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Skylyne Spotlight: Lourde Childs
- Edward Sun
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Lourde Childs opens up about HEARTTHROB, creative confidence, and stepping fully into his own as an artist
Skylyne Spotlight: Lourde Childs
I think I just talked to the next icon.
Lourde Childs has the kind of presence that makes you pay attention before either the conversation or the music has even fully started. There is confidence, drama, and a real sense that something much bigger is being built. Beyoncé fans will probably understand the connection immediately: the commitment to pop as a complete experience, where every detail matters and nothing is done halfway.
Fresh off the release of his new EP, HEARTTHROB, the Phoenix-born artist is continuing to bring that world to the stage and will perform a dynamic set at Detour Music Fest this September. Talking with Lourde made me feel like I was catching someone right before everyone else does. I am so glad I have the chance to introduce the next icon: Lourde Childs.
SKYLYNE: Hi Lourde, thank you so much for joining us. I want to start with how you describe yourself: The Architect. That word carries so much intention. When did you realize that you did not just want to make songs, but wanted to build an entire world around them?
Lourde Childs: Hello! Thank you for having me! At the start of this year in January, before I prepared the release of my new EP, I sat down in a coffee shop in Atlanta, meditated, and made a document stating who I am, what inspires me, why I do what I do, and what I want to contribute to the music industry - and world - overall. It was then that I realized that the traditional, conventional pop star archetype was not meant for me. I am a very dramatic creative, inspired by other dramatic creatives, not bound to any one visual identity. I then decided that with every project, I would BUILD a world around the music that I make, play different characters, and allow my audience to experience my music and art in a new way each time. I want my art and image to be limitless and unpredictable.
SKYLYNE: That instinct to create your own path seems to go back much further. You started writing and producing music at 13, which is such a young age to already want control over your own sound. Do you remember what you were chasing creatively back then?
Lourde Childs: I love this question oh my goodness. I remember back then, when I had just gotten into producing my own music, I was listening to Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” album, and Beyonce’s self-titled album heavily on repeat. I knew at the time, I wanted to make music inspired by those records that resonated with me, for me. I wasn’t necessarily chasing social media fame, a record deal, or any specific career achievement, but instead, musical satisfaction and growth. I wanted to make my new favorite songs, and that’s still the goal now.
SKYLYNE: That creative independence is still so clear in your work today. Your music has this big pop and R&B energy, while your visuals seem equally intentional. When you are making a song, how early does its visual world begin to appear?
Lourde Childs: The visual world of the song presents itself to me at different times each time. Sometimes, it’s obvious. “Crush” had instantly immersed itself in the world of the 80’s and 90’s with it’s instrumental, so the concept developed naturally. Through the era, the entire concept and setting of “HEARTTHROB” came to me. The world of “Just Like You” didn’t present itself until I was preparing my college's Career Jam performance. I had to specifically think of how I wanted to feel and look on the stage; it felt as if I was debuting my artist statement. There have been times in the past however, when everything, the song, production, and visual came to my mind all at once.
SKYLYNE: You make those worlds sound incredibly vivid, almost like you can step directly into them. If your music had a scent, a color, and a place right now, what would they be?
Lourde Childs: OOOOO. Well right now, it’s cherry-scented, RED, and on the highway, in the passenger seat of a cherry red 1966 Ford Mustang CV on the sunniest, breeziest day of August.
SKYLYNE: Slay! That image is already so cinematic, which makes sense when you look at the artists who shaped your approach. Besides you already mentioning Beyoncé, you said that Prince and Michael Jackson are major influences, and they all understood performance as something much bigger than singing well. What did they teach you about becoming unforgettable on stage?
Lourde Childs: They taught me how naturally potent and powerful your aura is. When you hit a stage with intention and pure confidence, you don’t have to do much at all to have the entire room’s attention. They taught me how my posture and eye contact is crucial. Every step I take is with intention, direction, and charisma. At the end of the day, it’s a stage; it’s theater. When I step on the stage, I become a character, and nothing but the world and motives of that character matter in that moment.
SKYLYNE: That confidence, character, and sense of presence also sit at the center of your newest EP. The title can mean so many different things, so what does being a “heartthrob” mean to you personally?
Lourde Childs: Being irresistible, unapologetically.
SKYLYNE: That answer is so direct, and HEARTTHROB seems to arrive with a very clear sense of identity. Before this era, you released I HAVEN’T SEEN THE STARS IN A WHILE. What headspace were you in while creating that project, and how did it lead you toward HEARTTHROB?
Lourde Childs: IHSTSIAW was an album of songs that I really cared about and connected with at the time. Like HEARTTHROB, and every project, I was focused on creating the pop music that I wished to hear on the radio at that time. However, I was 19 at the time of that release, and was only starting the journey of discovering my role in all of this. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to contribute as an artist and creative visually at the time. I had visual concepts in my mind, but lacked the clarity and audacity to realise them. When it was time to craft and release HEARTTHROB, I made a promise to myself that I would see all my grand ideas to completion, and release any expectations and unnecessary self-critique that hindered my creativity. I made a document defining who Lourde Childs is and how his art will serve the world. I had to let go of those fears and just create.
