LANY’s Rise to Fame in the Philippines
Aug 2, 2019 • Kyzia Maramara
Los Angeles. New York. This is what indie pop band LANY’s name means. The three members, Les Priest, Paul Jason Klein, and Jake Goss had no idea they were going to be a worldwide sensation, especially in the Philippines when they started making music. Three years down the line they were already selling out shows left and right, five years in 2019 and they’ve played three consecutive nights of sold-out shows in Manila. Why do Pinoys love LANY so much?
They started out as independent artists struggling to get their music out there
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Legends have to start somewhere, and LANY’s story started in Nashville where the three guys, Les, Paul, and Jake once lived on the same street. All three were independent artists creating their own brand of music, but Paul actually flew to Los Angeles to pursue his. Unfortunately, his career as a solo artist never kicked of;f and now we know the universe was preparing him to be the front man of a bigger, better band. Flying back to Nashville, he collaborated with the guys and somehow, the music just made sense.
The trio released their first songs anonymously
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Would you believe that they started uploading their songs on SoundCloud incognito because they were worried how listeners would respond? Their first song was Hot Lights, and despite having zero followers at the time, their track started to blow up, eventually leading UK producers to contact them. In 2015, they signed with Polydor Records and released their EP, Make Out.
The addiction to ILYSB – Stripped
Via YouTube: LANY
Officially signing under a label opened doors and opportunities for the three-piece. They toured alongside big names like Ellie Goulding, Troye Sivan, X Ambassadors, and Halsey, until finally in 2016 they announced their first headline tour.
Ask LANY Pinoy fans and most of them will say the first song that got them hooked to the band is ILYSB – Stripped, the song that we’re willing to bet everybody had on loop during the habagat season of 2016. If you were in a relationship then, you probably ‘drove around town holding hands’ blasting this song in the car. But if you didn’t have someone, you were most likely the person looking out the window acting as if you’re in a sad music video.
Paul Klein is an aesthetic icon – a walking Pinterest mood board
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Admit it or not, the band’s charm, especially the front man, somehow still affects how people see the band as a whole – music, members, and all. Paul Klein pretty soon became known as this sad-boy Instagram model posting hipster photo after hipster photo. Fan girls dreamt of running their hands through his then-long hair, fan boys wished their hair grew to be that pretty. Loose large polos, high socks, thick necklaces, and an ear piercing – Paul Klein started that whole look soft bois everywhere are copying.
LANY’s songs resonate with the Pinoy millennial who’s always about ‘hugot’
Via YouTube: LANY
In an interview with Flaunt Magazine, Paul Klein shared the band’s songwriting process. They usually start off with the melody, polish it, and then focus on writing the heart-wrenching lyrics. For the Pinoy millennial who is always moaning online about being single, heartbroken, ghosted, and all the other relationship descriptions in between, LANY became the soundtrack of their lives.
During their 2018 concert in Manila, Paul Klein cried while singing the lines from Hericane “I love you still / I always will / Even though you are wrong.” Coming from a breakup then, everyone felt the intensity of Paul’s emotions and cried alongside him.
In 2018, LANY became the most streamed artist on Spotify Philippines
Via YouTube: LANY
The start of 2018 proved to be such a pivotal moment for LANY, especially for frontman Paul Klein. Dua Lipa, his then-girlfriend, broke up with him in January to get back with her ex-boyfriend. Never before had Paul’s sad-boy aesthetic been so depressing, and he himself admitted he went through tough times which resulted in the haunting sad tunes of Malibu Nights. If LANY’s previous album was loved by Pinoys, Malibu Nights resonated with the hugot generation even better because it had a story behind it that everyone got to witness in real time.
Come 2019, the band had a historic 3-night concert in Manila
LANY headlined their first Philippine concert in 2018. and by that time, Filipinos loved them so much that another date was added to the concert. Prior to that, they already visited the country as part of Wanderland. If everyone thought the back-to-back concert was surreal enough, this 2019, LANY announced another one-night concert in Manila. But due to the show being sold out, the management had to add a second night—which also sold out. Eventually, in a record-breaking feat for the band, LANY’s 2019 Malibu Nights concert in Manila was turned into a three-night event.
We’re waiting for what they’re going to produce next
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Coming from a LANY high during their concert, our LANY playlists are still on loop, but we can’t help but wonder, what’s next after this? Paul’s lyrics worked their magic on us because he drew it from his painful experience and it became real to us, but what now that he’s moved on? Will the band be continuing to produce exceptional music? Our assurance lies in the fact that LANY had done great songs even before they were heartbroken, and they will continue to do so in the future. And we Filipinos will be right there with them until they come back (maybe for a one-week concert).
Are you a fan of LANY? Sound off in the comments below!
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