〈애나벨: 인형의 주인〉의 사랑스러운 소녀에서, 〈슈퍼맨〉 속 더 마이티 크랩조이스의 거칠고 폭발적인 프론트우먼까지. 루 루 사프란은 늘 한 가지 모습 안에 머무르지 않는 아티스트였다. 그녀는 끊임없이 움직이고, 확장하고, 자신이 어디까지 갈 수 있는지를 시험하는 사람이다. 그리고 이제, 데뷔 앨범 [Runaway]를 통해 한층 더 내밀한 지점에 도달한다. 마침내 온전히 자신의 것처럼 들리는 목소리다.

최근 새 뱀파이어 스릴러 영화의 주연 촬영을 마친 사프란은 극단적으로 다른 캐릭터와 감정의 결을 오가며, 작업의 스펙트럼을 한층 넓혀가고 있다. 하지만 그녀의 시작은 놀라울 만큼 단순했다.

“아빠 생일이었는데, 선물이 없다는 걸 깨달았어요. 그래서 노래를 썼죠. 그게 너무 즐거운 경험이어서, 그냥 계속하게 됐어요.”

여덟 살의 즉흥적인 한 순간에서 시작된 일은 점점 더 깊고 본능적인 것이 되었다. 사프란에게 음악은 계산된 선택이 아니었다. 자연스럽게 몸에 스며든 하나의 언어에 가까웠다.

“글쓰기는 저에게 치료 같은 거예요. 어떤 노래는 특정한 순간의 감정에 대해 쓰여 있고, 또 어떤 노래는 그 감정을 다시 찾고 싶다는 마음에서 시작돼요.”

1. [RSK] 여덟 살에 첫 곡 <My Own Yellow Brick Road>를 썼다고 들었어요. 어떤 계기가 있었나요?

저는 그때를 아주 또렷하게 기억해요. 아빠 생일 전날이었는데, 선물이 없다는 걸 깨달았어요. 그래서 선물 대신 노래를 쓰기로 했죠. 글을 쓰는 과정이 너무 즐거웠고, 그 이후로 계속 하게 됐어요. 가끔은 미리 계획하지 않는 게 더 좋은 결과를 가져오는 것 같아요.

2. [RSK] 그때의 자신을 돌아보면 지금도 같은 이야기꾼이라고 느끼나요? 아니면 목소리가 달라졌다고 생각하나요?

제 목소리는 시간이 지나면서 분명히 변해왔고, 앞으로도 계속 변할 거라고 생각해요. 어떤 때는 곡마다 완전히 다른 사람이 된 것 같고, 또 어떤 때는 여전히 아빠를 위해 노래를 쓰던 어린 소녀 같기도 해요. 기술과 표현력이 성장했지만, 제 안의 이야기꾼이라는 본질은 그대로예요. 글쓰기는 저에게 일종의 치유이기도 해서, 종종 순수함과 사랑이 가득했던 어린 시절의 감정으로 돌아가게 해줘요. 많은 곡들이 그 순간에 대해 이야기하거나, 아니면 그 감정을 다시 찾고 싶다는 갈망에서 시작돼요.

3. [RSK] 데뷔 앨범 [Runaway]는 굉장히 개인적인 작품처럼 느껴집니다. 이 앨범의 감정적인 출발점은 무엇이었나요?

이 앨범의 주요 테마 중 하나는 ‘변화’와 ‘어린 시절을 떠나는 과정’이에요. <Change>라는 곡이 그 경험을 가장 잘 담고 있어요. 저는 더 이상 변화가 노력하지 않아도 자연스럽게 찾아오는 것이 아니라는 걸 깨달았어요. 제가 원해야 하는 것이었고, 누구도 대신해줄 수 없다는 걸 알게 됐죠. 무력감과 통제 사이를 오가면서, 이 곡을 쓰는 과정에서 자유를 느꼈어요. 제 안에서 만족하지 못했던 부분들을 마주하게 되었고, 그것을 인식한 후에야 변화하려는 노력을 시작할 수 있었어요.

4. [RSK] 많은 곡들이 어린 시절의 순수함이 사라지는 순간을 다루고 있습니다. 이 테마에 영향을 준 특정한 사건이 있었나요?

저에게는 2016년 미국 대통령 선거 이후였어요. 그때 ‘좋은 사람들이 항상 이기는 건 아니다’라는 걸 깨달았죠. 이해하기 어려운 정책들과 인권이 후퇴하는 모습을 보면서, 어린 시절의 희망이 무너지는 느낌이었어요. 거기에 팬데믹과 그 이후의 변화, 그리고 성장 과정에서 겪는 여러 감정들이 더해지면서, 앨범을 만들기에 충분한 감정들이 쌓였어요.

5. [RSK] 클래식 록의 감성과 동시에 현대적인 사운드를 가지고 있습니다. 현재 록 음악 신에서 자신의 위치를 어떻게 보나요?

가장 좋은 음악은 장르와 상관없이 ‘자기 자신에게 솔직한’ 아티스트에게서 나온다고 생각해요. 정해진 틀에 맞추기보다는, 솔직함이 음악을 움직이게 하죠. 저는 전략적으로 음악을 만드는 사람이 아니에요. 어떤 장르든 제 감정을 진심으로 담는 것이 가장 중요해요.
데스몬드 차일드(Desmond Child), 스티븐 밴 잰트(Steven Van Zandt), 샘 홀랜더(Sam Hollander) 같은 아티스트들과 작업할 기회가 있었는데, 모두 스타일은 다르지만 공통점은 ‘솔직함’이에요. 그게 음악을 보편적으로 만드는 힘이라고 생각해요.
지금은 특히 음악이 더 중요해진 시대라고 생각해요. 음악은 사람들을 연결시키니까요. 지미 헨드릭스(Jimi Hendrix)의 말처럼, 세상을 바꾸는 힘은 음악에서 시작된다고 믿어요.

6. [RSK] <Boys’ Club>이라는 곡에서 음악 산업을 여성으로서 경험한 이야기를 다루고 있습니다. 어떤 경험에서 출발했나요?

17살 때 혼자 LA 음악 신을 경험하면서 시작됐어요. 처음에는 멋지고 재능 있는 커뮤니티를 찾기 전까지, 남성 중심 구조 속에서 움직이는 밴드들과 함께했어요. 저는 늘 외부인처럼 느껴졌고, 왜 그런지 이해하지 못했어요. 시간이 지나면서 그 이유를 깨달았죠. 저는 <Boys’ Club> 안에 있었던 거예요.

7. [RSK] 현재 록 음악은 젊은 여성 아티스트들에게 변화하고 있다고 느끼나요?

어느 정도는 그렇고, 아직 부족한 부분도 많아요. 훌륭한 여성 록 아티스트들이 있지만 여전히 소수예요. 저는 하트(Heart), 재니스 조플린(Janis Joplin) 같은 과거의 전설들을 보며 자랐어요. 여전히 더 많은 변화가 필요하다고 생각해요. 저는 단순히 록을 사랑하는 한 사람으로서, 다른 여성들에게 영감을 주고 싶어요.

8. [RSK] 어린 시절부터 연기를 해왔는데, 영화 작업이 음악 작업에 어떤 영향을 주나요?

과거에는 제 감정을 정리하기 위해 음악을 썼어요. 반면 연기는 다른 인물이 되는 과정이에요. 영화 음악 작업은 완전히 다른 경험이었고, 특정 캐릭터의 목소리를 표현하는 과정이 매우 자유롭게 느껴졌어요.
특히 <슈퍼맨(Superman>에서는 완전히 다른 인물이 된 느낌이었고, 이후 제 음악에도 새로운 접근을 하게 됐어요.

9. [RSK] 음악을 만들 때 장면이나 영화적인 순간을 떠올리나요?

네, 항상요. 특히 영화 음악 작업 이후에는 자연스럽게 시각적인 이미지가 떠올라요. 그래서 앞으로 더 많은 뮤직비디오를 만들게 될 것 같아요.

10. [RSK] 무대에 오를 때 어떤 감정을 느끼나요?

