Soaring in from Boston, MA, the country/pop artist and singer-songwriter LHO gets straight to the point with her highly conceptual single, "Gaslight."
Singing her whole life and picking up piano/guitar along the way, LHO was continually told that she was born to be on stage. Once quarantine struck, LHO felt compelled to reach for something better, which led her to create her debut pop EP, 'The Butterfly Effect.'
Highlighting the intro track, "Gaslight," from her EP, 'The Butterfly Effect,' LHO goes incredibly deep and brings us into the toxic effects of an unhealthy relationship. While grooving alongside the exhilarating and fluid pop production and instrumentation, LHO leads us out of turmoil and into something greater.
Diving into "Gaslight," the track begins with melodic major piano chords, a plucky electric guitar, and transcendent background synths. Once LHO begins exclaiming her inner thoughts towards someone who doesn't seem like Mr. Right, she garners incredible momentum and has us anticipating a modern beat drop to follow her meaningful words.
Once the flavorful beat drops alongside mid-tempo electronic drum breaks and vibrating sub-bass, we feel all the more excited to keep listening and see where LHO takes the rest of the tune. Drenching us in her irresistible vocals from beginning to end, we absolutely adore LHO's sassy lyricism, as she reminds us to look before we fall.
Find LHO's hit single, "Gaslight," on all streaming platforms, and introduce yourself to the rest of her debut pop EP, 'The Butterfly Effect.'
Hello LHO, welcome to BuzzMusic, and congratulations on the release of your powerful breakup single, "Gaslight." Could you describe the moment you felt pushed to write and create this song?
The moment I felt compelled to write "Gaslight" was a quite random one. It was a little over a year after I got out of this really toxic relationship. I woke up at about 2 o'clock in the morning one night and all of a sudden I heard the first line of the first verse in my head. I immediately jumped up and started writing lyrics down. The melody came instantly and I'm not lying when I tell you I wrote the whole song in 5 minutes. It just poured out of me. It was cathartic and bittersweet and really liberating.
When writing "Gaslight," was it easy to channel those deep and spiteful thoughts? Or did you face any difficulties when placing yourself back in that headspace?
It's funny, I thought writing and recording "Gaslight" would be a lot harder than it was. I was so scared that I was going to get triggered in the booth and have a panic attack; reliving trauma like that can have a very physical effect on you even years after it's over. Instead, it felt like I was finally taking my power back. I felt like I was finally putting the narrative behind me and, in a way, it feels like I got the final say. I feel more confident now that the song exists. All those spiteful and hurt feelings are healed and I'm ready for the next chapter of my life to begin.
What inspired you to shift gears from country to pop when creating your debut EP, 'The Butterfly Effect?'
Shifting gears from country to pop felt so natural. I grew up listening to Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion. I always wanted to be a pop star growing up (my ultimate little girl dream), but I fell in love with country music the day I heard LeAnn Rimes sing. The country has this beautiful way of telling stories and articulating feelings that's unmatched by any other genre. Through the years, I went through a lot of hard things. I even stopped singing for a while. When I came back to writing, sad country songs didn't feel like the right fit for my story. I wanted to write powerful, catchy songs to help other people with their healing process. In doing my OWN healing, 'The Butterfly Effect' was born.
How does "Gaslight" fit into the overall EP, 'The Butterfly Effect?' Does the entire EP surround similar themes as the lead single?
The entire EP is filled with empowering songs about what it looks like to walk through loss and love. It takes a lot of strength to love again after you've been manipulated and abused. Starting with "Gaslight", the EP opens up encouraging you to take your power back and that you should never put up with anything less than what you deserve. "Worship" focuses on owning and embracing your sexuality. I'd never written anything like this before and it was probably the most fun song to write! Track 3, "Love and a High" is actually about loving someone with an addiction. It's the reality of the weight you take on to try and heal this person but realizing that you're losing yourself in the process. Then we go on to "Anxious Love". This one is about learning to trust again after you've been hurt. It talks about all the thoughts and fears you have when you feel yourself falling for someone new. You're scared because you don't want to push them away, but you also want to know that they can handle working with you while you're working on yourself. And then finally, "Cross the Line". I LOVE this track. It's about the moment you finally just give in and fall with someone. You free fall into trusting them and growing with them and that's what the song really feels like; falling or flying. It's finally accepting the love you know you deserve after nothing but broken hearts and hurt.
What's next for you?
What's next for me? More music. More stories. More love. More healing and growth. I have a few things in the works currently. My dream is to someday open for Fletcher or Halsey. For now, I'm writing and recording, and creating. Be sure to follow me on all my socials so you don't miss any surprises!