Lani Renaldo

When Halsey asks you to open up for her on tour, you do it...and then you proceed to freak out a little bit. This is, after all, the same Halsey who’s hit the stage with Justin Bieber. The same Halsey who just released one of the—if not the—song of the summer with The Chainsmokers. The same Halsey who’s paved the way for fellow women in music dealing with sexism, mental health, and race issues enthusiastically and candidly.

A few months ago, that’s exactly what happened to Lani Renaldo. On July 15, the 20-year-old USC student got the chance of a lifetime to open up for the pixie-haired pop star at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. I’ve known Lani for a few years now, and seeing her grow in the industry has been incredibly inspiring. Just before the show, I caught up with her about the Halsey gig and how she balances a music career and college classes.

How did you become interested in music?
Growing up, my family always had music in the house. My mom recently told me that I started playing the conga drums at the age of one as soon as I could stand (my dad was a percussionist). My paternal grandma is from Detroit, while my other is from Mississippi. This within itself led to a very interesting musical background and really shaped my love of soul and blues music. I started playing drums at three years old and picked the guitar up at 12; it wasn’t until I was about 13 that I started writing songs.

I was involved in musical theater starting around age five. I grew up around the boy pop group B2K. My older brother was also in a music group for a short period of time so when he started producing, I often had a chance to sing a few tracks to demo a song with him. I watched very attentively as my sister Krissy and Jhene Aiko developed Jhene’s career before she got signed to her most recent record label. I wrote and released my first song in 2014 after my experience volunteering at Teen Line in Los Angeles.

Can you explain what GRAMMY U is and how has this program has influenced your music career?
GRAMMY U is a networking organization that connects students with the music industry and their peers. I went to GRAMMY Camp in 2012 in New York as a songwriter. That in many ways prepared me to be a better songwriter. I also learned how to pitch business ideas during that session. I made a lot of friends, many of whom I remain in contact with to this day. We get together and write whenever we can.

Tell us about how Halsey and you met. How did you get the gig to open up for her?
Samsung has a really innovative project called the Samsung Level Music Lab, where they connect creative individuals with musical artists. My friend told me Samsung was looking for musicians and offered my name. I didn’t really know what to expect, but after two days and a lot of surprises, I got to meet Halsey. We had a wonderful day filming together and at the end of our studio session, she surprised me and gave me the incredible opportunity to open for her!

What’s next for you?
I'll be putting out an EP and setting out on some tour dates this year, all while continuing my studies as a music business major at USC!

Lastly, what would you tell yourself a year ago?
I would have said to keep reaching for your dreams. There’s always a way, so keep pushing and have as much fun as you can. I had faith a year ago that I could reach my goals and dreams, even if they were far-fetched. I told myself a year ago that I was smart, a good person, humble, hardworking and a believer. I also had faith that someone would be there to help me in some way. I believe in paying things forward, in addition to fate. - Clover

After studying music, business, and theater at USC, Lani Renaldo is poised to take off with her first big gig at the Shrine Auditorium opening for Halsey's "Badlands" tour, this summer. She shares her thoughts on how it feels to be a musician on the verge... - 3.1 Venice

Lani Renaldo is a classmate and friend of mine from USC. We met in a songwriting class my last semester. She is so awesome and just opened up for Halsey at the Shrine in LA two weeks ago! I was desperately trying to get her to feature on my EP, and I was so stoked when she agreed to be a part of “Malibuu.” She re-wrote the second verse in 5 minutes and then we got together to record! - Nest HQ

I've chosen "Malibuu (feat. Lani Renaldo)" as the one to support mainly due to it's more mainstream pop appeal. Not to mention all the Cali references : ). The song is simple and refined. It doesn't reach too far outside of the box mainly relying on the background pads and comforting vocal performances by Matt and Lani to lead the way. There are splashes of rising arps and other sounds that help accent the endearing nature of the track. - Beautiful Buzzz

This time he has collaborated with Lani Renaldo, and the music outcome of this team-up is the song “Malibuu”, taken from his new album release yesterday, entitled Up All Night.

