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.
Tease Me
Lianne La Havas Lyrics
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But I see the end before I wake up
Ooh, a dream never wins, no
So I pray for yesterday
And I haven't slept a wink since
I never know what I want, what I need
So I think its best you stay away from me
'Cause I hate the way you tease me
I am not lonely, I'm alright
But you sure don't make it easy
To show my hand and say, "goodnight"
Try anything
But it's me who takes the blame
If I sing, oh
Will I try again?
No, I've received my faithful end
How did I let this shit happen?
I never know what I want, what I need
So I think its best you stay away from me
'Cause I hate the way you tease me
I am not lonely, I'm alright
But you sure don't make it easy
To show my hand and say, "goodnight"
Will I try again? No
I hate the way you tease me
I am not lonely, I'm alright
But you sure don't make it easy
To show my hand and say, "goodnight"
I never let my guard down
So why did I let it slide for you?
I know it so wrong, but somehow
There's nothin' I could say, or do, or do
In "Tease Me," Lianne La Havas talks about the complexity of her emotions toward someone she has feelings for. The song revolves around how she struggles to navigate her feelings and how volatile they are. She is oftentimes overwhelmed, as the lyrics suggest, "I never know what I want, what I need / So I think it's best you stay away from me." The line indicates that Lianne is not entirely sure of her feelings towards the person and doesn't want to lead them on or hurt them in the process.
Lianne La Havas' opening lyrics in the song emphasize the ambiguousness of love through a dream. She sings, "A dream never stops / But I see the end before I wake up / Ooh, a dream never wins, no / So I pray for yesterday / And I haven't slept a wink since." She struggles to make sense of her desires and attachment towards the person, especially when it seems so one-sided. She knows that a happy ending likely won't come true for her, as she embarks on this journey towards this person, which is similar to how one doesn't know what to realistically expect from a dream.
Throughout the song, Lianne's emotions oscillate, and she finally admits at the end that she knows what she's getting herself into, but cannot do anything to change it. "I never let my guard down / So why did I let it slide for you? / I know it's so wrong, but somehow / There's nothing I could say or do." Overall, Lianne captures the nuances of love and how complicated it can be, as well as the resulting consequences of vulnerability and emotional investment.
Line by Line Meaning
A dream never stops
Dreams keep going, but I always know how they will end before I wake up
But I see the end before I wake up
Whenever I dream, I always know how it will end
Ooh, a dream never wins, no
Dreams never have a happy ending, no matter how much you want them to
So I pray for yesterday
I hope to go back to a time before everything went wrong
And I haven't slept a wink since
I haven't been able to sleep at all
I never know what I want, what I need
I'm confused and uncertain about my desires
So I think its best you stay away from me
I believe it would be better for you to keep your distance
'Cause I hate the way you tease me
I despise how you taunt and tempt me
I am not lonely, I'm alright
I'm not alone; I'm okay as I am
But you sure don't make it easy
Although I'm content with my current state, you don't make things easy for me
To show my hand and say, "goodnight"
To reveal my true feelings and say goodbye to you
Try anything
I'm willing to do anything
But it's me who takes the blame
I always end up being the one responsible for whatever goes wrong
If I sing, oh
If I express myself through music
Will I try again?
Will I take another chance?
No, I've received my faithful end
No, I've already had enough disappointment and heartbreak
How did I let this shit happen?
How did I allow this terrible situation to occur?
I hate the way you tease me
I dislike the way you string me along and tease me
I never let my guard down
I'm always cautious and vigilant
So why did I let it slide for you?
Why did I allow myself to become vulnerable with you?
I know it so wrong, but somehow
I realize it's not the right thing to do, but I can't help feeling this way
There's nothin' I could say, or do, or do
There's nothing I can say or do to make things right
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LIANNE CHARLOTTE BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind