10 Questions with Mississippi RnB Artist Laeland

Photo Credit: Antwon Hatfield

Mississippi-raised singer/songwriter Laeland has spent the past six years building an oeuvre that revels in dissecting all things emotional, romantic, and melancholic. Singing since age five, his self-produced teenage works soon became the soundtrack to youthful longing, amassing over 60 million streams across his catalog for their diaristic, unfiltered passion with a lofi sound that lends an endearing intimacy to the music. Building on the momentum of his 2023 album look at the mess we made, Laeland returns with MESSMORE (Out November 1st), an EP that further envelops the many types of “mess” that inform our lives.

Since children, we’re taught all the variations of the word mess; Laeland finds himself identifying with almost every meaning, how one word anchors the mundane, the intimate, both physically and emotionally. Where prior works leaned upon the mess of daily life with minimal regard for the consequences, Laeland returns to MESSMORE with a grounded and seasoned grasp on how to move through all his mess and release it through his art. By rejecting perception and leaning into heartache, his clumsiness becomes his greatest asset. This project is about embracing mistakes, working through the inevitability of turmoil, and choosing to honor one’s desires.

Recorded over the past three years - between Chicago, Los Angeles, and Mississippi - MESSMORE is neither an afterthought nor a leftover, but an opportunity for Laeland to bring further clarity and closure to the messiness he’s established. And where the last album found Laeland further solidifying his brand of emotive, versatile lofi, MESSMORE symbolizes the sonic and spiritual return to the core of his R&B roots. With collaborations from demxntia and Fxrroh, and production from Skinny Atlas and Boy Nobody, MESSMORE grants new depths to the high-stakes emotional trademarks. From the structures to the songwriting, this project finds Laeland departing from his most popular sound to recontextualize his voice (and soul) and their most free and daring.

For all its evolution, the cinematic allure of Laeland’s music remains on full display on MESSMORE. He’s from the school of Jessie J and Lauryn Hill, James Blake and Nai Palm: music that leans into the drama, giving permission to feel. “MY HEART STILL WORKS” originated from voice memos on a 3 a.m. night drive, graduating into a slow jam about false start love, reconciling the fickleness of feelings. “MESSES” delves directly into pop/R&B ballad territory like a final credit sequence, leaving space for Laeland, the classically-trained vocalist, to demonstrate his power and dexterity with no adornments blocking his path. “Messing Up” wades through overthinking and uncertainty in the wake of a breakup, making peace with being better apart. Laeland at his most unquestionably R&B means receiving his musical and emotional maturity on full display; it’s a transition that honors his past and tends to his spirit. MESSMORE is an invitation to be bold, to be unafraid to risk it all in service of one’s essence.

Laeland sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

Ever since I was young, music had a way of moving me like nothing else could. It took me until around the age of 12 to actually realize how much I even connected with music. As a child I would perform little shows dancing to Michael Jackson songs for my family at reunions.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

I’m currently really inspired by the work that Dijon and Mk.gee are doing. I would love to just be in the room with them while they’re creating music. I am also very inspired by Chappell Roan. I feel like she and a few others are bringing pop back in a way that it has not existed in some time.

3. What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?

I have an EP coming out on November 1st called messmore. It’s a collection of songs that I’ve been releasing since January. I am very proud of it, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.

4. How would you describe your sound?

The best way to describe my sound is alternative R&B singer-songwriter vocal lofi bedroom pop. haha.

5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

I’m thankful to have had many proud moments, but I’m most happy when my fans reach out, telling me that my music helped them in any way. I make music as a form of expression that helps me manage things that I deal with, so the fact that it helps other people too is a major plus.

Picture Credit: Gopi B. Vadsak

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

Don’t quit. Never quit. You only lose this game of music when you give up! I’ve had friends who will make music for 10 years, never making money, then the next year be in the top 1% of artists on Spotify. Another thing; music does not have to be all or nothing. There is no shame in going to school or working while you have music going on the side as a hustle. I have never solely done music, and even now, I am a freelance choreographer, music educator, and college student. There are no rules.

7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

I’m still listening to “Shattering” by ghostdaughter and OTIV, and “hurt me enough” by Nathan Archie.

8. What albums are on heavy rotation in your Spotify playlist currently?

I am in love with “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” soundtrack right now. The rugged, dystopian folk genre was made for nerds like me.

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

I love to teach. I am currently teaching choral music at a high school in Mississippi. As far as hobbies, I like to read, work out, and go to local shows with my friends.

10. Name 3 things you can't live without when in the studio?

A guitar, a mic, and a Chili’s triple dipper.