Even though the instrumental part of the song is uplifting, having a rhythmic beat, it is the vocals that are highlighting the song. Both DiMona’s and Renaldo’s singing interpretation gives a tuneful, ethereal essence to the songs concept. - Conversations About Her

Twitter is a great platform for discovering new artists and for communicating with up and coming artists from all over the world. Lani Renaldo is a young, up and coming artist from Los Angeles in California. Lani has her own, rather unique style that pools a wide range of musical interests and influences from the likes of John Mayer, the Alabama Shakes and Nirvana. That kind of diverse influence fits in well with Lani’s personality as she is not just talented but multi-talented. A singer song-writer, Lani can play the guitar and the piano as well as showcase her journalist skills with the Huffington Post, Popwarpped and Dim Mak. Theatre and musical theatre also have a place in her heart but ultimately music is the one thing Lani will always return to. The perfect reason for pursuing something as a career.

I was lucky enough to sit down and ask Lani a few questions about her music.

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Where would you say your musical influence comes from?

It really varies. I grew up listening to a lot of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston thanks to my mom, jazz standards thanks to my dad, and my sister got me into grunge. My music taste is completely eclectic, so I pull from a ton of different genres to ultimately come up with one that represents me best at that moment.

Would you describe your music along those same lines? How would you describe your style?

I always say alternative. At the core, my music is very much rock, but there are also elements of pop and as of late, more rhythm and blues.

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What’s your favourite genre of music?

I interned at Dim Mak records and I would say I have a huge love for electronic music – specifically jersey club and house. But then again, I’m also a huge fan of pop, rock, and alternative. Love roots rock.

How do you write your songs? What’s the creative process that you go through?

Every song is different. It really varies, sometimes music first, other days lyric first. lately far I’ve been really digging coming up with chord progressions and building the song from there. Occasionally a phrase or word will spark a song. It really just depends.

You’ve released “The Elevator Song” as your newest single. What’s the story behind that? What inspired you to write it?

It’s actually funny you ask. I came home from winter break last year and I was in the elevator of my building when a guy came in – and I really thought about how funny those small moments are – you know, those quick and unexpected moments of being in an elevator and forming a tiny crush on a person you didn’t know. I went back to my bedroom and wrote the song in 30 minutes.

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Why did you decide to record a cover of Charlie Puth’s cover of “How Deep is Your Love?”

I’ve been a Charlie Puth fan for years (I know that’s very hipster to say, but I’ve been following his career for awhile). I saw the cover on my Facebook timeline one day and gave it a listen – anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE the original version of that song. Charlie did a great job of giving it funk flair. I passed it onto my band and they dug it. It’s been a crowd favourite ever since!

If you had to pick anyone in the world to do a collaboration with, who would it be?

I would love to work with Ed Sheeran or MNEK, but John Mayer would be the biggest. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I would have started writing songs. I listened to Room for Squares and everything finally clicked for me. He is amazing.

There are no plans to record an album at the moment but there will be an EP released at some point in 2016 as well as more material across her social media platforms and more live shows too. The next five years will be interesting for Lani as she hopes to be very active in both the music world and the business and creative areas involving music, going on tour and showing the world her talent as a singer-songwriter and a musician. In 10 years time she’d love to be winning a Grammy! - DK Media Services

Music
Big Dreams + Big Talent = Lani Renaldo
January 28, 2016
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Tia Mesic


“I think everyone should find what their passionate about and go for it”

Lani Renaldo is a name you might want to remember. The 20 year old from Los Angeles is one talented musician who truly exemplifies that music is the most important thing in her life; she claims “It's all I've ever known.” When interviewing Renaldo she told me that her love for music has existed for the entirety of her life, she started drumming at three years old and began learning the guitar at five. Since then she knew music was her dream and has done everything she possibly can to make her dream a reality.

