Checking In With Lonr

When it comes to music, Lonr knows a thing or two about catching a vibe. Hailing from Massachusetts, the artist, producer, and Grammy award-winning songwriter is rising through the ranks as he builds a name for himself. His current single, ‘Make The Most’ featuring H.E.R., recently reached number one on the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart, and Lonr discussed his growing career with ONE37pm’s Mike Boyd on this edition of ‘Checking In.’

Boyd: You just got back from L.A.? What were you out there doing?

Lonr: I was strictly making my own music. I was working on my new EP out there—I’m actually almost finished! I was showing people the vibes and catching vibes with other people. I was working with a lot of producers while I was out there—It’s about to be lit!

Boyd: What should we expect?

Lonr: My first project, I was really focused on being versatile. It’s the same thing but a whole nother level up. I went to L.A. every other week these past weeks, and I’ve just really been focused on elevating my sound. It’s the same thing, just times 20.

Boyd: You just had your first number one with H.E.R.—what was that like? 

Lonr: It feels amazing. I was in the studio with H.E.R. and Omer Fedi, and we were talking because they got to number one on Top Ten Billboard. We were like a number one feels great, but a number one with your best friend, you can’t top that. H.E.R. is my homie. So just to create that song not even expecting what it’s gonna do—to have that song go number one was amazing.

Boyd: I heard you say you don’t have a genre and that you just make music off your emotions.

Lonr: Yes, strictly off of emotion. Sometimes I’ll have an idea, but mostly when we go in, we do it from scratch, and it’s just whatever pops up into our heads.

Boyd: Would you say your emotion comes from the production, or you walk in with it?

Lonr: So if I’m in the mood definitely when I walk in, but it’s mainly from the production. Like you know how you hear vibe, and it just reminds you of a certain thing? My mind just goes all over the place. I remember one day I was in the studio, and I was like, "this song sounds like water." Everybody asked me what I was talking about. I was like, I’m just gonna write the song myself! 

Boyd: I want to talk about Land of Nothing Real and what that project means to you. 

Lonr: That project means a lot to me because each song is a different point in my journey of becoming an artist. My first single ‘Time’ was really the first song I ever created. I was writing for people, and with the time that I had, I would cook up something as fast as I possibly could. So each song is like a timestamp and stepping stone of the whole journey of this EP. It’s crazy because when I put it out, this whole pandemic started. The cool part is I’m one of the few artists that can say they started their career during a pandemic and still kept it going.

Boyd: How do you get the vibes right in the studio when you go in there?

Lonr: I’m a goofy dude, so when I go in there, I’ll crack a couple of jokes just to make everyone feel comfortable because one thing about being in the studio, it’s such a touchy time where everybody likes to stay in their box and watch what they say. So cracking jokes releases the tension off of everybody but still creates that work ethic. So start off with a couple of jokes and get to know everybody—even the engineer. I always say the artist is only as good as the engineer. After that, I get to work, and when people see the transition of me joking around and then being in the studio. They’re like, "okay, he means business, but he’s a cool dude."

Boyd: I see some of your songs have gone crazy on TikTok. What’s your view on it?

Lonr: Right now, TikTok and music go hand in hand. It’s started a lot of careers; it’s blown up songs. I believe TikTok is this era’s SoundCloud. If you can work TikTok to go hand in hand with your music, you’re gonna be unstoppable!

As Lonr’s career continues to grow, you can keep up with him on Instagram and Twitter.