Sound Off: Loote

LOOTE is the powerhouse duo that you already knew! Their latest singles, “This Is How You Feel” and “Wasted Summer (ft. John K)” showcase the duo’s unmatched ability to create … well, absolute bops! But even before that, they were writing the undeniable hits “No Promises” for Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato and producing Zara Larsson‘s “Ruin My Life”.

Emma Lov and Jackson Foote (never Fov) have already accumulated nearly 150 million streams for their debut EP as well as worked with some of the most brilliant minds in music today including Joe Jonas and David Guetta. If you’re looking to learn more about this undeniable team, then look no further. Keep reading to learn how they made these hits, where they draw inspiration from, and a secret?

Another treat? Their new single “Somebody Else” released today and you can stream it below!

1. Tell us about “This Is How You Feel” and “Wasted Summer (ft. John K)” and how these came about!

E: “This is How U Feel” was just me and Jackson, classic LOOTE writing session. And by that I mean controlled chaos. We love getting to just write together with no distractions, and he had such a solid idea of what he wanted the chorus to be. He was trying to explain that the production IS how you feel, so I just went along for the ride.

 

2. You’ve written on multiple songs that people may not know about like “No Promises” for Cheat Codes and Demi Lovato and Zara Larsson’s Ruin My Life” and collaborated with Shawn Mendes, Joe Jonas, and David Guetta?! How did this happen?

J: “No Promises” was definitely a huge moment for our career. To us, personally, it definitely legitimized everything me and Emma were doing. Cause at that point, I think we had one cut and a couple remixes out but we really were still trying to prove to ourselves and everybody that we could do this. We always said from the beginning we wanted to write a hit song for another artist before we rolled out our artist project. “No Promises” was a day like any other. Me, Emma, and Ari just got together in a room in NYC for a write. Didn’t expect anything. That song came out that day, we all definitely knew it was special, but didn’t know all that was going to happen. I remember we found out that Demi was going to feature on it when the Cheat Codes team said “We have an incredible, huge feature who’s on board. We can confirm and tell you who it is when she’s back from South Africa. Me and Emma and Russ (our manager) whipped open Instagram and in about 3 minutes figured it out.

 

Ruin My Life, I was just part of on the production side. When we heard it, it was definitely one we immediately wish we had wrote haha. The David Guetta song was me, Emma, and our homies kinetics and Ido. We sent basically just a guitar vocal to Guetta, and him and Brooks turned it into a BANGER.

 

4. You were set to kick off your first national headlining tour in two weeks! What were you looking forward to the most and are their plans to reschedule as of right now?

E: I’m not gonna lie, I was really REALLY excited about this tour. I STILL AM!!! What I’m looking forward to most is seeing our fans, even though it’s weird to call them that. I consider them to be my friends. Playing live is interesting, because it’s super intimate, and at the same time you’re putting on a show. It’s different every time. And yes, it’s being rescheduled!

 

5. What do you want to transmit with your music? 

E: Mostly that it’s ok to feel whatever you’re feeling, and that you aren’t alone. That’s what I wanted most as a kid, to feel heard. We write from the heart, whether it’s about anxiety, or love, or loss. We get you, because we ARE you. 

 

6. Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process and from where do you get inspiration?

J: Me and Emma have super different processes that always come together at the perfect time. Emma writes off of feeling and emotion, itʼs very spur of the moment. Sometimes something incredible just pops up into her head out of nowhere, then its game time. My process is a little more calculated and sometimes less emotional. I keep playlists of songs that inspire me on my Spotify page, sometimes I spend hours in the morning on Tumblr looking at quotes about love, heartbreak, things like that. I think each of us wishes we had a bit of what the other one does haha.

 

7. Was LOOTE almost FOV?

No

 

8. Do you remember the moment you decided to become this powerhouse duo?

E: We both always wanted to perform, and to be artists in general. The first time we realized “hey wait we sound way better TOGETHER” was – I believe – as we were writing this pitch song in I dunno maybe 2015/2016? Jackson couldn’t get this verse melody I wanted him to sing, so I tracked a guide for him. We both heard it go from his voice on the chorus to my voice on the verse and it clicked for us. Totally serendipitous. 

 

9.How did you learn your skills in songwriting and production and what advice would you give to anyone wanting to break into the industry?

J: A combination of pushing yourself in solitude, collaborations, and education. Pretty well rounded. We both grew up playing music and in musical or artistic families. Emma was writing songs at a young age and I was producing at a young age. For me personally, this could be a really long answer haha. First, if you find something you truly love doing, never stop doing it. Hobbies can turn to obsessions and turn into a career. The most important thing, I believe in making the leap from amateur to professional is constantly putting yourself up against the best in the business. Are your songs that good? If you play yours next to a bunch of hits for a group of friends would they like your songs as much. For me personally, its really about perspective and mentality.

 

10. Musically, what is a dream you have fulfilled?

E: Playing with a full band to a packed room of people shouting the words to songs I’ve written. I’m just saying. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. 

 

11. Where do you see your music in 5 years?

E: Every few months our sound shifts, and evolves with us as people, as well as our audience. We’re still growing. As people; as writers; as performers. I think whatever our music is in the next five years will be reflective of how much we’ve changed and been through. 

I hope it’s good lol 

 

12. Tell us an insane story.

E: For the two of us? Jackson and I didn’t know each other at all before we wrote our first song. We were paired together for a homework assignment in 2013 and we’ve worked together for the last almost 7 years since then. I think that’s honestly insane. 

 

13. Can you both tell us a secret? 

E: I don’t know how to drive a car. At all.  

 

14. What does popular mean to you?

E: Popular is ever changing. It’s what’s in. Popular is the vote of the people’s approval. It’s my best friend and my worst enemy.

 

15. Do you have any upcoming projects?

E: Oooooh yes ;) 

Heart Eyes is the first one coming out though, so I’m gonna make you all wait for the next one.

 

J: Lots of upcoming projects! The heart eyes EP is about to drop, and once this crazy quarantine is over we will be getting back in the studio together to pick up from where we left off! In addition, we both still do lots of writing/producing for other artists. Also, I’ve been developing an amazing artist called WOLF who I’m super excited about!

 

 

No go and stream ‘Somebody Else’!

 

Want to keep up with LOOTE?

Follow @lootemusic | @elovblock | @jacksonfootemusic

 

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