Performance | Lianne La Havas | TEDxObserver
[Music] Hello. Um, I'm Leanne. It's lovely to meet you all. Um, I'm a singer songwriter from South London originally and I, uh, began singing and making music when I was seven. Um, and since then, music has just been my passion. So, I'll tell you why. Um, ever since I started singing, when I when I first actually made like a sound and it had a tune to it, it just felt really amazing in my body. I thought, "Wow, this is nice." Didn't really know what I was doing, but um, I carried on doing that. And so when it came to deciding what to do with my life, um music was at the forefront of of my decision making. Um I found that I was very sensitive to, you know, sound and melody and rhythm and things and I wanted to interpret that in my own music. Um so um sorry not done this ever before. This is cool. Um but basically um every aspect of what I do is pleasing to me. I'm I'm thrilled by all of it. from the first initial burst of creativity when I'm writing a song in my living room or something um to the first time I recorded a song and heard it back and it sounded how I wanted it to sound to the first time I shared it with an audience. All of these things have led to me finding like true happiness. Um and I music has actually connected me with myself and the world around me. So, um, and I think I think music should be used as such. I think everyone has a favorite song or a piece of music that moves them. Music that moves them. Anyway, um, and so my life goal, I guess, is to hopefully spread this message and maybe one day inspire young people to um to get involved. I think music's really important and um and thank you for listening. So now I'd like to share with you some of my own songs. Um Ted's really great and thanks for having me. [Applause] Can't believe I just said Ted's really great, but it is. But, you know, maybe I could have worded it better. Never mind. All good. Um, the first song I'm going to play is called No Room for Doubt. [Music] You caught me guilty taking the pieces of you. [Music] That night you took flight. I couldn't decide what to do. [Music] I won't let me go. [Music] I could go that be the right thing to do. [Music] We all make our mistakes. We do. I learn from you. We all make our mistakes. We do. I learned from you. I tiptoe too slow out of the door to your house. [Music] I know you know that this way leads me out. [Music] Outside too bright. You're within. I'm without. [Music] You're within. We all make mistakes. [Music] We do. I learn from you. We all make mistakes. We do. I learn from you. [Music] Please softly, leaving me no room for doubt. Please softly, leaving me no room for doubt. Please soft doubt. [Music] Please sleep. Leave me no room for doubt. Leave me no room for doubt. [Music] We all make mistakes. We do. I learn from you. We all make a mistakes. We do. I learn from you. We all make a mistakes. We do. I learn from you. We all make mistakes. We do. I learn from you. [Music] Please sleep. Leave me. [Music] Please soft. Leave me no room for doubt. Thank you very very much. Um I there's a little story that goes with that song. Um, it was written after a time of great uncertainty in my life. I hadn't written anything for a while and it was making me sad. Um, so I took myself out of the context of my regular life so I could process my thoughts and I went to New York City. Um, and it was last summer and it was the hottest summer since 1939. And um and I wrote that song with a very good friend of mine called Willie Mason. And um and the moment we wrote it that day, I went No, sorry. the day we recorded it in the dining room of the place I was staying in. Um, I bought this guitar and uh it led to writing the title track of my forthcoming album and just a lot of nice stuff happened after after music connected me back to to who I was. So, that was room for doubt. So, I'm going to leave you this afternoon with a song about a little situation that I found myself in. And this song is called Age. [Music] Why do I love when I call his name? He turns his back. The weather is growing cold and I want him back again. [Music] I kind of know this other guy, but he's rather old enough to be my father. So he's not the one cuz I fancy younger men. I'm at a loss. Not a coincidence left of me because my older man was ready to love me like the woman that I am. [Music] So is it such a problem if he's old? As long as he does whatever he is told. I'm glad that it's just my heart that he stole and left my dignity alone. When in Rome we landed our first kiss. I slurred my words but he pretended not to notice and then he sat down to play. My heart sang a symphony so far so swimmingly. I'm glad I got out to find my fish in that sea. And we've come so far. So who gives a damn about the ages we are? [Music] Is it such a problem if he's old? As long as he does whatever he is told, I'm glad that it's just my heart that he stole and left my dignity alone. So is it such a problem if he's as long as he does whatever he is told? I know that I'm going to survive the December cold with somebody to retrieve my long lost soul. somebody to retrieve my long lost soul. Thank you very very very much for having me. Have a wonderful afternoon and uh all my love. I'll see you in the future. Thank you.