LAUV

Lauv says he feels happier being an “open book”, and after we’ve chatted for an hour or so, I can’t imagine him any other way. During our wide-ranging conversation, the L.A.-based pop hero speaks plainly and unselfconsciously about his mental health issues, efforts to overcome the confines of toxic masculinity, and desire to become a rocksolid LGBTQ ally. “I think my purpose as an artist is to share some things I’ve struggled with or gone through so that other people can relate to it,” he says. “And you know, maybe it can help them have some sense of catharsis or self-acceptance.”

Born Ari Leff in San Francisco 25 years ago, this super-talented singer, songwriter and producer has minted his own brand of contemporary emo-pop with a series of deceptively breezy-sounding bops on which he tells us exactly how he’s feeling. Lauv broke through in 2017 with I Like Me Better, a sweet sleeper hit on which he acknowledged that being “young and in love” boosted his self-esteem. Last year, he and British pop queen Anne-Marie even cracked the charts with a rather darker song called Fuck, I’m Lonely.

So really, it’s not too surprising that Lauv –