LARISSA LAMBERT STICKS THE LANDING ON HER LONG-AWAITED DEBUT EP ‘I LOVE YOU & IT’S GETTING WORSE’
Larissa Lambert solidified her star-status in the vanguard of Australian R&B with debut project I Love You & It’s Getting Worse.
Although not a new name to those closely paying attention, Larissa Lambert has been somewhat of an elusive presence in the scene for some time now. Growing up in what she describes as “a pretty chaotic household”, music has long been a form of escapism for the Ballarat-raised artist.
After spending years “belting out songs in the mirror, pretending to be a pop star”, the singer-songwriter officially began her career as part of girl group Paris Inc. on X-Factor in 2014. Despite being eliminated in the Top 24, the four-piece found success in covering popular songs – a formula that Larissa would continue to use in her solo career, with her cover of SWV’s ‘Weak’ garnering almost 90 million Spotify streams.
“It’s still transitioning in a way, like I have some massive viral covers but my goal is to get my own music to that level.”
– Larissa Lambert (2023).
In 2021, she signed to New Levels and joined the roster alongside Amarni, Open Till L8 and Sailor Goon. Here, she cultivated her career further than that of just a cover artist, releasing original singles like ‘wyd?’ and ‘Good Time’, and collaborating with artists including Pacific Heights, Sahxl and HP Boyz. Following her Promiseland performance in 2022, she then co-headlined the inaugural Souled Out festival with Kehlani, Destin Conrad and William Singe. As one of the first festivals of its kind in the country, Larissa said, “That was one of the best experiences ever. We need more of that.”
On her first project, I Love You & It’s Getting Worse, Larissa proves herself as one of Australian R&B’s best. Described as “being addicted to toxic in love”, the EP spans across eight tracks with production from Open Till L8, Beezo Beats and Panapa, and two international guest verses from Jeremih and Alpha P. Presented through stripped-back and acoustic sounds, it’s her intimate storytelling coupled with her heavenly vocals that makes this one of the best full-length debuts in years.
For fans of the ballads and slower-paced moments from artists like SZA and Jazmine Sullivan, the project begins with ‘For Me’ and lead single ‘I Got You’. It becomes evident early on that ILY&IGW is haunted by Larissa’s heartbreak, with the only solace to be found being her gorgeous vocals as she sings: “I just look for you in other faces. My soul, it longs for you, I can’t erase us.”
Some of the tracks on here are older than what you’d probably guess; for example, while her favourite ‘I Hate You’ is still relatively new, ‘Heartbreaker’ is almost 8-years-old. When she first heard it roughly four years ago in Jeremih’s kitchen, it was already 4-years-old. Originally planning to sign with him before the pandemic, Larissa decided against it and has remained good friends with the US R&B icon during her back-and-forth time in the States.
“He showed me the ropes and how people move in LA, and how to manoeuvre that place because it’s crazy.”
– Larissa Lambert (2023).
Progressing through ILY&IGW with the guitar-led track ‘Girl From Venus’, the euphoric ‘How You Feel’ and her 2021 cover of Mariah Carey’s ‘My All’, two things become abundantly clear. The first, and one that’s self-admitted is that Larissa is “just a sucker for really pretty chords.” Over any situationship or ex-boyfriend, it’s nice chords that’ll get her rushing back to the booth to release new music.
The last and most important takeaway is that she’s no longer the second option, or a cover artist. Larissa Lambert is at the forefront of domestic R&B talent. Next to names like PANIA, Billymaree and CVIRO & GXNXVS, she’s at the helm of a new era of AU artists set to take the world by storm.
