With an affection for electronic and R&B sounds, infused with his soulful bedroom vocals and airy beats, Ari Staprans Leff, known professionally as Lauv, has burst onto the music scene with his intimate take on romantic pop.

Lauv’s musical beginnings started in childhood, learning strings as well as playing piano, but neither captivated his interest. However, his connection with music grew when he picked up a guitar at the age of 11. From there, Lauv became obsessed with expressing himself musically, which channeled into an interest in songwriting.

Eventually he made his way to New York University (NYU) in 2012, and entered the prestigious Music Technology Program there, having expanded his music interests into jazz and electronic music production in high school to add to his diversified portfolio.

The conversion from music enthusiast to artist, however, did not come easy – taking the form of a bad breakup. It was in the aftermath that Lauv took refuge in writing and recording his own music. Out of this period in 2015, came his debut single “The Other,” which quietly took the internet by storm, gaining hundreds of millions of streams. Subsequently he released his debut EP, Lost In The Light, later that year.

2017 proved to be a breakthrough year – not just as an artist, but also as a songwriter. He helped pen the hit Cheat Codes-Demi Lovato collaboration “No Promises” as well as Charli XCX’s “Boys” – both tracks clear reflections of his own style of romantic pop.

Later that year, Lauv released the uptempo “I Like Me Better,” with its chill beat drop and vulnerable lyrics eventually proving to be a sleeper hit, and becoming one of his mainstream breakthroughs as an artist.

By the end of the year, Lauv announced the playlist, I met you when I was 18. Comprising both previously-released singles and new material, it was released on May 31, 2018 and peaked at #50 on the Billboard 200. Later in 2018, he released two singles, including his first major collaboration with Julia Michaels.

On January 24, 2019, Lauv released breakout hit “i’m so tired…”. A collaboration with Troye Sivan, it has amassed 250 million streams on Spotify. He announced his debut album ~how i’m feeling~ in April, and has since released two singles from it: Drugs & The Internet and Sad Forever, both of which detail his struggles with mental health in the past year.