However making music isn't the only thing keeping her busy, Renaldo manages to balance a College degree as well as volunteer with an organisation called SLAM, where she teaches children how to play the drums. When inquiring just how hectic her schedule gets, Renaldo was incredibly positive. She admitted at times it is difficult but manages by planning her class schedule around her career,
“Classes in the afternoon, studio sessions at night, shows on the weekend. It isn't easy,
but I love music and I love performing so I definitely make it work.”

Renaldo first gained some credibility in 2012, when she attended GRAMMY Camp, set up but the GRAMMY Foundation. She worked on writing songs and released her first EP 'q u i e t h o u r s'. It was after this she began picking up some buzz on Facebook and Twitter however 2015 was the biggest year in Renaldo's career so far. She got the opportunity to star in EDM artist Jacob Plant's music video for song 'Hunger', was featured on 'Good Morning America' and also on the television show 'Doctors'. She expressed that last year her follower count “Went up like crazy” with help from Instagram putting her through their suggested user program, this caused her social media presence to take off. Renaldo explained “I released 'The Elevator Song' and my 'How Deep Is Your Love' cover and people listened!” And after hearing both songs , its easy to see why her social media presence continues to grow. Nonetheless it did come as a shock to her. She explained
“ I was in a movie theatre with my sister and little brother and my phone kept going off, I looked at Instagram and I had broken 10K followers, it was so bizarre.”
And from that moment on mass amounts of people began discovering her talent; Renaldo hasn't looked back and confessed “I really haven't had the chance too.”

Due to her growing social media presence, the singer-songwriter has been able to perform more shows and expand her fan base, she claims that having a larger following means she is able to connect with fans and see what they want to hear and see from her.

Considering it is only mid January I inquired what Renaldo had in store for 2016 to which she explained she plans on releasing another EP this summer as well as perform more shows, and is in high hopes for a tour. She also revealed that the positive response to her covers mean there are more to come! You can check them out here.

Lani Renaldo has big plans for her career and with her incredible positivity and will to work hard for what she wants there's no room for doubting that she wont succeed her dreams. To wrap up the interview I enquired about where she sees herself in two years, to which she replied
“I really hope to be doing what I'm doing now- singing and writing songs but on a larger scale. Definitely see myself being signed and making more music for the fans!”

Lani Renaldo's obvious dedication proves she's going places! - Wonder Thunder

It’s not all too common that we do a musical exploration piece around these parts, so when we do, you know we mean serious business. Lani Renaldo and LANY are two Los Angeles-based acts that are unrelated other than in the sheer talent represented by both. For that reason, we decided to take a look and see what they both have to offer.

Lani Renaldo

If you still don’t believe that millennials are hardworking and passionate, than you clearly haven’t met Lani Renaldo. A blogger and Brandy Melville defector, Renaldo is first and foremost a singer-songwriter, and a good one at that. At just 19 years old, the USC student released her q u i e t h o u r s – EP which features the feel-good “Through the Thick of It” and “Give Life a Chance.”

In 2012, Renaldo attended the Grammy Camp in New York and headlined AMPLYFI in Hollywood, but now she’s focusing on releasing music her own stuff and making her way through the west-coast music scene. Just recently, Renaldo debuted “Elevator Song” which is the perfect summer jam you’ve been hunting for.

Let’s face it, the closest thing we’re getting to a smash summer hit this year is the trying-too-hard “This Summer’s Gonna Hurt…” so you really should go buy “Elevator Song” on iTunes. It has fun pop vibes and was produced by Trey Vittetoe who has worked with Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez in the past. Oh, you thought she was playing around, weren’t you? - Gossip Brunch

It’s rare that someone you have known since first grade decides to pursue the same passion you have and that you get the chance to interview them about that passion. This is what happened with Lani Renaldo and I. Way back in February I got the opportunity to chat with Lani before and after her show at USC’s Tommy’s Place. Though you have only known it for a few days, Lani told me about the show at Shrine the day of this interview. Watching this girl grow and mature and become the talented singer/ songwriter she is has been such a pleasure. Connection and friendship make any interview more candid. I hope you enjoy!

