Lianne La Havas

Lianne La Havas is a London-born English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans alternative pop, folk, R&B and soul. Born Lianne Charlotte Barnes in 1989, she grows up in London, with family roots in Greece and Jamaica. She is raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending much of her childhood with her grandparents after her parents separate.

Early life and influences

La Havas begins singing at seven and writes her first song at 11. Her musical upbringing is shaped by her parents’ different listening habits: her mother plays artists such as Jill Scott and Mary J. Blige, while her father, a multi-instrumentalist, teaches her basic guitar and piano. She does not learn guitar until she is 18.

As a teenager, she attends Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Croydon, where she studies art and plans to continue into art foundation and A-levels, but leaves to focus on music full-time. While in sixth form in Croydon, a friend introduces her to other musicians who help her record her first demos. Through the same connection, she meets Paloma Faith and later sings backing vocals on Faith’s tour.

Early projects and recording career

Before her solo breakthrough, La Havas works as a co-writer and performer on The Paris Parade with Christian Pinchbeck. She is also part of the duo Elephant, associated with Memphis Industries, and this period helps begin her career in commercial music.

In 2010, she signs to Warner Bros. Records and spends two years developing her songwriting before releasing music publicly. Her television debut comes on Later... with Jools Holland on BBC Two. After that appearance, she is announced as a support act for Bon Iver’s North American tour in December 2011.

EPs, single and debut album

La Havas releases her debut EP, Lost & Found, on Labour of Love in 2011. The opening track, “No Room For Doubt,” features Willy Mason. She also issues a live EP, Live in LA, as a free download on her website, and later releases Forget on Warner Brothers.

Her debut single, “Lost & Found,” follows, and her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, is released on Warner Brothers in 2012.