Labrinth: British singer, songwriter and producer from Hackney, London, best known for scoring HBO's Euphoria and hits like Pass Out; a member of the band LSD with Sia and Diplo.
What this episode covers
Labrinth traces his roots in a large, hyper-religious musical family where everyone could sing or play an instrument, and how a sheltered church upbringing shaped his sense of being different. He discusses his late ADHD diagnosis, his absent father, and how those forces drove a deep people-pleasing tendency that left him performing music and living a life he didn't believe in. A breaking point came when he threw a guitar on stage and nearly hit a camerawoman, prompting him to confront his anger, his unraveling relationship with a father-figure manager, and the manufactured pop star facade. He credits his wife with protecting his sanity and connecting him to therapy, and describes scoring Euphoria as the first time audiences truly heard his full creative self. Now focused on authenticity, he frames his goal as 'cleaning the window' to channel pure creativity and dreams of writing a cosmic opera.
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner
“have you ever seen spinal tap no no okay but I I kind of I call it the spinal tap moment where the Mrs becomes a manager”— Labrinth
Hip-Hop Evolution
“that's what I love about hip-hop I was watching um hip-hop Evolution and loads of the guys on there they kind of were just like we're already the scumbags”— Labrinth
Natural Born Killers
Oliver Stone
“so literally it's like uh Natural Born Killers in space that's what the whole album was and that was my like um uh inspiration”— Labrinth
Forrest Gump
Robert Zemeckis
“it's like you're like Forrest Gump man you could do anything like with that when you're free from”— Labrinth
Crazy
Gnarls Barkley
“you've got Gnarls Barkley I think you're crazy and it was that kind of like that perfect like music”— Labrinth
Big reveals from this episode
- Labrinth says everything is an instrument to him and he hears music constantly, which led him to get tested for ADHD.
- He reveals the turning-point moment of smashing and throwing a guitar on stage, which nearly hit a camerawoman.
- He describes a dependency on his manager as a father figure whose validation he needed to feel his music was good.
- Scoring Euphoria was the first time he felt people actually heard the full range of what was on his hard drive.
- His wife became a protective force the team treated as a 'monster,' and he admits he wasn't strong enough to support her at the time.
- He explains his philosophy of singing from the 'center' or soul, treating frequency and vibration as a language.
- His new album is dedicated to his wife, conceived as 'Natural Born Killers in space,' a Bonnie-and-Clyde love story.
- He admits workaholism is the imbalance in his life and defines fulfillment as 'desiring nothing, contributing everything.'
Worth remembering
- Growing up he stood in the middle of his house hearing sisters singing R&B, one brother playing jazz, and another rapping over an MPC.
- His grandfather was a reverend and both sides of his family were deeply involved in church music.
- His childhood was so sheltered the TV was turned off during kissing scenes, treated as 'of the devil.'
- He signed to Simon Cowell's label on his manager's advice because it was a bigger check, not his own choice.
- Steven Bartlett says he asked Crafted to sponsor the podcast because he was already a fan of the brand.
- Labrinth describes losing clumps of hair due to stress and panic attacks during the difficult period of his career.
- He is in a band called LSD with Sia and Diplo, which taught him how to let go creatively.
- He worked with Kanye West and called the creative environment one of the most inspiring he's experienced.
- His current goal is to write a 'cosmic opera' doing things with choirs nobody has done before.
- He defines fulfillment as desiring nothing and contributing everything while staying present enough to receive it.