This is kind of a cliché question, but we’ve known each other for a really long time and I feel like I can ask it and you might give a different response than you would to somebody else. When we were in choir together, when we were in school, was there ever an inkling in your imagination that you’d be where you are having done something with Halsey and having done things with Alessia?

Lani: No, not at all. I don’t think you can really predict any of it. Especially in this industry, everything is very up in the air and kind of crazy. I don’t even think I wanted to do music until I was like a junior in high school.

Ari: Yeah, weren’t you doing theatre?

Lani: I wanted to be an actress, so I was very much involved in musical theatre and conservatory (our high school’s theatre program). And I think I got to a point in my junior year where I was just like, this doesn’t make me happy and all I can do is think about music. I write all these songs and I really like performing and it’s not to say that I will stop acting completely, I just knew, from that moment, moving on, I think I was sixteen…like the summer that I went to Grammy Camp. I must have been like sixteen years old so I knew after that I was like, okay, this is something I really love doing, this is something I probably will want to make a career out of. I didn’t really start pursuing it actively until I got to college. Social media plays a large role in promoting one’s self . It’s crazy to say, “a few years ago” because it doesn’t really seem like that long, but Twitter really wasn’t a thing. Instagram didn’t exist. The iPhone was just, really just a cool phone you had and so, I think once the boost of social media kind of happened, I realized, I have to get a Facebook. I have to start putting out things. I have to start promoting myself and so there was definitely a switch. But if you would have told me in middle school that this is something I would have been doing I would have laughed at you because I was just so awkward and didn’t think that music was a thing that I loved the way I love it now.

What made you decide to go to Grammy Camp? What prompted that decision?

Lani: I always watched the Grammys. I saw and ad and I just…I guess I…I had been writing songs for two years and I just was like, this would be a really cool opportunity for me to learn more about songwriting. I hadn’t taken a songwriting class…I played like a few chords on the guitar and I was like, this is a way to really enhance my musical skill, and then I applied. Even then I was kind of like it’s…

Ari: Just for fun.

Lani: Yeah, it’s just for fun, I didn’t know if I was going to get in… (a professor walks by) Hey, how’s it going…That’s so funny, he was one of my songwriting teachers at Grammy Camp. I didn’t know if I would get in or not and then, once I got in, I was like, maybe I can do this. Maybe I have some skill at this. And I had such a great summer, by far, I look back at that and it’s one of the best best parts of my musical career. It felt like winning a Grammy. It certainly wasn’t, but it felt that way to be sixteen and to get into something as prestigious as the Grammys or the camp portion was really amazing to me.

So I remember when you first sang “Spanish Rose” for us in high shool choir and it was super sophisticated, it my opinion, at least at the time. Do you think that your music has evolved both through content and complexity? How so?

Lani: Yeah, when I wrote “Spanish Rose,” I think I was fourteen or fifteen when I wrote it and performed it when I was sixteen. I think for me, I didn’t see it as mature, I think it was just something I was doing, but I definitely think my music has evolved content wise. I really stopped writing about break-ups, or at least saying like, “I hate you, you suck!” kind of like some pop artists. I think I got more poetic. I started reading a lot more and not just books I was told to read in high school. I learned more musically about myself. I think I…I started listening to a lot more music and that really was the key for me. I wasn’t listening to generic pop music anymore. I started listening to BB King and Carole King and I listened to more Nirvana, John Mayer is a staple for my musical collection.

Ari: Yeah, I remember that.

Lani: But, you know, I started listening more and I think when you open your ears to more music, you allow yourself to hear more chord progressions, hear different styles, different voicings of how you could say “I hate you” and you could say, I hate you because you’re xyz" or “you’re like the scum on my shoe.” I mean none of that’s poetic but it’s better than saying “I hate you.” I think you learn more about yourself as well. So if I look back on the music I was writing when I was sixteen, I don’t think it’s necessarily bad. I still play some of those songs live and I think to be writing at sixteen, it wasn’t bad at all. But now I’ve definitely changed a lot and I think it’s only getting better for me musically. I’m still growing and still learning, I can guarantee you that my music will change in the next year, but I think that every project kind of reflects where I am at the time, so it’s kind of cool to be able to see that progress.

