LOYAL LOBOS

TURNING UP THE VOLUME ON 

LOBA Vol. I

Photographer: Nolan Knight @nolanknight

Creative Director: Ethan Haddox @ethanhaddox

Producer: Amy Mazius @amymazius

Studio: metahaiku @metahaiku

Artist: Loyal Lobos @loyal.lobos

Clothing: Gigi Los Angeles @gigilosangeles & Vihanga @vihanga.co

Custom Thong: Chelsea Steel @supchels, Necklaces: Amy Mazius

AM: hi andrea! Where are you right now?

LL: i’m in LA got back a little bit ago from Bogotá

AM: tell me about the imagery and your creative narrative around wolves.

LL: the name was my friend kenny’s idea but it resonated with me a lot from the femininity in the symbol of shewolfs. as maternal figures, fierce defenders and loyal figures. 

AM: i see and hear a lot of dualities in your whole aesthetic - soft and strong - tough and gentle. Is that intentional? Is this something you cultivate?

LL: i think it’s been always my personality. i’m a gemini. i’ve always been very sensitive but also explosive in a way. i think the music naturally has carried that energy and imagery l.  i find these opposites actually very alike. strength comes from deep sensitivity, there is  vulnerability in tenacity and strength and i think it’s something life constantly reflects, like nature being so fragile yet so violent, being a materialization of this. 

AM: i’d love to hear what influences you - music, style, lifestyle, etc. 

LL: i’ve always been influenced by many different sounds. back home i grew up listening to a lot of folk and protest music like silvio rodriguez, violeta para, mercedes sosa… and also pop influences such as britney, rihanna, shakira.. my dad would play a lot of cat stevens, queen and the beetles, but he also had a dvd of yanni’s performance at the taj mahal which was new age music, and i really liked this sonic experience. so when i started making my own music, i appreciated the songwriting structure of a folk song, but wanted to have the sonic undertones of a landscape with many levels. 

AM: are you a creature of comfort, a night owl, or something else?

LL: i’m cyclical and very unpredictable and unstable, so sometimes i’ll have huge overloads of energy where i want be out and soaked in the night and social activity. then i have periods of home and solitude. it used to be hard for me to balance, but little by little i’ve begun to  allow my seasons to happen. and yeah.. therapy 

AM: favorite part about being a pop star? Actually — would you classify yourself as a pop star or….?

LL: lol i don’t know what i would classify myself as. definitely a pop whore. i just love a simple and emotional pop song that hits the jugular, but i’m also pretty introverted at times and i see pop stars as such extroverted butterflies. 

AM: from the outside, it appears that you have a very nailed down personal style - is this something that’s evolved over time? Are you still evolving? How has your style changed since you first started to play with clothes? Do you have a first memory of playing dress up? And how it made you feel? How much of your style today is influenced from your time in colombia?

LL: i’ve always liked dressing up but growing up my parents were very adamant about not leaning into vanity. i moslty had hand me downs from my sister, so i’d resort to a chest of costume pieces that my mom had and pull from there. i always liked dressing up and exploring, after moving to LA i had a major shift in my understanding of fashion because it’s a whack town and everyone celebrates weirdness so i was able to go crazy. my friends have a band called knower and i’d dance and sing with them wearing the craziest costumes,  which gave me a boost to go crazy. I thrifted a lot since it was all i could afford, and i was able to mix lots of styles and textures. i’ve always liked the 90’s vibe leaning bohemian, but form a Bogotá angle which is a little more sober than most styles.  Though I’ve also had a goth punk flare with my personality, it’s very mood dependent.

AM: tell me about your newest project, LOBA. Vol I

LL: it’s the first half of my new body of work. my journey in LA has had many seasons and getting back to myself is uch a trip. with this project, i was interested in continuing my sonic exploration and pulling from genres that i grew up with like reggaeton, cumbia and other sounds  i got into after moving to the US like RnB, shoegaze, and rock. LOBA Vol I  visits many moments and emotions i’ve had, like losing attachment, seeking desire, catharsis, death as a symbolic transformation and my continuous search of my femininity, which is ever changing.  

AM: last question - what is one wish you have for the near future?

LL: i’m very cautious about expectations because life happens,and you really have no control on the journey. i love making music and art and i want be able to do that forever. obviously breaking past the underground place that i’m in is a goal because I want my work  to reach as far as possible. i’m ambitious, but i also continuosly work on keeping it real. it’s already a gift that i can make music and share it. 

LOBA Vol. 1 out October 27, 2023 on all streaming platforms