“Oh yeah,this was always the plan,” he says matter-of-factly. “I dunno,I kind of never really thought of the whole,‘What if it doesn’t happen?’ It was always,like,it’s gonna happen.”
The Kid Laroi with girlfriend Katarina Deme at Monday’s MTV Video Music Awards in New York.Credit:Invision
He says he inherited that mindset from his mother,Sloane,a talent manager whose struggles he touches on often in his songs,most affectingly on his trackPikachu where he mentions how she took to selling drugs for a period to pay for his schooling. (Howard’s mother and father Nick,a music producer,divorced when he was four.)
“She’s always had a real hustle mentality,” he says,“and just always told me if I wanted to do something that I can f---ing do it,you’ve just gotta work.”
Despite his international success,he’s kept an eye on his hometown’sever-burgeoning hiphop scene. Last October he released a track calledMy City with Mount Druitt drill stars OneFour,and has plans in place to launch a local record label to refract his spotlight towards other up-and-coming Australian artists.
Loading
As he works further on his upcoming debut album (“I’m definitely experimenting with things,so it’s going to sound different to the other stuff I’ve put out but it’s still just me talking about my life,” he says of its direction),he’s also maintained his longtime working relationship withSydney producer Khaled Rohaim.
“That’s my boy,my brother for life,” Howard says. “Even deeper than the music,when I had no money and was going through a tough time,when my family didn’t have a home and stuff like that,he would help me out,getting me jobs and,like,lots of money to write songs for people so I could give the money to my family and shit. That’s my brother forever.”
Only freshly 18,Howard finds himself in an intriguing position,having conquered the US from Australia and achieved a chart-topping mixtape and multiple singles at home. At this point,what even constitutes success any more and how far have those goalposts changed during the past two whirlwind years?
“I mean,I’ve always had a big goal and plan from the very beginning that I haven’t even executed yet,so I don’t think anything’s changed ’cause I’m still on my way to achieving it,” says Howard.
Wait,what? So what is he trying to achieve exactly?
“World dominion,” says Howard.
World domination?
“No,no,no,no - world dominion,” he emphasises. “It means there’s no ceiling. To me,world domination has a ceiling;dominion means there’s no end.
“That’s why I try not to think about[the success] too much because I still always wanna have that same hunger and that same motivation. I’ve still got a lot more to do.”
Tickets for The Kid Laroi’sEnd of the World Tour go on sale on Friday September 17 via handsometours.com.
The Kid Laroi,End of the World Tour 2022:
May 26,Sydney - Qudos Bank Arena
May 30,Perth - RAC Arena
June 1,Adelaide - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
June 3,Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena
June 6,Brisbane - Riverstage