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First Play: LOLAA, self-titled

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By
Holly Gordon

You may have heard LOLAA’s debut, self-titled EP last May, filled with dancey pop bangers primed for your 2017 summer songs list. But this year, sisters Lexi Valentine and Nadia Valerie King have put a new spin on it: they’re releasing the Spanish version of the original six songs.

"The plan for us was to always record the songs in Spanish, but naturally because we live in an English-speaking country, we decided to start with what made sense in terms of geography,” Lexi said via press release.

The name LOLAA is a play on the name “Dolores,” which, in Spanish, can mean “the Lady of Sorrows.” It sounds deceptive, as LOLAA’s pop songs are buoyant and shimmery, but the lyrics often hit on a weightier sadness, with breakups and heartbreak at the centre.

“One of the things about Latin Americans is that we find ways to celebrate even the saddest of times or the toughest of times. We rise above,” Lexi told Now Toronto last year.

When Lexi and Nadia were teens, the first generation Mexican–Canadians formed Toronto-based indie-rock trio Magneta Lane, spending the next 10 years performing and growing up in the music industry. They broke up in 2014, and after a close friend died around the same time, the sisters started writing music as LOLAA to process everything.

“A lot of endings were happening at that time, so we needed this creative space to go and experience something cathartic and just release all the stuff that was happening,” Lexi told Remezcla last year.

Through LOLAA, Lexi and Nadia are able to fully focus on and celebrate their identities, inspired by Latin American greats like Gloria Estefan, Selena and Daniela Romo, as well as disco idols like Donna Summer. Now, hearing their debut EP a second time feels fresh, giving us a whole new perspective on their music. The Spanish lyrics nestle right into the synth-heavy pop songs, completing what feels like a full circle for LOLAA.

LOLAA will be released on June 8. Listen to it in advance in the player above.

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