VICE Spotlight: Lara Andallo

In the last few years, Filipino–Australian artist, Lara Andallo, has been emerging as yet another talented artist in the country’s growing R&B scene.

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From hefty collaborations with Baker Boy, JOY. and Kota Banks, to landing a support act with US rap-legend Blxst, she’s not only catching the ears of greats but creating vulnerable, pop-laden R&B that follows both her own journey of discovery and documents the changing world around her.

Her debut EP Diamonds & Deja Vu (headed by the earnest track “Y3000”) bookmarks a period in her life where being honest with your emotions, as well as coming into yourself, sits at the core.

“So, my song “Year 3000” actually came about because there was one day where the homegirls were talking about, ‘I want that old school love or I want that 90s love’ and I was like, ‘hold up, do I even want that?’ Because as a bi-sexual woman in this day and age, especially growing up as a teenager, it was already – and is – still hard to have a strong foundation as a queer woman in romantic relationships,” Andallo told VICE.

“You know, everyone’s at different stages of their journey and also, there’s so many external factors and you’re still learning to accept yourself and that’s where the concept of, ‘I wish we fell in love in the year 3000’, where our love is viewed as equal and there aren’t these external factors.”

In the months leading up to the release, Andallo was at a crossroads. Instead of stagnating, she decided to bite the bullet and push through, headfirst. While she was under a lot of emotional pressure, it eventually led to the underlying meaning behind her debut EP.  Diamonds are made under pressure and so was she.

It’s a beautiful and vulnerable aspect of Andallo’s work, and set on the backdrop of R&B (a genre ideal for realisation and deeper moments), is an honest reflection of many moments young queer kids go through.

“In the past I chose a safer option or chose to suppress how I really felt, whereas this time, experiencing these situations, I chose to really face my truths or go through it,” said Andallo.

“The only way past an obstacle is through it and I really feel like I learnt that this time around and evolved as a person as well. That’s what makes our lives richer and more beautiful and we find strength in that. And that is what Diamonds represents for me.

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