Lauv in Riverside

About Lauv

Ari Staprans Leff, known as Lauv, emerged from the bedroom pop era with a particular talent for crafting sad songs that somehow work in any context. His 2018 EP 'Feline' caught streaming momentum before his debut album 'How I'm Feeling' landed in 2020, anchored by sparse production and lyrics about feeling disconnected. He's built a catalog that reads like private voice memos set to beat loops—songs like 'Paris in the Rain' and 'Modern Loneliness' hit specifically because they're so conversational and understated. Beyond the bedroom recording aesthetic, Lauv's collaborations with artists like Troye Sivan and Julia Michaels have expanded his reach into more polished pop territory. His music operates in that weird middle space between meme-culture relatability and genuine emotional processing, which is probably why teenage fans have latched onto him so hard. He's never been cool in a conventional sense, but that's kind of been his brand all along.

Lauv shows are quieter than you'd expect—lots of phone lights out, people genuinely engaged with the words. He's a solo artist who commands a room without trying, which means the energy is contemplative rather than explosive. Crowds sing every word back to him.

Known for 26, Paris in the Rain, Breathe, The Story, Modern Loneliness

Lauv + Riverside

Lauv rolled through UC Riverside in May 2018 with the kind of setlist that rewarded the people who actually knew his catalog. He opened with "Paris in the Rain," a perfect choice for setting the mood, then worked through the deeper cuts like "Chasing Fire" and "Adrenaline" that showed he wasn't just banking on "I Like Me Better." The guy closed out with "I'm So Tired..." which felt less like a triumphant finale and more like an honest exhale—fitting for someone whose whole thing is introspection wrapped in pop production.

Live Music in Riverside

Riverside's music scene has quietly built itself around DIY venues and mid-size theaters that punch above their weight. The city's indie and alternative crowds are hungry for touring acts that don't always make the LA circuit first. Lauv's conversational songwriting and guitar-driven production align well with what Riverside audiences actually want to hear—substantive pop that doesn't feel overproduced.

Riverside road trip to see Lauv?

Stay in the Magnolia Center area near downtown Riverside, where restored historic buildings sit alongside new boutique hotels and wine bars—it's the only neighborhood that actually feels like somewhere worth spending an evening. Before the show, dinner at Duane's, a reliable California steakhouse with real cocktails and actual craft to the food. Spend your afternoon at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum or walking through the Mission Inn's sprawling Mission Revival campus—it's genuinely stunning architecture, the kind of thing that reminds you why people actually settled this part of California.