Artist Feature Spotlight | Music | Exclusive
LA artist RomLawrell left home on a whim to attack his music dreams similarly to a lot of our favorite artists. Native to Chicago, the multi-talented musician currently resides in Los Angeles, where he is a rap-singer, dancer, and business owner.
"I was just working at the movie theater and I was like, I gotta get up out of here, RomLawrell told us.
"And then I texted my mom and I'm like, "mom, I'm about to go to LA", and then like two weeks later I was here."
In what he calls his "pop star era", Rom joined our interview room wearing an electric lime leather jacket, black shades, and two long blonde braids.
Growing up in Chicago, RomLawrell was no stranger to music, first introduced by his father---also a musician-- at a young age. He recalls singing around the house to whatever songs were being played, and dancing along to his favorite videos.
"I want to be one of the greats", Rom asserted. "So I tend to go after the trends that some of the greats have gone through, like Michael Jackson, Missy Elliot, and Beyoncé. I want to be on their levels."
His 2023 is off to a great start having already released two new tracks “Selfish” and “Work It Bih". His latest, Work it Bih - is a sassy and flamboyant hip-hop vibe talking about everything bad b*tch, twerking with your besties, men on the down low, and more. He sites influence from his Chicago roots, happy to let his many faces show.
"I wanted to create something for people at the club or if they're on their way to a party they could listen and turn up to me," he exclaimed. "I'm from the south side of Chicago, so you know I got a little ratchet in me-- I had to bring that out."
The video showcases RomLawrell and his crew performing dance routines in a white mansion wearing all black - from suits, to fur, and even a white statue with brown skinned male genitalia.
"As for the video's concept, I was like, 'I want to elevate my video', he explained. "So how can we elevate it and make it high art, but still have the ratchet element?"
“Work It Bih" is produced by CRV Productions-- a joint company of Rom and his boyfriend Chris "Teddy" Jordan - where he also creates content for other celebrity artists and influencers. In the future they plan to publish TV series and films.
"I wrote a few scripts and I'm really excited to see see everything come to fruition."
Rom tells us that an upcoming project is in the works and he plans to expand on his production.
“So I have a new project coming out, and I'm doing different genres. Rap, Pop, House…I'm really getting into my pop-style so you'll see how much of an artist I am."
He is also showcasing a live virtual reality performance soon. If you have an oculus or VR device you’ll be able to take your phone and move around in the room with him during the show.
Rom feels that being confident is most important as an artist; an obstacle he faced early on. When it came to finding himself musically, Rom felt pressured in conforming to the stereotypical audience.
"I would say it made me create the music that I thought people wanted to hear from me", RomLawrell said. "If you listen to my first EP called Romarius, I'm talking about girl this and girl that...knowing that I don't really like girls."
"Although they were my experiences as a gay man, I kept them very neutral so that straight men can like it, gay men can like it, gay women can like it, straight women can like it too. But now I feel like I just make music and whoever likes it, just likes it."
When RomLawrell isn't creating music he is a full-time home body, playing video games and eating his favorite vegan ice cream.
Be sure to follow RomLawrell to stay updated on his new music releases. Check out his single, Selfish below: