Lovetta is the latest project of Taylor Dupuis. A member of the band Roanoke, Taylor found Lovetta writing songs that didn’t fit Roanoke’s sound but that she wanted to share with the world. Lovetta’s sound is individualistic, focusing on themes of love, empowerment, and self-discovery.
Our first glimpse of Lovetta is “Gravity,” a song that she delivers as a nostalgic late ’90s-style reflection on a relationship that has ended and love that has moved on. We caught up with Lovetta to find out how she developed her honest and personal sound and how “Gravity” and its music video took her back to her high school days.
Showstopper Magazine Online: Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey with music.
Lovetta: I have known I’ve wanted to be a musician from a very young age. Music has always spoken to me in a way where I knew it would always be a huge part of my life. I grew up in a small town in Michigan and sang every chance I got at school, in choir, at hockey games, and in musical theater. I studied music for a couple of years at Columbia College in Chicago, but the turning point for me was moving to Nashville in 2013. I began writing songs consistently, and pretty immediately started a band and was touring and in and out of the studio recording.
SMO: What led you to your current solo project?
Lovetta: The songs. I began writing songs that didn’t sound like they would fit with the band, but I knew they were special and they felt authentic. I wanted to try something new, and something that felt like completely mine. So I brought these songs to my producer Pete Eddins, having an idea in my head, but not knowing what to expect. What came out of the studio felt easy, fun, and authentic, and I couldn’t wait to share what we had created together.
SMO: Describe Lovetta’s sound in three words.
Lovetta: Emotive, nostalgic, catchy
SMO: You wrote your new single “Gravity” at home in Michigan. What was your creative process? Did the location influence the song?
Lovetta: I went home to decompress after a breakup. There was a lot of creative outpour during that season in my life. I spent an afternoon in my bedroom playing an old guitar I had left there and started writing the same way I always do. I came up with a chord progression, which evoked a feeling, which led me to a melody, and finally, the lyrics came. The location definitely influenced the sound. When I go home everything feels so nostalgic and a little heavy. It takes me right back to growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, falling in and out of love, and remembering how everything felt so monumental at that age.
SMO: What inspired the aesthetics of the “Gravity” visuals?
Lovetta: The movies I grew up on inspired the visuals. The coming-of-age movies that inspired me and changed the way I saw the world. My memories of growing up in my small town also influenced me.
SMO: If you could put “Gravity” in the soundtrack for a 90s movie, what would movie would you choose?
Lovetta: 10 Things I Hate About You
SMO: What was your favorite part of filming the music video?
Lovetta: For this particular video, we didn’t go into it with a grand plan, which allowed for a lot of freedom. I knew the vibe I wanted, and we made a lot of on-the-fly artistic choices, which was really fun.
SMO: Who are the people in the music video with you? What inspired that scene?
Lovetta: Two of them are friends from my acting class, and one of them is my old roommate. I spent a fair amount of my youth climbing on top of the roof with my friends. It always felt like an adventure.
SMO: What can we expect from you next?
Lovetta: More music! I have more songs I can’t wait to share, and I am always writing. I’ll also be taking Lovetta on the road and releasing more music videos. —
“Gravity” is out now!