LANY (, an acronym for "Los Angeles New York") are an American
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Formed in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 2014, the band consists of Paul Jason Klein and Jake Clifford Goss.
Signed to
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
, the band have released three top 40 albums: ''
LANY
LANY (, an acronym for "Los Angeles New York") are an American pop rock band from Los Angeles. Formed in Nashville in 2014, the band consists of Paul Jason Klein and Jake Clifford Goss.
Signed to Polydor and Interscope Records, the band have re ...
'' (2017), ''
Malibu Nights
''Malibu Nights'' is the second studio album by American indie pop band LANY. It was released on October 5, 2018, by Side Street Entertainment and Polydor Records. The album was produced by Mike Crossey.
The album was promoted by four singles wi ...
'' (2018), and ''
Mama's Boy
Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...
'' (2020). Additionally, they have released a slew of singles, their most successful being the RIAA-certified "ILYSB" (2015), the Julia Michaels collaboration "
Okay
''OK'' (spelling variations include ''okay'', ''O.K.'', ''ok'' and ''Ok'') is an English word (originating in American English) denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference. ''OK'' is frequently ...
" (2019), and "
Mean It
"Mean It" is a song by American singer Lauv and American indie pop band LANY. It was released on November 14, 2019 as the seventh single from Lauv's debut studio album, ''How I'm Feeling'' (2020).
Background
Speaking about the track, Lauv stated " ...
" (2019) with
Lauv
Ari Staprans Leff (born August 8, 1994), known professionally as Lauv (), is an American singer and musician, best known for his breakout hit "I Like Me Better"; included on his compilation album ''I Met You When I Was 18 (The Playlist)'', wh ...
. In 2020, they released their third studio album, ''
Mama's Boy
Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...
'', which was followed by their fourth album, ''
gg bb xx
''Gg bb xx'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth studio album by American pop (music), pop band LANY. Released on September 11, 2021 through Side Street Entertainment and Polydor Records, it serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, ...
'', in September 2021.
Music career
2014–2017: Musical beginnings and ''LANY''
LANY were formed in March 2014 when Paul Jason Klein, who had a small solo career, flew to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
to meet up with friends Jake Goss and Les Priest. Previously, Goss and Priest had a separate project by the name of WRLDS, but this was discontinued after the formation of LANY.
The following month they anonymously uploaded two songs, "Hot Lights" and "Walk Away", to their
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
account with zero followers in order to differentiate between their old and new projects. In an interview, Klein explains that after the release of these singles, they began receiving emails from record labels within six days, of which he still does not know how they found the music. Their debut
EP, ''Acronyms'', followed later that year, with the song "ILYSB" generating significant interest online. Singles "Made in Hollywood" and "Bad, Bad, Bad" soon followed, along with the reveal of their identities.
LANY is an acronym for "Los Angeles New York". Klein explained the name in an interview:
"We knew we wanted a four-letter word because of design and aesthetic purposes, but as you can imagine, all the four-letter words in the entire world are taken. We moved to acronyms and for a while we thought we would be TTYL, but then we decided we didn’t want to be 13 for the rest of our lives. I eventually thought of the span across the country from L.A. to New York, and at first I was thinking it would be L-A-N-Y, but people kept getting confused on how to pronounce it when I told them, saying things like 'L-A-and-Y?' So then we’re like forget it—let's call ourselves LANY, pronounced Lay-Nee."
![LANY_on_September_11,_2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/LANY_on_September_11%2C_2015.jpg)
In 2015, LANY embarked on American tours supporting
Twin Shadow,
Tove Styrke
Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke (; born 19 November 1992) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on '' Swedish Idol 2009'', finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. Sh ...
,
X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...
,
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...
and
Halsey. A second EP titled ''I Loved You.'' followed, as did festival appearances including
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
.
![LANY_on_July_23,_2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/LANY_on_July_23%2C_2015.jpg)
In December 2015, after signing to
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, a re-release EP titled ''Make Out'' was released consisting of all songs (not including "Hot Lights" and "OMG") released prior to ''I Loved You.'' Shortly after this, a UK support tour with
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
was announced for March 2016 and a live stripped back version of "ILYSB" was released on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. A US support tour with
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...
ran through February, followed by the announcement of their first US headline tour, The Make Out Tour, in May. On March 11, 2016, LANY released a single titled "Where the Hell Are My Friends". The track debuted on
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
with
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
. One month later, they released their first music video for the song.
After their headline tour in May, LANY played a series of festivals in mid-2016, including
Bonnaroo
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...
