La Havas was born in London, England to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She was raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending the majority of her time with her grandparents, following her parents' separation as a child. La Havas' cites her parents' diverse musical tastes as having the biggest influence on her music. She began singing at seven. Her mother played Jill Scott and Mary j. Blige, while her father, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11 but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. At 18, Lianne began attending Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Croydon, where she studied art and planned to take her A-Levels in art foundation. However, she left college and decided to pursue a career in music full-time.
While attending sixth-form in Croydon, a friend of La Havas', (who attended the Brit School) introduced her to other musicians who assisted La Havas in the recording of her first demos. Through that same friend, La Havas was also introduced to British singer, Paloma Faith; she later sang backing vocals on tour for Faith. La Havas was co-writer and performer in 'The Paris Parade' alongside Christian Pinchbeck (who designed the artwork for Lost & Found) and also is now part of the duo Elephant (Memphis Industries). They had a short career but it began La Havas' career in commercial music. In 2010, Lianne signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting skills before releasing music publicly.
La Havas made her television debut on October 21, 2011, broadcast of BBC Two's Later, with Jools Holland, a program that also featured Wisconsin folk band Bon Iver. Following her appearance on Later, with Jools Holland, it was announced on October 25, 2011 that La Havas would be the supporting act for Bon Iver's December 2011 North American tour.
La Havas released her debut EP, Lost & Found, on October 12, 2011 on the Labour of Love label and featured Willy Mason on the opening track, No Room For Doubt. That same month, La Havas released a live EP, titled Live in LA, which was made available for free download on her website. La Havas released her third EP titled Forget, on December 30, 2011 on the label Warner Brothers.
Her official debut single, Lost & Found was released in the UK on April 30, 2012. Her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, was released on July 9, 2012 in the UK on Warner Brothers.
Lost and Found
Lianne La Havas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where my demons hide from you
Just look at who I have become
I am so ashamed you were the one that made me feel the way I do
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
When I felt strong enough
I was discovered by the love
I had been waiting for so long
You told me none of that was real
I cannot hide how low I feel
To know that you were never wrong
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
You're lost and found
Fallen out
Broken down
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
To be like somebody else
In Lianne La Havas's song Lost & Found, the lyrics describe a relationship in which the singer has been hurt and broken by their partner, resulting in low self-worth and a desire to change themselves. The opening lines invite the partner upstairs to see where the singer's demons hide, indicating a sense of vulnerability and transparency. The subsequent lines express shame regarding the changes that have occurred within the singer as a result of the relationship.
The repeated refrain, "you broke me and taught me to truly hate myself," highlights the damaging impact of the partner's actions. The lyrics "unfold me and teach me how to be like somebody else" suggest a desire to change oneself to be more desirable to the partner or to escape their negative influence. However, the last stanza reveals that the partner was never right for the singer, and that they are ultimately lost and broken themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Come upstairs and I'll show you where all my
I want to share my deepest fears and doubts with you.
Where my demons hide from you
I want you to see the parts of me that I've been hiding from everyone else.
Just look at who I have become
I feel like I've lost myself and become someone I don't recognize.
I am so ashamed you were the one that made me feel the way I do
I'm ashamed that I let myself be so affected by you and that you were able to break me.
You broke me
You hurt me deeply and it's taken a lot of work to heal from that damage.
And taught me
Through your actions, I learned about pain and suffering that I never knew before.
To truly hate myself
I developed negative self-talk and self-image because of the way you treated me.
Unfold me
Help me open up and become vulnerable.
And teach me
Show me a different way of being and loving.
How to be like somebody else
Help me be the person I want to be, not just a version of myself that's been deeply affected by our past.
When I felt strong enough
After working on myself for a while, I started to feel more empowered and confident in my own skin.
I was discovered by the love
I found someone who truly loved and appreciated me for who I am.
I had been waiting for so long
I had been hoping for someone to come along and show me that I was worthy of love and respect.
You told me none of that was real
You tried to invalidate the love and happiness that I had found in order to keep me under your control.
I cannot hide how low I feel
Your words and actions have hurt me deeply and I'm struggling to keep my head above water.
To know that you were never wrong
It's painful to accept that you may never recognize the harm and damage you've caused in my life.
You're lost and found
You're someone who has been through a lot of ups and downs in life, but you've still managed to make your way.
Fallen out
You may have failed or given up at times, but you've still kept pushing forward.
Broken down
You've been through tough times that have left you feeling broken and vulnerable.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LIANNE CHARLOTTE BARNES, MATT HALES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@olorato822
Come upstairs and I'll show you where all my
Where my demons hide from you
Just look at who I have become
I'm so ashamed you were the one
That made me feel the way I do
[Chorus]
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
[Verse 2]
When I felt strong enough
I was discovered by the love
I had been waiting for so long
You told me none of that was real
I cannot hide how low I feel
To know that you were never wrong
[Chorus]
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
[Bridge]
You're all lost and found
Falling out my babe, broken down
Broken down
[Chorus]
You broke me
And taught me
To truly hate myself
Unfold me
And teach me
How to be like somebody else
@leratomosiane2740
I was in a toxic relationship that broke me in 2016 and this song got me through the pain, 2022 now and I’m a single independent woman who’s healed from my past and giving back to my community living a life of purpose which I never though was possible at that time...
@nkanyisosiziba2761
Well done queen. Stay winning!
@stacz1
Man that’s great for you sis just got outta 18 year relationshit” couple years ago this def got me thru the pain of losing my kids and what I thought” was a lady but single and happier than I ever knew I could be🥰bless up queen
@kevinmahdi1
This woman is absolutely the one! She writes and sing with her soul, so young, beautiful and fresh. Every time I listen to this song I take away a new interpretation, that is the essence of what true art is all about. Bravo Lianne!
@Nunov103
I couldn´t agree more, it´s like the more we listen to it, the more we learn about it, it´s such a layered song that I think will just be remembered for years and years, simply brilliant.
@crysismusix5479
Nuno Vasco absolutely right. Much love
@nicolebrewster4352
Nuno Vasco yes!!
@Phoenixntherose
Kevin Marshall truly
@avaking115
It's 2020 and I'm JUST hearing this song for the first time. OMG !!! This song is everything !!! It truly takes me places that I've hidden for so long !! I absolutely love everything about this song. I'm SO grateful it found ME and I found it !
@louispine1
Ava,check out Gone and Elusive, both amazing also!