My last two months of college I was infatuated with this emotional drummer. I’d take the F train with all the other hipsters of New York City to his place in Brooklyn off the Jefferson stop, though I wasn’t obsessed enough not to see there was another talent living there. His roommate would blast Janis Joplin in the kitchen and sing. I told him one day as we rode the train back to Manhattan that she would be famous. He looked back at me blankly, like I’d said something so terribly obvious. All he said was, “Of course she will be.”
And now it’s happening. The roommate is Luvchild, an RnB/Soul singer from Pittsburgh currently living in New York City with the catchiest new singles on Spotify. Luvchild’s lyrics are expressive, current, and socially conscious, as she sings about intersectionality, feminism, the LGBTQ community, and developing meaningful connections with others. Somehow as she tackles all of this, Luvchild stays cool, playful, and fun. For example, in her song ‘Air Max 95s,’ Luvchild paints a sexy and unpolitical vibe in the feel of the music, while lyrically she targets the greater issue of foreigners feeling they have to conform to typical ways of US culture. She sings, “Back in her homeland, they measure life by the moonbeams, now she’s waxing and waning, naked out on the balcony.”
In my favorite song, ‘Safe Spaces,’ Luvchild sings about finding people who accept you exactly as you are, and a combination of souls. She sings, “I’ve been feeling brand new, soakin’ in purple bath water, I’m the red to your blue, red to your blue.” This image of red and blue water mixing to become purple is the perfect way to describe the unconditional love and acceptance you feel from someone you deeply care about, as you are a part of them and they are a part of you. She sings, “They try to keep us in low places, we make our own safe spaces,” referring to the ways people who are different or misunderstood must stick together and give endless support and love to each other, because sadly, the close-minded of the world may not.
In all Luvchild’s music there is an overarching theme of unapologetic honesty, though it’s most highly emphasized in her latest release, ‘Together.’ In this song, Luvchild tells the story of someone acting like they’re in a relationship with her when they’re not. Rather than pretending to feel sorry for this person, LuvChild calls bullshit, saying “This will never be a relationship, you’re too jealous, you’re too impatient… if you found yourself dissatisfied just go catch an Uber and go.” In the chorus, a small dinging sound pops up, similar to one you might hear in some cars when you forget to put your seatbelt on or a door hasn’t closed all the way. The psychological impact of this sound is crazy, as it works with the subconscious to make you feel annoyed and in a hurry to end it, just like Luvchild feels about this non-relationship.
My only complaint about Luvchild is that what I hear on these tracks in terms of her voice is nothing close to what I heard in that apartment in Brooklyn. I would be interested in hearing some acoustic songs from Luvchild, songs that allow her voice to breathe a little and show its range. In the songs we have from her now, Luvchild’s voice is often covered by electronics and other instrumentals, which sound quite cool, but don’t give her the space to show just what she can do. I look forward to these releases and hope for the expansion of concert dates, and maybe even a West Coast tour.