,
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
, and
Outside Lands
Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District, San Francisco, California, Richmond District and Sunset District, San Francisco, California, Sunset District in San Francisco, California. With few roads an ...
.
LANY began their second headline tour in the fall of 2016, called the Kinda Tour, in support of their EP by the same name. It included 14 European dates and 37 US dates.
On February 15, 2017, LANY announced they would be opening up for seven shows of
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
's The Search for Everything Tour. It included five U.S. dates and two dates in Canada.
Through their official
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, the band announced that they would be releasing their debut album, ''
LANY
LANY (, an acronym for "Los Angeles New York") are an American pop rock band from Los Angeles. Formed in Nashville in 2014, the band consists of Paul Jason Klein and Jake Clifford Goss.
Signed to Polydor and Interscope Records, the band have re ...
'', on June 30, 2017, to be preceded by the singles "Good Girls" on March 3, as well as "It Was Love", "The Breakup", and "13".
On June 30, 2017, LANY released their debut self-titled album. The single "Super Far" debuted on
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
's
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
on Apple Music preceding the release of the full-length album. The band held pop-up shops in Los Angeles and New York to promote the album. They have released music videos for "Good Girls", "ILYSB", and "Super Far". The band announced a US headline tour that occurred from September through November 2017. LANY spent the summer of 2017 playing festivals and touring Australia and Asia. They toured Europe in the winter of 2017.
2018–2019: ''Malibu Nights''
LANY announced their second album, ''
Malibu Nights
''Malibu Nights'' is the second studio album by American indie pop band LANY. It was released on October 5, 2018, by Side Street Entertainment and Polydor Records. The album was produced by Mike Crossey.
The album was promoted by four singles wi ...
'', on March 8, 2018, via an Instagram post. Klein stated that the album was written from January 4 to February 14, 2018.
On April 5, 2018, LANY had their first arena concert at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum
The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose arena, sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the ...
in the Philippines. Tickets for the show were sold out in 24 hours, leading to a second show the next night.
The first single, "Thru These Tears", was released on July 17. The album's second single, "I Don't Wanna Love You Anymore", was released on August 22, 2018. Their highly anticipated second studio album, "Malibu Nights", was released on October 5, 2018, consisting of nine songs. In 2018, LANY embarked on their Malibu Nights World Tour beginning on October and lasting until October 2019. The band released "
Okay
''OK'' (spelling variations include ''okay'', ''O.K.'', ''ok'' and ''Ok'') is an English word (originating in American English) denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference. ''OK'' is frequently ...
", a single with singer
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
, on April 23, 2019. This was their first song to include a featured artist. On November 14, 2019, LANY collaborated with American singer-songwriter
Lauv
Ari Staprans Leff (born August 8, 1994), known professionally as Lauv (), is an American singer and musician, best known for his breakout hit "I Like Me Better"; included on his compilation album ''I Met You When I Was 18 (The Playlist)'', wh ...
for the song “Mean It”, which ultimately was listed on Lauv's debut album, ''
How I'm Feeling
''How I'm Feeling'' (stylized as ''~how i'm feeling~'') is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Lauv. It was released on March 6, 2020, by AWAL. The album was supported by eleven singles, with three featuring artists such as Austr ...
''. On December 17, 2019, the music video was released, featuring both artists in the deserts of Los Angeles.
From July 23 to 25, LANY sold out three consecutive shows in Manila, at the
Mall of Asia Arena
The SM Mall of Asia Arena, also known as the Mall of Asia Arena or the MoA Arena, is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex, in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events, an ...
.
2020: ''Mama's Boy''
On April 30, 2020, LANY announced the title of their third album, ''
Mama's Boy
Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...
'', via social media. The album was released on October 2, 2020.
On May 13, they released the album's lead single, "Good Guys".
On July 1, their second single "If This Is the Last Time" was released. The album's third single, "You!", was released on August 13, 2020.
Two months later on October 2, 2020, they released their third studio album titled ''
Mama's Boy
Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...
.''
To promote the album, the band has announced 5 dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland for 2021. Pre-sale began on September 30 while the general sale began on October 2. The band has announced more dates to come on a later date.
2021–2022: ''gg bb xx'' and Priest's departure
On February 4, 2021, LANY released the deluxe edition of ''
Mama's Boy
Mother's boy, also commonly and informally mummy's boy or mama's boy, is a term for a man seen as having an unhealthy dependence on his mother at an age at which he is expected to be self-reliant (e.g. live on his own, be economically independent) ...
''.
