From Takashi Murakami to being Freddie Mercury’s secret son, LoveLeo gives his answers for the Dazed 100 pop quiz
Check out the full 2020 Dazed 100 list, and vote for LoveLeo’s idea – which is up for a grant from the £50,000 Dazed and Converse Ideas Fund – here.
“First thing I’m doing if I’m in charge is changing the national anthem,” muses musician Leo Reilly on what he’d do if he was in power for one day. “It sucks. No bass, no bars.” The response perfectly sums up the LA-based creative – who is better known as LoveLeo – and his irreverent approach.
One of the 100 exciting creatives spotlighted in this year’s Dazed 100, LoveLeo encapsulates how the next generation has a finger in every pie – modelling, creating clothes and accessories, and championing action against climate change are just a few of his side hustles. It’s music that is his main passion though, always showcased via wild, off-kilter music videos he directs himself.
From imagining a future where Pitbull is president to his most embarrassing haircut, get to know him in a series of quick-fire questions below as he takes our pop quiz, and head here to vote for his idea: a series of free workshops in LA for people to learn how to customise clothes and accessories.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
LoveLeo: Professional basketball player or rockstar.
What clique were you in in high school?
LoveLeo: I wasn’t really in a clique. I just had my five friends and we liked clothes and music.
Who gave you your first break?
LoveLeo: Talya and Nick at Godmode in LA.
Why do you do what you do?
LoveLeo: It makes me happy.
What issues are you most passionate about?
LoveLeo: Climate change, tax reform, and leaving olives off pizza.
Who do you think is making real change in the world?
LoveLeo: Greta Thunberg.
If you were in charge for a day, what law would you invent?
LoveLeo: First thing I’m doing if I’m in charge is changing the national anthem. It sucks. No bass, no bars.
What does community mean to you?
LoveLeo: Community to me is the feeling of safety and comfortability that I get when I am around my family and close friends.
How does your community inspire your creativity?
LoveLeo: They help me see the bigger picture when I get frustrated.
Explain your Dazed 100 grant idea in one sentence?
LoveLeo: A series of free workshops around LA with supplies and resources so people can bring clothes and accessories to customise and make things like earrings and bags.
Why should people support your idea?
LoveLeo: It can be hard to find people that are into the same things you are, so a workshop would be the perfect space for people to create and meet.
When do you feel most creative?
LoveLeo: When I don’t overthink things.
“One of the earlier questions in this quiz was ‘What’s your secret talent?’ I said that I can do a triple backflip but I lied” – LoveLeo
How do you get over an artistic block?
LoveLeo: When I’m stuck, I revisit something incomplete that I made a while ago and start messing around with it.
Name three things that inspire you?
LoveLeo: Old phrases with deeper meanings, Russian techno DJs, my friends.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen?
LoveLeo: Zack Fox’s DJ set at the DOTS concert.
If you could own one piece of art, what would it be?
LoveLeo: “DOB in the Strange Forest” by Takashi Murakami.
What’s the last thing you made?
LoveLeo: I made a song using only my voice to test out the vocal effects on my new mic.
What’s a lesson that you learned the hard way?
LoveLeo: Elite socks and cargo shorts are not it.
Which fictional character do you most identify with?
LoveLeo: Benny The Jet Rodriguez from The Sandlot.
What’s your secret talent?
LoveLeo: I can do a triple backflip.
What’s overrated?
LoveLeo: Award shows.
What’s underrated?
LoveLeo: Hugging.
What keeps you motivated?
LoveLeo: The feeling of excitement I feel when I make something I like.
Which film do you never get bored of?
LoveLeo: American Psycho.
What song is stuck in your head right now?
LoveLeo: “Private Eyes” by Hall and Oates.
What are you embarrassed to admit?
LoveLeo: I had Justin Bieber hair for two years of my life.
What did you dream last night?
LoveLeo: I had a dream that I was at a music festival but Roddy Ricch didn’t show up so they asked me to perform his whole set for him. The rest of the dream was me trying to memorise all of Roddy Ricch’s songs.
What piece of clothing means the most to you?
LoveLeo: The first shirt I sewed myself. It’s blue and green and has a double collar. Very cool.
What’s the last lie that you told?
LoveLeo: One of the earlier questions in this quiz was ‘What’s your secret talent?’ I said that I can do a triple backflip but I lied.
What advice would you give your past self?
LoveLeo: Learn how to breakdance.
What’s your favourite slang phrase?
LoveLeo: It really do be like that tho.
What’s your ultimate guilty pleasure?
LoveLeo: Bad 90s rom-coms.
What will the world look like in 2050?
LoveLeo: Everything is run by AI robots, Pitbull is president.
What’s a misconception people often have about you?
LoveLeo: People think I’m Freddie Mercury’s secret son.
What book changed your life?
LoveLeo: Calvin and Hobbes.
What song hits you the hardest?
LoveLeo: “SPACEGHOSTPUSSY (RIP YAMS)”.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
LoveLeo: Honestly probably Obama. He set the standard for what it means to be a great leader.