Music

Ever since the advent of his music career back in 2019, L.A. rap crooner Louis Murray, better known as, LOU.M has embraced a ground-up, “quality over quantity” approach to delivering high-level music. 

Instead of aimlessly spewing out a plethora of content like most newcomers, LOU.M has been a bit more methodical in his approach.

With an eclectic skill set of adept vocal ability mixed with a hard hitting rap prowess, LOU.M illustrates that being a multi-hyphenate is not the exception but a core requirement within today’s intertwined landscape of Hip-Hop and R&B. 

Gleaning salient influence from idiosyncratic Hip-Hop heavy hitters like Smino and André 3000, LOU M.’s sound can be described as serene, atmospheric and supremely chill. 

In a modern-day soundscape replete with monotonous flows and distasteful imitation, LOU.M’s evades this trend as he’s able to espouse his own refreshing, “out of the norm” sense of originality.  

Considering the release of his latest single: Outside, JaJuan Malachi of The Knockturnal chopped it up with the rising star to discuss a number of pertinent matters including his background, inspirations and aspirations for his career. 

Here is how the conversation played out: 

JaJuan: For those who don’t know much about LOU.M just yet, tell us about your background and how you got your start in music? 

LOU M.: Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA all the way through my high school years. After that I went to college at Stony Brook University out in Long Island, NY. Played football all four years on scholarship. Felt like it was necessary for me to go somewhere else and experience the culture there. Dove into it and at the same time I continued to write even more. I started off writing poetry when I was in High School, I kept writing and also started performing live at events while I was in college. That foundation kept me confident and built a strong base of people that were actually keeping up with my poetry. In 2019, I performed at an event and I met a woman that invited me to recite a poem for her album in the studio. February 2019 was my first time ever hearing myself after being recorded and I never stopped. It felt natural and made so much sense to me so I really decided to begin writing in song. 

JaJuan: What does your creative process entail? 

LOU M.:My creative process really comes from drawing out my own personal experiences or those that I’ve encountered in life. That’s where I draw inspiration from. I’m a writer so I really just like to sit and take the time to let the thoughts pour out in the best way I see fit for whatever beat I’m working with. Sometimes I can finish a whole song in a day, other times it can take weeks or even a month but that’s simply because of whatever the content of the song is. I believe I hit pockets of time where I may feel stuck with a song and to me that means I just have to keep living. The story will fill itself in. 

JaJuan: What motivates you to pursue a career in music?

LOU.M:What motivates me to pursue this career in music is my family and also the simple fact that writing these songs is a great outlet for me. Whether it is joy or sorrow, it has become important for me to write and speak my mind.

JaJuan: Who are some of your biggest inspirations and some artists that are on your radar at the moment?

LOU.M: Some of my biggest inspirations come from paying attention to those who came before me and really had an impact in this industry just by being themselves. Artists like Jimi Hendrix, Andre 3000, even groups like Wu-Tang. I listen to a wide variety of music, old and new. So it varies who’s really on my radar, sometimes I really focus on production, other times I can be really into hearing lyricists or people who are more focused on just creating an overall vibe. 

JaJuan: Outside of music, do you have any other creative outlets that you enjoy? 

LOU.M: Outside of music I really enjoy snowboarding. Got the season pass so I’ve been going pretty frequently and it’s a positive way to use my energy. It’s easy to misuse your time and energy in this world so finding another outlet to keep myself focused is a blessing. 

JaJuan: As far as your career trajectory goes, are you striving for a traditional record deal or are you a proponent of independence and creating and promoting your own art without the “machine” behind it? 

LOU M.: I think the concept of being an independent artist is important, especially the way the business has changed over the years. I feel like I came into the game at the right time to grow. With that being said, I’m still open to partnering with the “machine”. It’s a matter of balance and everyone’s situation is different from what I understand. Paying attention to detail with whomever you deal with seems to be the most important part when it comes to doing business in this industry. 

JaJuan: If you could do a collab with anyone in the industry right now, who would it be and why? 

LOU. M: If I could collab with anyone in the game right now it’d be between Smino, Andre 3000, Tyler The Creator, and Kendrick Lamar (more specifically, PG Lang). 

JaJuan: What was the inspiration behind the concept of your latest single: Outside? 

LOU. M: I wrote OUTSIDE towards the end of the summer of ‘21. The inspiration was from my point of view of what I was seeing while I was “outside”. Still in a pandemic but people wanted to be outside. They wanted interaction even though it seemed unattainable at one point. 

JaJuan: What can we expect from LOU.M in 2022? 

LOU.M: What you can expect from me in 2022 is consistency.

To keep up with LOU.M, follow him on Instagram