Lianne Charlotte Barnes was born on 23th August 1989. Lianne was born and raised in London as a daughter of a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She began singing at seven and the diverse musical tastes of her parents becoming her biggest influence for her music. Her father teached her to play guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11 but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. Her stage name is an adaptation of her Greek father Henry Vlahavas' surname. So she became Liana la Havas.
 |
| Paloma Faith, Lianne La Havas and Emeli Sande in 2012 |
When Lianne la Havas was in sixth-form (final stage in british secondary schools) in Croyton singer and songwriter Allan Rose introduced her to other musicians who would assist La Havas in the recording of her first demos. At the same time she was introduced by him to singer Paloma Faith. Lianne later did backing vocals for Paloma on her live tour. La Havas was co-writer and performer in The Paris Parade alongside Christian Pinchbeck. Their short-lived career would kick off La Havas' career in commercial music. In 2010 Lianne signed to Warner Brothers Records but first spend 2 years of developing her songwriting skills before releasing any music.
 |
| Lost & Found EP (2011) |
Her first EP Lost & Found was released on 21 October 2011 on the Labour of Love label featuring Willy Mason on the opening track "No Room For Doubt". La Havas made her television debut on 21th October 2011 broadcast of BBC Two's Later… with Jools Holland show where she also met the Wisconsin folk band Bon Iver. This show already created the demand for her first album. She then became supporting act for December's 2011 North American tour of Bon Iver.
 |
| Lianne live in action |
In 2012 "Lost & Found" was released as single and followed by her debut album "Is Your Love Big Enough?". The album reached #4 in the UK, #3 in the Netherlands. She would particularly become famous in both the UK and the Netherlands in her career. Her voice is very touching (especially on "Lost & Found") and all songs are of a high quality.
 |
| Lianne in 2012 |
"I found myself in a secondhand guitar" she sings on the title song almost autobiographic and that's the beginning of her successful career as a young girl at the age of 22. Her music balances between folk, soul and jazz. Due to many TV performances she already created a close group of fans including me! On an album where relationships rule the lyrics the title track seems to focuses on her connection with herself rather than another. In comparison to other artists she is not only a singer but also a very good guitarist. Her guitar emphasizes the strength of the emotion of the songs. It works all together on the album. On her later albums it becomes more electronic. The best combination is when we hear only Lianne's voice with her guitar. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Prince and Nile Rodgers admire here skills.
 |
| Original album cover |
Don't Wake Me Up / Is Your Love Big Enough? / Lost & Found / Au cinéma / No Room for Doubt / Forget / Age / Elusive / Everything Everything / Gone / Tease Me / They Could Be Wrong
No room for doubt - on the streets in Paris
Is Your Love Big Enough? - live on TV
Lost & Found - live at Glastonbury
Tags
Lianne La Havas