I ask this to everyone and I love the question cause it teaches me about so many new bands that I’ve never heard of. What two artists would you want to introduce to the world by having them open for you?

Lani: So like, thinking of someone that nobody knows right now?

Ari: Yep.

Lani: Oh man, I know one of them, I’ll give you one, there’s a girl named, Zola. She’s an amazing songwriter from San Francisco that one of my good friends introduced me to. She goes to Univ. if Miami and is in the music school. I keep joking that I’m going to manage her one day, but I don’t think I’m kidding. She’s incredibly talented and has the voice of an angel. I have to look at my phone for this…I have to look at what I’ve been listening to. It’s crazy for me to think that at some point there will be people opening for me.

Ari: And, for you, it’s going to be soon, it’s not like for someone else when I ask this question and they are thinking about something that might not happen for another five years, there’s actually a shorter timeline for you for this. I mean, it could be by next summer.

Lani: It’s funny to me cause it’s just…I still see myself as that kid in middle school that doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing and so when people are like, “oh yeah, I’m really into your stuff,” it’s very humbling.

Ari: I totally get that.

Lani: Someone that would open for me, though, like open for me? Oh, you know what, there’s a girl. I used to sing with her. I did musical theatre with her and she’s kind of making a name for herself in the New York scene, but her name’s SAMIA. I would love to have SAMIA open…I don’t know if she’ll see this and think it’s weird, but I’ve known her since I was seven and this girl can blow. And it’s been cool to kind of…like I haven’t seen her since we did musical theatre, but it’s been cool to see that she’s doing stuff online and she has some good songs and she’s got a great voice so I’d love to have her come aboard and sing with me. I’d prefer to say sing with me, cause open for me just seems too official. But to open for me? SAMIA would be cool…

What do you think you’ve gained from going to college? Cause a lot of musicians don’t. What do you think you’ve gained that other musicians might not have, other than your major?

Lani: The thing about going to college is that it’s really an opportunity to collaborate. And I’ve met so many musicians here, whether they want to write or sing or do whatever. And a lot of people want to have their solo projects, but there are people, and I think it’s really important to be aware of this, that love collaborating and those are the people I gravitate to. Because the music industry and the music world and songs are all based on collaboration. Whether I write a song and pen it myself, I still go to my musicians and say, “hey, this is my idea, what can we do?” and they give me their feedback. And I’m experiencing that at the college level, but it’s very much a collaborative process, so…I think going to college has just opened me up to so many more people to work with and realizing that there are better ideas than just your own, which is difficult being a musician. You think, you know, you’re only as good as your next hit, sometimes. You really gain that knowledge of collaboration, and perspective. College is a really great melting pot of different people from different backgrounds and different places so you learn more about different cultures and it just gives you an opportunity to expand yourself and learn more whether it’s in a class or at a party or in a jam session, whatever it might be.

Ari: I think that might be one reason I haven’t released anything yet because I haven’t really had the chance to collaborate. I’ve asked so many of my friends to collaborate with me, but they haven’t really had the time.

Lani: Yeah, you get busy, you definitely do. I feel like I’m in 50 million different side projects right now in addition to just doing my own and sometimes you just have to step back and say I kind of have to work on my own thing. But I have a band rehearsal tomorrow for a new band I’m joining and one of my friends is coming to the show and we collaborate…um, I was in a writing session for my friend Matt, like last week, so I’m all over the place, but, it’s a good busy and I think that’s just the nature of collaboration.

Leaving Halsey aside, who would you want to open for and open with?

Lani: I would love, love, to open for Alabama Shakes. I talk about them in every interview and in everything I do, but I just love the band chemistry, I love their sound, I love the time that they take to create a record. They really focus on the whole experience. They are not just hitting deadlines. I mean, “Hold On” came out in 2012 and they had a 2013 album and then they waited a little bit and released Sound And Color but I just love the vibe. They’re very true to who they are in their roots and I think it’s because they’ve signed to a label that is very true to their roots. And they haven’t had…they’ve had massive success, but you look at somebody like Brittany Howard. She has 3,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram, you know? She’s not a pop icon, and that’s cool with them because they’re really just making the music and I would just love to tour and be with them in that capacity. To play for them, to hear them play every night, uh, just learn more about how they plan to stay grounded and true to the music that they like while still being able to grow and compete in this music market.

