By Nehria Mariën February 10th, 2022

LOLA LOLITA is not just music, but really tells you different stories full of human emotions,
spirituality, feminine power, and the struggles of life. In addition to her music, she also incorporates her artistic visions into videography, artwork, styling and fashion. Lola is an inspiring source full of creativity with deep meanings. We had the opportunity to get to know her better in London.

When we ask Lola how she would describe herself, she gives a quite modest answer.
Although she's more comfortable calling herself an artist now, that hasn't always been the case.
"Calling myself a musician or singer I found really really awkward at first, and felt like I was
lying."

She tells us it’s probably because of the imposter syndrome she deals with and habits like comparing herself with others, among other things.
''Comparing yourself to others kind of makes you feel like: am I really worthy of saying that I'm a musician when I don't really have anything to show for it yet, or because people don't know my name yet? '' Lola tells us she already dealt with social anxiety as a teenager; As a child she did classical music, which, in addition to having fun, also resulted in a high pressure when it comes to performing. ‘’doing that from a young age made me just scared of messing anything up.’’ Lola says.

Now things are going much better and she can even enjoy the different aspects that come with
her career, such as performing and doing interviews.
''I'm really working on it and I’m making a lot of progress, but there are definitely times where the anxiety comes out. Weird times, like asking for ketchup in a restaurant.”
Fortunately, therapy and working in the fashion industry have taught her how to talk to people
more and to believe herself. ''The more that you say something the more that it becomes true. ''
she says. "So, it's very important to believe in yourself and to tell yourself and others who and
what you are and what you’re capable of."

Lola’s love for music has developed from a young age. ''There came a point where I just
realized I was super inspired and fascinated by musicians.''
''My grandpa was a musician and so are my dad and mom. I really looked up to them and the people they brought around me.''
It wasn't just her family members who made Lola want to get involved in music. There were also musicians who really told a story that inspired her: "Musicians like Erykah Badu, Sade and Kate Bush inspired me," she says. ‘’My dad was showing me songs all the time. There was this song 'Black and Gold' by Sam Sparrow, it was a huge hit years and years ago. I thought it was so clever! I remember that being one of the first songs that made me want to write music. Which is funny looking back on it now". Lola was only 11 years old at this point.

Although Lola's first songs were not intended to be released, they were already greatly
appreciated. ''I was making these little rhymes with my friend in the playground, like handclaps
and then my dad said: this is genius!''
From that moment on, the first steps were taken. ''Then he started showing me what it's like to record and make things into songs. I’ve loved it since then.” Lola says.
Not much later Lola was able to write and created her own music all by herself. "I started playing the piano and kind of put the two things together and became more independent with writing a song. So, I guess from a young age I knew I wanted to be in music.''

One of the main elements of her music is storytelling. "I'm someone who can really overthink" she says. ''For The Sleeping Project I wanted to force myself to just trust the process. Eventually all songs were made without overthinking and it went exactly the opposite way.” While writing the sleeping prophet, Lola decided to just let the words come to her and especially not think about what she was going to write first.
''After I finished the songs, things in my life happened that had to do with the songs. So, it felt like a confirmation of what I had written. It’s a story of harmony through conflict."

Her new project is also written with a focus on storytelling and takes you on an inspiring road to acceptance. ''I wrote this project last year, in a time where everything in life was uncertain; like my living situation, my relationships and my career. I have never been in such a scary dark
place.'' Lola says.
Despite the chaos, Lola wanted to look at the situation from a different perspective.
''I decided to write about uncertainty and just go along with the chaos instead of freaking out
about it. I was trying to control something I couldn't and was actually making it worse.'' she says. Accepting the situation as it was brought her a form of peace and rest.
''It really helped me overcome it in some way. Or at least accept it.”
The project is expected to release at some point in 2022.

What would you be if you weren't an artist?

''I went to art school very briefly. There was a short period where I kind of got a bit scared of the music because it just seemed impossible to be successful at. So, either that or I feel like I would be a make-up artist. I love doing other people's makeup and hair."

What song would describe you as a person?

''I think that would be one of my favorite songs of D'angelo, called 'Really Love'. The song
inspires me in how you should make others feel, but also how you should make yourself feel. Itwas one of the first songs that blew my mind. It’s so heartfelt. You can feel his soul through thesong.”

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?

''Rihanna. But that’s a bit of a superficial answer, so I'd choose to be my mother. I think I will then be able to really understand her and appreciate her. I don’t think I appreciate my mom enough. One of my main goals is to be able to take care of my mom, so that she doesn't have to worry. She's an amazing woman."