After two years and some unforeseen delays, the Kid Laroi is finally ready to make a statement with what he tells Variety is a “personal and emotional” record. The 22 year-old Australian singer-songwriter announced his third studio album, “Before I Forget,” will be out Jan. 9 via Columbia Records on Thursday morning. The reveal arrived alongside a new R&B-tinged single, “A Perfect World.”
Laroi explains he had a different album that was completed and ready to hand in, however, “sonically and topically, it was extremely different than this one.” He adds, “It didn’t flow as well and I felt as if I grew out of it really quickly. I didn’t feel comfortable releasing it. Sonically, [‘Before I Forget’] a sadder, more emotional sounding album, I’d say. Something about it also feels a bit nostalgic.”
About three or so months ago, Laroi returned to the studio and made the majority of “Before I Forget.” The only song he kept from the previous batch of songs is called “I’m So In Love With You.”
“I would say the biggest difference with this album process versus the scrapped one is that this one was made in much shorter time period with a lot more direction, and with a lot of the same crew,” he says. “I knew exactly what I wanted to say and how I felt. The scrapped album sounded like I was unsure. And I was. I was a bit confused, I think.”
Laroi fantasizes about getting back together with an ex in “A Perfect World,” and in the previously released “A Cold Play,” he similarly asks a former flame: “Who was I to think that I could fix you, baby?”
The album cover, shot by Thibaut Grevet, features Laroi smoking and poking his head out of a pool of cool-toned water in the South of France. “When we were looking through all the photos it just stood out and screamed ‘this is the album.’ It looks like the album, feels like the album,” he says. “Something about that photo just feels personal and emotional… and that’s exactly what this album is!”
The album was co-produced and co-written by Auz, Laroi’s younger brother, in addition to Dopam!ne, Sean Phelan, Andrew Aged, Vegyn, Zack Sekoff, Jack Karaszewski, FNZ, Khaled Rohaim, Omer Fedi, Daniel Aged, Devin Workman, K Beazy, Billy Walsh, Eddie Benjamin, Matt Cenere and Nick Weiss.
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From Variety US