WATCH: The Kid LAROI Unveils Personal Struggles and Growth in Apple Music Interview
The Kid LAROI sits down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music for an intimate discussion about his journey to stardom and his latest album, THE FIRST TIME.
Candidly addressing fears of financial loss and public embarrassment, LAROI delves into the impact of anxiety on family relationships. The artist, known for his authenticity, credits Justin Bieber for teaching him vulnerability.
I told Justin this all the time is that when I first met him, one of the things that was so jarring to me at first, but something that was so beautiful that over time Iâve picked up and Iâve implemented into my own life because of him, thanks to him, is when I first came to his house to play basketball with him and his friends. They were so positive and so loving and so open and so vulnerable, and I wasnât used to that. Even just the way I would grab the ball and Iâd miss a shot and Justin would come pat me on the back and be like, âItâs all good, bro. Next shot. You got that,â and thatâs not how I played basketball with my friends. You know what Iâm saying? But it was so coolâŚI remember leaving there and just being like, âWhoa.â I just remember being just jarred. I donât know whatâs going on. And over time, as we kept hanging out and just the way he was able to showcase his vulnerability and open up to me, and that encouraged me to want to be more vulnerable and open up and want to own my feelings more and own the way I feel and how honest he is about who he is. And that is his thing. He is so honest about who he is and how he feels, even if, I mean whatever it is, he really owns that. And I think thatâs something that I took and I was like, âWow, that is so admirable.â And I saw the effect it had on me just being around that. And so I want to take that⌠I want to encourage thatâŚ
â The Kid LAROI on Justin Bieber
Reflecting on Juice WRLDâs loss, LAROI pays homage on âWHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GO.â Formerly needing to fulfill mass expectations, LAROI now prioritizes authenticity, embracing the freedom to pursue his desires openly.
I wanted to just capture how I was feeling. I mean, obviously that was the first step. And I think what comes with a lot of death and grief is obviously sadness, but anger as well. Not only just anger for the events of death, but anger towards yourself and regret of like, damn, I wish I had told this person this, or damn, I wish I did this differently. I wish I had⌠And a lot of that. You can tend to project and I think that was the thing. It was like, when I say in the song, âHow could you build me up just to leave me now?â We have so much to do and then youâre going to leave? ⌠thatâs a feeling that you feel at some point, as not accurate as that is⌠But thatâs how you feel. I think at points of grief, itâs like f**k, you feel anger, right? Juice and I⌠that was big bro, but I was 15 and he was 20. So there is a dynamic of, as a kid, youâre a fan and youâre like, now this guy I guess would be big bro. And now I get to travel everywhere and thereâs just that sense of youâre kind of just happy to be there and move in with the flow. And one thing that I always wished I think was that I was like, damn, I wish there was in another universe. Iâve met Juice now with going through what Iâve gone through and knowing what I knowâŚheâs quite a special guy, we donât have to get into it now, but heâs a guy whoâs helped me so much
â the Kid LAROI on Juice WRLD and âWHERE DOES YOUR SPIRIT GOâ
You can hear the full interview below.