Laszlo Gallo is a singer / songwriter of Italian and Indonesian descent. Laszlo wanted to discover the world at an early age. She was born in The Netherlands, where she was mesmerized by her grandparents when they sang Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

With those experiences fresh in her mind she started to take piano lessons. She is in love with theatre, classical ballet and street dance. After the Italian X-Factor experience, she found herself in the big apple, New York City, on a three month exploration, were she had the opportunity to expand her network and work on her sound.

Gallo is now based in London, where she is busy writing her first album entitled F.L.A.G. – For Love And Glory.

She will be headlining Sessions 58, on Monday 16th July.

Looking Glass: You are currently in the process of writing your debut album F.L.A.G. - tell us about the creative process, the sound and the idea behind it.

Laszlo: F.L.A.G. Stands for “For Love And Glory”. I wanted to write an album which is empowering, honest and revolutionary. I was so done with all the Anaconda butt, dollah bills and slut shaming in women's songs. I want people to open their eyes and find the strength within ourselves 'cause we can be so fierce and achieve everything we want but it’s so hard because the system is just wrong and we are literally treated like slaves. So, something needs to change and I hope I can make a small difference to make people feel better about themselves and give them the energy kick to go for it, whatever they want to achieve in life.

I’m actually still working on the sound, I recorded the whole album in Italy, but it sounded too ‘Italian pop’ so now I’m changing it all again to make it more me, great beats, clean sound and acoustic soul.

LG: How is the world of classical music training, love for Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, passion for theatre and hip-hop expressed in your sound?

Laszlo: I started with classical singing when I was a kid, which was great for the musicals I did, but after the last musical theatre (Romeo&Juliet) I was done singing like they wanted me to sing. I still love jazz so much and enjoy singing it but I always end up going back to soul, RnB and hiphop. My intro (For Love) and outro (And Glory) are spoken word pieces. I’m not a rapper but I am a lyricist and I love expressing myself with interesting sentences that makes you think about stuff. I would love to have a collab' with a great rapper! I love NAS and The Roots, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. I can never get enough of them.

LG: What is your favourite song you've written?

Laszlo: My favourite song is Lion in the Stars. I wrote that for my grandfather when he died. He was the first male role model I had in my life and I lived with my grandparents for a bit. He was so special and because we had such a big family he always used to sit calmly on his ‘throne’ overlooking everyone like the king of the jungle, so when he died it became Lion In The Stars. Everytime when I sing it I can feel him with me.

LG: Who are your favourite upcoming artists at the moment?

Laszlo: I love Moss Kena, Andra Day, JP Cooper, James Vincent McMorrow, Kali Uchis, Leif Vollebekk and I loooove Jorja Smith and Michael Kiwanuka is an always go-to!

I chose this song coz it's so simple - beat, piano and that's pretty much it. It has great lyrics. It’s a sad song actually so I just feel I have to enjoy the life here, so I'm imagining myself on the beach looking at the sea and nature and just chilling with the vibes and being grateful.

LG: If your sound were a flavour what would that be?

Laszlo: This is a great question! I think it’s vanilla charcoal ice-cream with Chilli Flakes. It looks awesome because it’s black ice cream, has a bit of the crunch of the charcoal & it’s detoxing your body (we need to un-fuck the world and our minds). It’s still sweet and easy to take in but has a kick of the chilli in it - my granny always said I had a hot pepper in my butt because I always wanted to do so much at the same time and (still) can’t sit still. I think that pretty much sums me up haha.

Interview with Laszlo Gallo