Not only is LP a globally successful solo artist with more than two billion streams to her name, she's also the mind behind some of the biggest hits of the past 15 years, having written for Rihanna, Cher, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys.
It has, however, been quite the journey to the top for the LA-based 39-year-old, born Laura Pergolizzi in Long Island, who released her debut album in 2001. It was only in 2015, once she'd resigned herself to a career penning hits for other artists, that she broke through on her own terms with “Lost On You”, a behemoth of a break-up song that reached number one in 18 countries.
Now, LP's YouTube channel receives more than 2.4 million views a day, in no small part thanks to her two most recent tracks, “The One That You Love” and last month's “How Low Can You Go”, her first releases since 2018. In honour of the latter, we spoke with LP to find out about her formative firsts, from the first time she played live and the first time she made big money to writing with Rihanna and the story behind “Lost On You”.
The first time you realised you wanted to be a musician...
I liked to sing like most children do, but it wasn’t until I started songwriting in my early twenties that I really got the bug. I wanted to express myself and, as much as I love to sing now and think I’m a good singer, the hardest but best part is actually writing songs. I played clarinet growing up too, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I picked up a guitar. I wanted one growing up, but my dad was always like, “You’re not going to use it.” Now it’s all I use. It’s funny how even the most loving parent can keep you from things.
The first time you played in front of a live audience...
In New York City at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street. It is one of those small clubs where everybody played in the 1960s. I played there in the late 1990s, when it was having a bit of a resurgence – I got the gig by sending them in a CD – but it’s best known for having had the likes of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell perform early shows there. It’s very inspiring to play somewhere like that when you are just starting.
The first time you made money out of being a musician…
The real money comes when you get signed and I got my very first deal in 2001. I was very excited, although I was quickly unexcited, because like many first deals it was not what it seemed.
The first time you blew your paycheque frivolously…
A couple of years after getting that deal I made a jingle for JCPenney and I got a lot of money from that. I felt like Hugh Hefner in my robe, going down to take a big cheque out of the mailbox. After that I thought, “You know what? I’ll just be a jingle singer, this is great.” I bought my first Martin guitar with some of it. I now have a tradition: whenever I get big money I buy a dope guitar.
The first time you fell properly in love…
In my early twenties, with my first girlfriend. It was a beautiful thing that really helped me put any past trauma aside. We were together for nine years and it kind of healed my soul. We met working at a restaurant: she’s Greek and it was the only time she worked as a waitress. I was a bartender and I remember the two other waitresses were like, “She’s straight” when I mentioned she was cute. Soon after that, they would see us walking down the street holding hands, which was quite funny.
The first record you ever bought…
Led Zeppelin IV. I got into classic rock early on.
The first time you realised you are an LGBTQ+ icon…
I’m only aware of it if or when someone says it to me. As much as I embrace the community in my way, I don’t lean on it, really. I feel like I am so flipping gay that I don’t ever really even think about being gay. If people ask, “How do you celebrate gay pride?” it’s like, “I get up, I look to my left and there is a woman lying in my bed. Hooray, I’m gay!” It’s great.
The first piece of fake news you read about yourself…
A British interviewer once reported that I wrote a Rihanna song on the ukulele. What I’d actually said is that I sometimes use the ukulele when I’m working on lyrics after already developing the song, so I don’t have to have a backing track blaring the whole time, which is what I did with “Cheers (Drink To That)”.
The first time you realised you were actually any good…
When I got my first big record deal in 2006 with Island Def Jam after a bidding war. Self-belief is so important but I’ve had serious doubts too, thinking it might never happen for me. I’ve had seven record deals in the States. I got dropped by Warner Bros with the songs that made me a hit: I played them “Lost On You” and they dropped me after that. So I feel like anything is possible and I want people to know that something like that can happen and you can still get somewhere after, there just are some really dark days. I’ve felt myself do this thing, several times, which I call lassoing the moon and pulling it towards me. But then on the flip side, like in the deal with Warner Bros, I have also felt it slipping through my fingers. That was a bad time because I could also feel my then girlfriend pulling away from me too. That was when I wrote “Lost On You”, in 2014, two years before I released it. I used to say that 2014 was my worst year ever, but, actually, I wrote the songs that catapulted me into another echelon of my career, so it was ultimately very beneficial.
The first time you heard a song you wished you'd written…
When I was six and I was in the pool after soccer practice, my friends’ parents were playing records and they put on “Bohemian Rhapsody”. I couldn't believe it; I thought it was wild. It was so dramatic and I loved the operatic vibe – my mother played a lot of opera when I was a kid. I was not a fan of that movie, however. You cannot have a G-rated movie about an X-rated rock star.
The first time you got a tattoo…
When I was 17 I got a little star on my hip; this crusty old man did it and I was really nervous. Now, almost every tattoo of mine, besides that star and my butterfly, were done by a woman.
The first thing you'd do if you became president…
I would tax the hell out of the rich and give tax breaks to the poor. I believe that healthcare is a right and we should have it as you do in the UK. I hate to say it, but we got the president we deserved. A horrible, unconscionable piece of crap that is a lying racist, because we just wanted to keep our heads down and forget about the little guy. It bites you in the ass sooner or later. I hope we’re on our way to righting this all, but it will take a minute.
“How Low Can You Go” is out now.
Head to GQ’s Vero channel to see LP’s TV, book, music and restaurant recommendations. Follow GQ on Vero for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our editors and high-profile talent.
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