Keeva Bouley Interview - 'if I stay true to myself I can't regret too much'

By Run That Again

Keeva Bouley is 1/3 of Santa Barbara-based electronic trio Łaszewo. She works with producers Matt Ehrlich and Justin De La Fuente to create EDM-pop and dance tracks which have seen multiple successes- with nearly 2 million streams on Spotify and over 80,000 monthly listeners, this trio are one to watch for 2020. With a beautiful voice and a knack for writing great lyrics, we chatted to Keeva about what’s next for Łaszewo but also about her solo projects too.

How would you describe your sound and who are your favourite artists and influences? 

 I don’t think I could define my sound with one genre, my style is always changing as I grow and change my own tastes. My all time favourite artist is Billie Eilish, she’s so unapologetically herself and it’s mad inspiring. Another inspiration is Coldplay because they produce fucking anthems and they’ve just never got it wrong. 

Tell us more about Łaszewo’s latest single Sad Bitch- how did it come together and what do you hope an audience will feel when they listen to it? 

So the lyrics for sad bitch came from an original I had written on the piano, and when Matt sent over a new track he’d been working on, I tested out the lyrics and it fit perfectly. I never think too deeply into what I hope the audience will feel when they listen because everybody will interpret it differently. I do hope they enjoy it though and that it speaks to people in some way.

Tell us more about your solo projects and how it fits in with writing and being in Łaszewo? 

So there’s lots of little solo projects that I like to take on, whether that’s performances or songwriting for people. In terms of fitting that in with Łaszewo it’s not an issue because the group is my number one priority and I never let any solo projects take time away from it you know?  

When did you decide to pursue music as a career? 

I always knew I wanted to be a musician from the age of like 6 but I didn’t know how to go about it. I’d say as I started at University. It kind of hit me that It might have to be a hobby, instead of a career path. But then I met Justin and I wrote the lyrics to Up in Flames and then I met Matt and it all kind of went from there. I'm grateful that they both reminded me it's worth chasing your dreams, as sappy as it sounds.  

What are your goals for this year musically? 

My goals this year are to improve my song-writing and also learn to produce. I've been trying to learn to produce for a while but I’m naturally inclined to pick up the guitar and write acoustically. Never hurts to have an idea of every aspect of the business though so why not. 

Best piece of advice you have ever received? 

I honestly couldn’t say, I feel like I’ve collected little tid bits of advice from various people over the years and compiled them into a general outlook on music, which is that it’s something special and I have to remain authentic in my pursuit of it or else it isn’t really special anymore. If I stay true to myself I can’t regret too much.

What's the worst thing people tell you about the music industry? Has anyone ever been negative about your desire to pursue a career in music? 

I think most people have this general worry about the music industry and associate it with shady people, and while that may be true I haven’t encountered it too much yet and I consider it the same level of cut-throat as any other competitive industry. Most people are super supportive of me, especially my family.

If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would it be and why? 

Billie Eilish because I think we might be soul sisters. 

What's one surprising thing about you that people may not know?

I hate feet. I hate them so much. Don’t get me wrong I’ll always support my gal pals and their gorgeously pedicured feet but only from a safe distance. 

What's your favourite snack (we have a podcast called Talking Tracks with Snacks so we had to ask) and why? 

Hot Cheetos !! They are just so fucking good I don’t know how to explain it.

Stream Sad Bitch here.