This included the release of three new versions of songs—"Heart Won't Let Me" (stripped), "Sad" (stripped), and "I Still Talk to Jesus" (live). "I wanted the outer to sound and feel like I was playing this song alone in a Sunday school room with the door slightly cracked, and you were listening down the hall," Klein said of the original recording. The live rendition of the track draws listeners even closer and into the room alongside LANY.
On July 12, LANY announced that their fourth album, ''
gg bb xx
''Gg bb xx'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the fourth studio album by American pop (music), pop band LANY. Released on September 11, 2021 through Side Street Entertainment and Polydor Records, it serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, ...
'', would be released on September 3. The single rollout began with the release of "dancing in the kitchen" on June 25.
The deluxe version of "gg bb xx" was released on November 5, adding 5 additional songs to the record, along with the demo version of "dna" that was released as a single simultaneously with "up to me". Also included were previous collaborations, "
I Quit Drinking" with
Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini (born September 12, 1993) is an American country pop singer. She began songwriting as a child and signed with Black River Entertainment in 2014, releasing her debut studio album the following year, '' The First Time''. ...
, and "
Stupid Feelings
"Stupid Feelings" is a song by English producer and DJ 220 Kid and American pop band LANY. It was released on 6 August 2021 via Polydor Records.
Content
In a press release, "Stupid Feelings" is "a musical juxtaposition with heartfelt and emotiv ...
" with
220 Kid
William Edward Graydon (born 8 May 1989), known professionally as 220 Kid (pronounced "two-twenty kid" and stylised in all caps), is an English record producer, DJ and remix artist. On the UK Singles Chart, his collaboration " Don't Need Love" w ...
.
Klein was accused of sexual misconduct in 2021, causing
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
to remove LANY as the headliner for its annual Lawnparties concert after students expressed concern.
On April 7, 2022, the band announced the departure of keyboardist Les Priest, who had left "to focus on life as a writer/producer in Nashville."
Band members
Current members
* Paul Jason Klein – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar
* Jake Clifford Goss – drums, percussion, samples
Current touring musicians
* Eric "Puff" Scarborough – keyboards, guitar, background vocals
* Kim Vi – keyboards, bass, guitar, background vocals
Former members
* Charles Leslie Priest – keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, backing vocals
Former touring musicians
* Giuliano Pizzulo – keyboards, guitar, background vocals
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Promotional singles
Tours
Headline
![LANY SLC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/LANY_SLC.jpg)
* The Make Out Tour (2016)
* Kinda Tour (2016)
* LANY World Tour (2017–2018)
* Malibu Nights World Tour (2018–2019)
* UK/IRE Tour (2021)
* gg bb xx Tour (2021)
* Summer Forever Tour (2022)
* A November to Remember Tour (2022)
Promotional
* LANY: Live at
Ayala Malls
Ayala Malls is a retail subsidiary of real estate company Ayala Land, an affiliate of Ayala Corporation. Founded in 1988, Ayala Malls own a chain of large shopping malls, all located in the Philippines. Ayala Malls is the one of the largest sho ...
Philippines (2017)
Supporting
*
Zella Day
Zella Day Kerr (born March 13, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona.
Day began recording music in her early teens, independently releasing her debut album, ''Powered by Love'', in 2009. Following ...
– Zella Day On Tour (2015)
*
Halsey –
Badlands Tour
The Badlands Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Halsey, launched in support of her debut album, ''Badlands'' (2015). The tour began on September 30, 2015 at the House of Blues in San Diego, California, and c ...
(2015–2016)
*
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
–
Delirium World Tour
The Delirium World Tour was the third headlining concert tour by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding to promote her third studio album, '' Delirium'' (2015). The tour consists of four legs, European, North American, summer festivals an ...
(2016)
*
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...
–
Blue Neighbourhood Tour
The Blue Neighbourhood Tour was the second concert tour by Australian recording artist Troye Sivan, in support of his debut studio album ''Blue Neighbourhood'' (2015).
Background
On 23 November 2015, two weeks before the release of Sivan's debut ...
(2016)
*
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
–
The Search for Everything World Tour
The Search for Everything World Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist John Mayer in support of his seventh studio album ''The Search for Everything'' (2017). The tour played 62 shows and visited the Americas as well as Europe, begi ...
(2017)
Notes
References
{{Authority control
2014 establishments in Tennessee
American synth-pop groups
Dream pop musical groups
American alternative rock groups
Indie pop groups from Los Angeles
Interscope Records artists
Musical groups established in 2014
American musical trios
Polydor Records artists