New Genres and Style: An interLEW

Lauren Weintraub (now known by her stage name LEW) has been a rising Nashville star since 2021. I befriended her in 2022 when she was on tour opening for country artist Chris Lane, and she has undergone many changes with her branding since then. While she has her country roots with songs like “Missing You” and “Not Like I’m In Love With You”, she has made a shift into the world of pop music, with recent songs “WAIT ON ME” and “BORING” showcasing this transition. Having recently collaborated with Knox, and coming off of her latest EP release Too Sexy To Be Sad, she is making a name for herself. I had the opportunity to catch up with my friend and discuss this genre change, alongside musical inspirations and potential collaborations. 

You call yourself LEW, and formally performed under your full name Lauren Weintraub. Why the name change? 

Oh, so true. Why the name change? Well, I had thought about it for a long time. And then it was like, they (fans) were having a hard time spelling my name. And as I went into the genre change, I was like “now's the time", and it just felt right. It felt like I wanted to go into something new, so I did. 

Photo by Sarah Rosin

You have a crayon tattoo, what's the meaning of that? 

Me and my brother have matching ones. His is behind his ear. We got it because we've always had this childlike spirit, and we kind of got it as a reminder to never lose that. We think it's really funny to write things, like adult documents, in crayon, and it's like we're tapping into our inner child. So that's kind of what it means for me. Keep that child likeness throughout your life. 

You recently put out a song, Dead Inside, with Knox. What's your takeaway from that experience? 

It was so cool. Honestly, he was the first person I thought of for that song, and the first person I texted, and then he said yes, which never happens. So I reached out to him and said “hey, hop on this" and I was like “hey, Knox, listen”, and he said yes, and I was shocked. I think it just taught me that if you have someone or something you want to do, but are nervous they would say no, just ask them. 

With that accomplishment in the record books, are there any other collaborations underway? 

Not yet, but I definitely have some ideas. I'm cooking. 

If money wasn't an object and all options were available, what would be your dream collaboration?

Obviously there will be an album at some point.. So I'm thinking about certain songs on that album. There's a certain one where my dream would be to have Teddy Swims on it. I think my dream is to collaborate with Bruno Mars or Teddy Swims, or Lady Gaga. 

On top of the new stage name, what brought on the genre change? 

I moved to Nashville when I was 18. I was young and I got signed to Big Machine pretty quickly. Then I was 20, and they were like, "you're a country star." I was like, "Yeah, I'm a country star”. Like, what are you to do?" I had no idea who I was at 20. And there were all these people telling me “yes, this is what you should do," and so I did. I don't think it was ever inauthentic, but there came a day where I stepped back, and I was like “my favorite artists growing up were Katy Perry, P!nk, and Lady Gaga. I thought to myself “this doesn't feel right”. Honestly, it was around the show I met you at. I had a reckoning at that show when I was like, "This doesn't feel correct”. I'm having so much fun, but I feel like I’m living someone else's dream, genre-wise. That's kind of what inspired the switch, and it feels so much more authentic. 

You said you come from Nashville, How do you incorporate that into your music?

Okay, so I learned how to write a song in Nashville, so I feel like what I take with me is the craft of songwriting. I want to take that into whatever I do, whether it's pop or rock or dance music, I want to keep that craft of songwriting. I'm obsessed with writing lyrics. It's my favorite thing to do. So I feel like that's what I take with me is that super descriptive, smart, clever writing. 

In 2022, when on your summer tour, you covered Adore You by Harry Styles. What other songs do you like to cover on the road, or which songs do you want to create your own rendition of?  

I played an emo night a year ago, and I covered “Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I love that song. If we put another cover on our set, it would probably be something by Hayley Williams. 

Anything else you want to say for fun? 

Peace, love, and happiness, and make good choices! 

Photo by Cody Cooksey