Meet Musician & Visual Artist Lava la Rue, the 23 year old force and founder of tight-knit West London group of creators NiNE8 Collective, named after the year most members were born. Their HQ is somewhere between Map Studios and Lava’s bedroom which crosses between a hangout space, recording studio and maker lab.
We love her DIY attitude and prolific outpouring of creativity into everything she does from music, merch creation, directing music videos, visual art and one-off upcycled fashion items. She often creates her own customised looks for her tour which she then passes onto her fans through lavaland thrift stores and we’re excited to see what comes next. Get to know her below..
@lavalarue
Oaf Press: Lava La Rue
What’s your most treasured item in your bedroom?
L: Not to be cliche but my lavalamp
What’s your star sign?
L: Star: Gemini/Taurus cusp, Moon: Pisces Rising: Cancer
Who would you say is your style icon?
L: Pharrell, Joan Jett, 90s Harajuku punk street fashion
Favourite poster or art on your walls?
L: I have a poster of Neneh Cherry from the 80s which is above my bed :)
If you were the Mayor of London, what’s the first three things you would do?
L: Not kidding, I think about this allllllll the time so my answer isn’t short lol
1. Bring back free travel for all the youtdem!
2. Make a program that allows kids from working class backgrounds to have access to them swanky members-only art galleries all to themselves for a day a week. Growing up as an artist I see the difference in the self belief of creative kids who grow up being taken to all these cultural exhibitions, and kids who could probably grow up to be the next Picasso but the art world doesn’t seem remotely accessible to them. We'd create so many icons doing this.
3. Create more loving & community focused public safety group tailored to every borough to replace how the police deal with vulnerable people. (So like instead of how police treat drug addicts like criminals, treat them as people who need rehabilitating. Instead of treating kids caught up in gangs as delinquents, focus on building youth centres & and put them on education programs to give them social mobility. It makes me upset when I see the police aggressively kicking out a homeless person from in front of Tescos, I feel like there needs to be a local community watch who are trained to deal with all these kind of things more compassionately.)
What were you listening to in 2001?
L: Well, I was two years old so probably the teletubbies/tweenies theme tune. However the Gorillaz self titled debut album came out that year, which would become the first ever CD I bought when it was on sale in HMV, 5 years later and that changed my life.
What’s your most used Emoji?
L: The pleading eyes one for sure
How would you describe your style?
L: Funky Punky Casual
What’s your signature dish?
L: Vegan Roast with a Caribbean twist
Out of Nine8 Collective, who is most likely to:
Survive a zombie apocalypse?
L: NIGE for sure, he’s extremely resourceful and when needed good in combat
Be prime minister?
L: Nayana, she’s already gunna change the world
Live off the grid?
L: L!BAAN, he tends to o that a lot anyway haha
Achieve a Guinness world record (& what for)?
L: Mac Wetha, something to do with chess or skateboarding (but for something like crazy n mad techy)
Win a dance off?
L: Definitely LorenzoRSV, he’s got the best moves in the group
Take up Tarot Reading?
L: Biig Piig...I think she did already did for a bit actually