SKYLYNE: That promise to fully realize your ideas feels especially meaningful after what happened with “Left On Read.” When the song started connecting with people on TikTok, did that experience change how you thought about releasing music? How do you now balance protecting your creative process with being prepared for a song to travel online?
Lourde Childs: I will never forget the moment when Left On Read picked up traction and introduced me to my new audience. It was a riveting and stressful moment, because when it went viral, it wasn’t complete yet. I had to somewhat rush the process of that production to release it while I still had the attention of my new audience. In a way, I had to sacrifice important moments of the creative process to meet an unfixed deadline. I promised myself I would never put myself in that situation again as an artist. The music and visuals will be done and released when they are truly ready, and I will craft effective release plans that will promote the project, not relying on virality, but being properly equipped for it.
SKYLYNE: Away from social media and release strategies, the live stage seems to be where all the different sides of your artistry meet. You are a vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer. Out of all those parts of yourself, which one pushes you the most?
Lourde Childs: Performance. In a way, it encompasses it all. I practice over and over again with each performance to ensure my live vocal beats the studio version of my song or cover. I also make sure to arrange the songs and choreograph my movements in ways that honor the best parts of the original productions and breathe new life into them. A live performance is the rawest and most honest way you can present yourself to your audience, so for me, that takes precedence.
SKYLYNE: Since performance is the part that brings everything together for you, I want to ask about the moments when that connection became undeniable. You have performed at venues like Brighton Music Hall, MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Phoenix Symphony Hall, and more. Is there one stage or one night when you remember thinking, “Okay, this is really who I am”?
Lourde Childs: Two nights are tied for me. I will never forget how comfortable and joyous I was on the MGM stage performing Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind”. I could feel all 3,000+ of the people in the audience at my fingertips, and their love and noise were unforgettable. These sentiments are shared with my 2026 Berklee Career Jam performance at the Berklee Performance Center. This was most important to me as I was essentially debuting myself as a creative, visual artist. I felt so free and sure of myself for the first time as an artist in a bigger budget production. I had creative control and built my world to showcase to my peers and the industry I am entering.
SKYLYNE: Those performances represent how far your world has expanded, but your story began in Phoenix. As your sound gets bigger and the visuals become more ambitious, what parts of Phoenix still find their way into your music?
Lourde Childs: For HEARTTHROB, the hot summer pool days and car rides with the windows down in Phoenix is encapsulated in the energy of the EP. The choruses of “Just Like You” and “Keep A Place” play right as you cannonball into the pool. For every project however, the feeling of home is always in my music. No matter what I am singing about, or what story I am telling, whether it’s non-fiction or fantasy, it’s always something that would inspire and resonate with 13 year-old Lourde.
SKYLYNE: That connection to your younger self also makes me think about the people who recognized your potential early. You’ve had support from places like the CMA Foundation and Phoenix Conservatory of Music. Was there someone along the way who truly saw the spark in you and helped you take yourself more seriously as an artist?
Lourde Childs: My mentor growing up, and still to this day, was Regina Nixon, the Executive Director of Phoenix Conservatory of Music. She witnessed me singing and dancing to Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” in her music theory class when I was 8 years old, and immediately saw that I was meant for the stage. Ever since that moment, she has poured all of her love and support into me as I grew and graduated high school. She always advocated for me and ensured that I remained grounded and sure of myself and my capabilities. To this day, now that I’ve graduated college, we are having the same grounding conversations as I continue to set up my next chapter of my career and life. Regina, if you're reading this, thank you. I love you.
SKYLYNE: That kind of grounding support connects closely to confidence, which is something your current visuals and music carry so strongly. Did that confidence always come naturally to you, or has it been something you have had to lose, rebuild, and continue developing?
Lourde Childs: Around the time of LEFT ON READ, I had it, then became a self aware young adult and lost it. It is this HEARTTHROB era that is reconnecting me to my roots and to the reason I wanted to be an artist in the first place. I am being reminded that I am enough at every stage of my journey, and that I am meant to grow and be proud of how far I’ve come, regardless of where I want to be. It’s through that grounding and reassurance, that I have found my new, still developing, confidence.
SKYLYNE: Since HEARTTHROB carries so much hot-weather energy, I have to ask: what is your song of the summer so far in 2026?
SKYLYNE: Selfishly is absolutely allowed and we love you for that. For someone who discovers you through HEARTTHROB, what is the one thing you hope they understand about Lourde Childs?
Lourde Childs: By the end of this era, I hope they see my passion for music I create, and that I am a storyteller at heart.
SKYLYNE: Thank you so much again for taking the time to answer these so thoughtfully and for bringing us into the world you have created. To close things out, here’s your spotlight: what do you have going on right now, and what should people be looking forward to next?
Lourde Childs: No THANK YOU for these beautiful questions. Right now, I am performing and promoting the music of HEARTTHROB around Boston, and soon LA! “Just Like You” and “Keep A Place” have both been nominated for 2 Hollywood Independent Music Awards!!! There is SO MUCH MORE to see in the world of HEARTTHROB, so stay tuned and keep enjoying the music! Thank you!
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