At That’s Why We Musyc our staff participates in a feature called the Growing Pains Playlist. What are two to five artists that influenced your growing up process?

Lani: One artist that comes to mind is Michael Jackson. I just remember…that’s like my earliest memory of music is getting a Jackson 5 CD for Christmas. And I like could tell you everything about it, what tracks are on it, the cover album artwork and I just think Michael…he was everybody’s inspiration for a reason, he was so innovative with his music. He was just a genius and just had so much love for the world, for people and for sharing his art. And one thing I really try to emulate is just that love of the world and of people in my music. Whether it is through just talking about connections or talking about social justice which is just something I’ve always been involved in and cared deeply about. So, Michael has always somehow managed to be in my life, whether it be through his activism or his music. The second person would be…let’s see…Whitney Houston too, my mom was a huge Whitney Houston fan and she really raised me on a lot of the divas. So I grew up listening to a lot of Mariah Carey and, Christina Aguilera and, Whitney. And for me, Whitney was such a…she had such a voice and just listening to the power she had was crazy to me and crazy to think that somebody could have that kind of voice and that power and that ability. So listening to Whitney I just always wanted to emulate her and do what she was able to do with her voice. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do Whitney justice. There will never be another Whitney Houston, but she definitely has inspired me to grow as a vocalist and to definitely be better.

Do you think you would ever cover any of them for any reason, or is there a way you think you could cover them that would be true to yourself but also true to their work?

Lani: Oh, I’ve definitely covered Michael. I couldn’t touch Whitney. I don’t think anybody should touch Whitney. I think Michael is a little bit more accessible with what he does and his ability level. I think that Whitney just had a voice that was unbelievable and unstoppable, so I don’t think I’ll ever cover her unless somebody is like, you have to cover this, I would stay away. I would urge everyone to listen to Whitney if you haven’t already done so just to have her in your musical vocabulary, but no, I’ve never touched it.

You still aren’t legal yet. What venue are you most excited to play once you turn 21 or what experience in the music world are you most excited to have, since most of the music world, at least in LA is made for people 21 and older.

Lani: Which sucks.

Ari: Oh yeah, it’s awful

Lani: I think it’s pointless. And I think music…the reason why everybody loves music is it’s accessible to everyone and these 21+venues are ruining that. But, I guess, I’d love to play Hotel Café, I can’t wait to play The Shrine, Echoplex would be another one I would love to play. I’m like trying to think…

Ari: Viper Room?

Lani: I think everyone should play the Sunset Strip once in their life, but now that The House Of Blues is gone, I’m sort of bummed but, I don’t know, Viper Room would be cool…

Ari: You probably want to play The Roxy at some point…

Lani: The Roxy is a dream…I…just places like that, Roxy, House of Blues, places that I went to see my favorite artists…are always…I never think I’m going to be playing them. The Greek isn’t a 21+ venue, but that’s another place I would love to play. I would just play anywhere, honestly (both laugh) I think any musician just wants to play, so wherever there’s an opportunity where they’re able to do that, they’re gonna take it.

You do a lot of covers in your set. What song of yours do you want other people to cover?

Lani: I think “California Rain,” which is going to be on the new EP would be a really pretty song for people to cover just because it’s one of the more kind of relaxed songs of mine that I think people could do a lot of cool things with, stripping it down, I’d love to hear someone do an electronic rendition of it, that would be really interesting. Um, “What I’ve Been Looking For” is another new one and that has more of a Motown doo-wop feel.

Ari: Oo, I like that.

Lani: So that could be really interesting to see what people do with that. But yeah, that’s all I can…those two come to mind just cause they are new songs and I think people are really going to like them.

