Jennica MaeSinger/songwriter Lauv wrote his breakthrough hit “I Like Me Better” about his first love, whom he met when he moved to New York at age 18. Lauv says the song is about being with “somebody that focuses on your positives.”
“I Like Me Better” appears on an ongoing playlist called I met you when I was 18., which the singer, born Ari Leff, is continually updating. He says the song is about how his girlfriend always made him feel like he was a better person.
“I…can be, honestly, very self-critical,” he tells ABC Radio. “And she brought out the stuff in me that was good — stuff that I didn’t even realize about myself.”
“It’s like when you’re around somebody and they’re like, ‘You look awesome when you do this’ or ‘You have this really amazing quality,'” he explains. “And you’re like, “Really? I didn’t even realize that.'”
The fact that a very personal song like “I Like Me Better” has become a global hit has surprised Lauv: “I definitely did not expect things to resonate the way they did.”
But, he notes, “I think everybody goes through that, especially…being in love for the first time. Some people, they’re lucky enough that that ends up being who they’re with for the rest of their lives, and sometimes it doesn’t work out.”
While Lauv and his girlfriend are no longer together, he tells ABC Radio he doesn’t spend much time wondering if she’s out there somewhere listening to the song.
Instead, he says, “I’m trying to basically just focus on sharing everything that I was feeling with other people, so I can hopefully inspire other people to free themselves.”
You can catch Lauv this summer at major festivals, including Lollapalooza, Delaware’s Firefly festival and Alabama’s Hangout festival.
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