Conversations with Lola Colette

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lola Colette.

Hi Lola, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a Los Angeles-based artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. I was raised in the hills of Laurel Canyon, therefore my musical roots connect deeply to nature, vinyl, and of course, the historic lady of the canyon, Joni Mitchell! At 21 years old, I feel that my story has already taken many twists and turns. Most recently, my cover song of Martha and the Vandellas “Nowhere to Run” was featured in the new John Wick: Chapter 4 film and film soundtrack album. My professional career began at age 12 when I performed the piano work for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 at Capitol Records Studios and went on to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra as the solo pianist for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, at Abbey Road studios at age 15. After a few years of studying songwriting in Nashville at Belmont University, I was asked by Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains’ to join as the opening act for his 2022 “Brighten” US tour, and ultimately moved back to LA in the fall to continue working as a full-time touring and session musician, and artist.

Thank you VoyageLA for having me!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up as a classical pianist with a disciplined background, I was expected by my mentor to become a concert pianist. My passions eventually shifted to songwriting, artistry, and composition, which forced me to break out of my disciplined shell and learn how to find my own voice through improvisation, and more importantly a lyrical message that I identify with. Through shifting the types of pieces I learned on the piano, re-learning theory in a more improv-minded way, and delving into the vinyl of all kinds of genres, I was able to digest all that I’ve learned to develop a voice that is unique to my songwriting and composition. This message has blossomed into original songs and compositions about love, loss, relationships, and the challenges we face in life. Finding my lane has been a great challenge and still continues to be today!

There have been many moments in my career where I feel unrehearsed or have been asked last minute to give a performance despite my unpreparedness. In situations where I am under pressure like performing as a solo pianist on the score of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios or asked at the last minute to join as keyboardist for Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains’ “Brighten” European tour (learning 40 songs in 4 days!), I am forced to practice very diligently, gather my confidence and push myself to give an amazing performance no matter the situation. This has helped me grow as a musician, producer, and songwriter with confidence and reassurance of my capabilities under pressure.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the heart of what I do, I am a musician. I am a lover of music and have spent many years studying and listening to various genres of music. My influences, ranging from Lana del Rey to jazz pianist Oscar Peterson to Bjork and Joni Mitchell, have inspired my work on piano, bass, guitar, percussion, and vocals, which can be heard on my forthcoming debut EP, “Loveland,” set to release in the summer of 2023.” I also collaborate as a producer and director with video directors, makeup artists, fashion designers, and set designers to create visuals for my original songs; this creative side also manifesting into my work as a painter and photographer.

While I write my own music, lyrics and produce my own demos for my artist project ‘Lola Colette’, I also work as a vocal colorist and session musician on movie and TV scores such as John Wick: Chapter 4, Netflix series “Agent Elvis” and Gendy Tartokovsky’s “Primal” TV series on Adult Swim,” and perform vocals on artists’ songs such as Jerry Cantrell, Chino Moreno, Health, and Marylin Manson. Over the years, I’ve been a part of some amazing and hilarious performances that have really filled my life with color, such as playing bass with David Hasselhoff when he performed David Bowie’s “Heroes” on the Howard Stern show. Another aspect of my career is touring; I really enjoy traveling and playing music! In 2022, I performed with my band as the opening act for Jerry Cantrell’s Brighten US Tour, while I then became a keyboardist in Cantrell’s band for the remainder of their European and US shows in 2022 and 2023. Touring has helped me embrace the world of live music and fall in love with both traveling and performing to audiences from the stage.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The music industry is extremely volatile at the moment. While record labels are scrambling to sign artists with high stats and views on social media platforms like Tik Tok, artists are paving the way for their careers in unique fashions. We have a plethora of platforms to release music and content from, therefore many artists are taking interesting angles at finding their lane and a core audience that will fall in love with their music and support them from the ground up. Whether it be through podcasts, subscription-based content, radio stations, live performances, youtube channels, etc., I honestly believe that artists are meant to express the sign of the times and shape culture. I hope that big label businesses come back around to this logic to wholly support artists from the ground up, helping them find access to avenues that will organically grow their platforms and not base the premise of an artist’s career on how many listens or views they get per song and video release. I also believe live music will continue to be a strong driving force for artists to succeed! I’m really excited to see how young entrepreneurs and music lovers shape the future of the business.

Pricing:

• Recording sessions (piano/bass/vocals) $100 per hour

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lolacolettemusic.com/#home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlolacolette/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lolacolettemusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPU90drwYEbwcGMx_enyvA

Image Credits
Caroline Brodt Jim Louvau