Ari: I’m excited to hear them!

As well as being a singer, you were a journalist. How do you think that writing in a journalistic style has influenced your songwriting?

Lani: I don’t think it has.

Ari: Really?

Lani: I mean, the pieces I was doing…I was so young, I don’t…I never like went back and thought…I’ve always kept those two very separate. Like I was either a journalist or a songwriter or a music lover. I feel it’s very hard to be both. I think it made me very opinionated. I think I definitely had some opinions and was very aware of what was going on in music and I guess, in some senses, maybe that would influence it, but for the most part, I kept them separate and I definitely don’t think I will be doing anymore journalistic work anytime soon.

Is being a woman in music important to you? How do you think you can impact girls who want to be artists and who don’t think that they have a shot?

Lani: Being a woman, to me…I mean, I consider myself to be a feminist. I’m not a diehard feminist. I’m not a third wave feminist. I just believe that women’s rights are common sense and so, to me, that’s my general definition of feminism. Being a woman to me is incredibly important because people…I don’t care who thinks there is not a discrepancy between women in the industry. There just is. Look at Kesha’s case. Women are treated incredibly unfairly in this business and thought less than. And there are many industries that are built off of the idea of male domination. And I think that being a musician I’ve seen it, I’ve had it happen to me, just with stifling my own creativity working with men. So for me, being a woman and being a female musician and being a female musician of color has always been something that has influenced my work and something that I’m very open about.

Ari: It’s actually started to happen to me too on the industry side of things. I’ve gotten told a lot of times that I’m only in this for sex. Or trying to get people to support the company they say “well, you’re going to send me nudes, right?” and I’m like, “no, I’m doing this cause I love music. Not for your sexual pleasure.” I never experienced that before being this involved in the industry.

Lani: Yeah, it’s sickening and it’s unfair that women are held to the expectation that they’re going to have sex or be a certain way, but, for me, it’s important to speak up about that and to make it vocal in my music and in my daily life. For girls…I want to be a role model for people because I didn’t really have that many growing up musically that were women that were doing what I wanted to do that looked like me. And for me, being multi-racial definitely influences my work and how I interact with people and how people interact with me. So I find it really important to just have that as a thing that I talk about and, you know, I definitely want to be an influence and when the time comes for me to be that influence I hope that people can see that I’m more than just my music and more than just the person that people see me as. That there are definitely many layers to my upbringing and to my surroundings and to who I am that have influenced my work and make me speak up about things like this.

For the most part, women of color in music are in R&B or soul. You have a very pop style to your music. Do you think you will be able to be a different kind of role model and prove anyone can be part of any genre?

Lani: Anybody can do any genre. Me being affiliated with pop music just proves that. I don’t want to be defined by my race or have my race be a deciding factor of what type of music I should be doing. As a multiracial person, I’ve had influences from all over the world. So I’m sure that those influences will be revealed in my music.

Alright, so thank you so much for doing this with me!

Lani: Of course! Thank you for coming to the show. I mean, not just for me, it’s just very cool that you are here.

Ari: Of course! - That's Why We Musyc

Lani Renaldo is a name you might not know quite yet, but that will soon change. This talented singer/songwriter, journalist and actress (she is fantastic in all three professions) just finished her freshman year of college and is already working with producer Trey Vittetoe (Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus). Renaldo released her debut EP, Quiet Hours, just last year. Yesterday, Renaldo gave a sneak preview of the first single her second project. “The Elevator Song” has much more of a pop vibe than she normally does, but will be sure to have you singing along with the track. The preview has many similarities to “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars. It’s fantastic to see a female taking on this role!

Read more: http://www.infectiousmagazine.com/stream-lani-renaldo-the-elevator-song-sneak-preview/#ixzz4JcxMR3p7 - Infectious Magazine

The student in question, named Lani, was pretty surprised when she sat down to get to work and suddenly looked up to find Halsey walking in the door. What followed was an in-depth conversation in which Halsey discussed her own process for creating material, as well as giving her thoughts on Lani’s very promising talent. - Complex