda called my mom, but mah phone died.”
How they got to this point? They have the internet to thank — Soundcloud to be exact. We’ve heard the many discovery stories of artists releasing their independent music on Soundcloud only to be discovered and shared by millions of fans — who are just begging for more. Soundcloud is known for being more diverse in it’s releases, and has become a mecca for the home of remixes — something that Louis the Child is no stranger to. “We wouldn’t be where we are without the internet and soundcloud. That was how we got discovered and had our music heard. It’s great because it doesn’t cost any money to email a blog or to have a twitter or a Soundcloud page. There’s so many outlets for people to discover music and have their music discovered.”
Robby and Freddy claimed that since no one wanted 15 and 16 year olds playing in the clubs — they focused on putting their mixes on the internet, and good thing they did. “Last to Leave” has soared to over 4 million spins since it’s release just last month — if it follows suit like their other singles, we’re likely to see another hit from this duo.
Is it true the two of you met at a Madeon concert and then ended up opening for Madeon recently?
Freddy: yes it is! We met at one of his shows a while back in Chicago. Madeon was the first person to bring us out on tour. We toured in the US and then joined him and Porter Robinson in Europe as well. He’s an amazing artist and great friend too 🙂
How do you feel about the mass amount of music available on the internet? Do you think it’s discouraging to new artists in any way?
Freddy: It’s amazing. There’s so much music we would have never heard if we didn’t have the access that we have now. We’re excited for the future.
Are you surprised your music was discovered on such a huge platform, when there seems to be so much music available to fans?
Robby: What’s much more surprising is the fact that Freddy has 3 arms.
What do you think about the future of music on Soundcloud and Spotify vs. iTunes?
Robby: Soundcloud isn’t drawing the same amount of people that it used to, but it’s definitely not dead. Soundcloud is still a place where artists can be discovered and also release some fun things that they wouldn’t release on Spotify. What’s really incredible about the current state of music is that the listeners are more in control than ever. We have access to so much music and what people like will rise to the top, it’s much less force fed to us.
If you had to advise yourself on how to have a successful music career when you were 15, what would you say to yourself?
Robby: Work work work and make whatever you want to make. The only way to get better is to keep pushing yourself and creating. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, don’t worry about what you think people want, make whatever makes you happy and feels fun to you. The right things will come out through that process.
Have you ever spoken to Taylor Swift about including you on her playlist back in 2015? If you haven’t, what would you say to her about that?
Freddy and Robby: We haven’t. We’d probably thank her for including us and maybe tell her a corny dad joke.
How did it feel to see your music on a video game soundtrack?
Freddy: It’s awesome! it’s especially crazy when you go over to someone’s house to play FIFA and suddenly you hear your song playing in the game.
Who do you have your sights set on to collaborate with next?
Freddy and Robby: Francis + The Lights, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Vince Staples, Daya, Brockhampton, Tove Styrke, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Brian Scalabrine, Hiatus Kaiyote, Electric Guest, Zella Day, The squirrel that hangs out near my house, Dan Auerbach, Kid Cudi, Borns, Lauv, Lykke Li, Santigold, Jon Bellion, Joey Purp.
What artist would you give almost anything to collaborate with, dead or alive?
Freddy: James Brown, Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Bon Iver.
What inspired “Last to Leave”? Tell us something interesting/weird about how this song came to be.
Freddy and Robby: We spent a long time dialing in and finishing “Last to Leave.” We try to use the music that we’ve created and/ or released before as inspiration for new music!
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