John "Elias" Villagran, better known as LiL Lotus, and his friends have been making music for the sake of making music for years. Fans know the singer and rapper, originally from Dallas, TX as a part of the alt-hip hop group Boyfriendz as well as a member of the post-hardcore band If I Die First.
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Lotus now has an additional four solo, and three collaborative EPs under his belt, and his latest single "Romantic Disaster" featuring Chrissy Costanza from the forthcoming album ERRØR BØY is out now via Fueled By Ramen.
"I've always said this; Lotus in general is always all over the place," he tells Audacy's Emo Nite host Morgan Freed. "I guess I don't give much thought to what I'm really trying to do, or get across, or what Lotus is. I just always make s*** I wanna wake, so who knows what the f*** the next thing will be. I kind of like the fact that everything is always different."
Whether his sound leans into the Soundcloud rap, pop, or pop punk genres, Lotus says he just does what he feels like doing in the moment. "I kind of have different let-outs," he explains. "The band is like my post-hardcore let-out, Screamo s***. And then I have my sad s***... and I have happy Lotus, and party Lotus."
Lotus' circle of friends in Los Angeles play a large part in his songwriting. "Especially with the whole Boyfriendz thing, and it's happened a lot lately with a few other artists I've been working with, even with the band," Lotus says. "Everybody's always very hands-on... it's this domino effect, it's always very collaborative."
As for how he divides his time between projects, Lotus simply says "If I wasn't making s*** I enjoy listening to or s*** that I'm excited about, I don't think I'd be able to find the time. If it's happening naturally, you don't even realize. You're like, 'oh s***, the sun's up.'" Listen to the full interview above and be sure to stream the new album ERRØR BØY beginning on August 20, with vinyl options available on October 1.
Emo Nite is not a band, and they’re not your usual DJs – Host Morgan Freed throws epic parties and now has a radio show for the music they love. Listen Sundays from 7PM - 8PM on your favorite Audacy Alternative stations
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