장소에 따라 달라요. 트루바두르(Troubadour) 같은 무대에서는 역사와 연결되는 느낌이 들어요. 하지만 가장 좋아하는 순간은 관객과 저만 존재하는 것처럼 느껴지는 순간이에요.

11. [RSK] 앨범을 통해 청자들이 어떤 여정을 경험하길 바라나요?

지금 시대를 살아가는 젊은 삶의 복잡함을 담은 앨범이에요. 또래들은 공감하고, 다른 세대는 이해할 수 있었으면 좋겠어요. 무엇보다 그냥 록앤롤을 즐겨줬으면 해요.

12. [RSK] 한국 음악이나 아티스트에게서 영향을 받은 경험이 있나요?

정말 많이 있어요. 전 세계 사람들이 한국 아티스트를 중심으로 연결되는 모습이 너무 인상적이에요. 새로운 세대의 비틀마니아 같아요. FT아일랜드, 데이식스 같은 록 밴드도 좋아하고, 신중현 음악도 정말 좋아해요.

13. [RSK] 함께 작업해보고 싶은 한국 아티스트가 있다면요?

이재(EJAE)와 협업해보고 싶어요. 터치드, 더로즈, 자우림도 좋아해요. 한국 음악 신을 직접 경험해보고 싶어요.

Editor by Kary H. Rho
Photographer by Reinhardt Kenneth

Editor by Kary H. Rho
Photographer by Reinhardt Kenneth

Lou Lou Safran: An Artist Finding Her Voice in Motion

From the sweet-faced child in Annabelle: Creation to the raw, explosive frontwoman of The Mighty Crabjoys in Superman, Lou Lou Safran has never been an artist confined to a single form. She is constantly in motion—pushing, expanding, and testing the limits of who she can become. Now, with her debut album Runaway, she arrives at something more intimate: a voice that finally feels entirely her own.

Fresh off completing a leading role in a new vampire thriller, Safran continues to move between radically different characters and emotional states, steadily expanding the scope of her expression. And yet, her beginning was surprisingly simple.

“It was my dad’s birthday, and I realized I didn’t have a gift,” she says. “So I wrote him a song. It was such a joyful experience that I just kept going.”

What began as a spontaneous moment at eight years old gradually evolved into something deeper and more instinctive. For Safran, music was never a calculated decision—it was a language she naturally grew into.

“Writing is like therapy for me. Some songs are about how I felt in a specific moment, and others are about wanting to find that feeling again.”

1. [RSK] You wrote your first song at eight years old — “My Own Yellow Brick Road.” Do you remember what inspired that first moment of songwriting?


I remember it very clearly. It was the night before my dad’s birthday and I realized I had no gift for him, so I decided my gift would be a song. Writing was such a joyful experience, that I have been doing it ever since. I guess sometimes not planning ahead pays off.

2. [RSK] When you look back at that younger version of yourself, do you feel like the same storyteller today? Or has your voice changed over time?


My voice has inevitably changed throughout the years and I’m sure it will continue to do so as my perspective, taste and inspirations evolve. Sometimes I feel like I am a different person in every song, and other times I am still the little girl writing songs for her dad. As my technique and skill level expand, I am still the same storyteller at heart. I have used writing as my therapy, which often takes me back to a place of childlike innocence and love. A lot of my songs are either about that place, and if not, they’re about yearning to find it again.

3. [RSK] Your debut album Runaway seems deeply personal. What was the emotional starting point for this record?


One of the main themes of this record is change and leaving childhood behind. ‘Change’ (very creative name) is one of the tracks that most encapsulates that experience for me. I wrote ‘Change’ when I no longer felt like it was something that was inevitably coming whether I put the effort in or not, and instead realized that I wanted to change and no one was going to do it for me. I oscillated between feelings of helplessness and control, and found freedom in writing this song. It felt like I had finally shined a light on the parts of me that I was unsatisfied with, and once I pinpointed that I could face the hard work of evolving, which is what I tried to do in the songs that followed.

4. [RSK] Many of the songs explore the moment when childhood innocence begins to fade. Was there a particular moment in your life that inspired this theme?


For me, it came in 2016 after the results of the American presidential election and the realization that the “good guys” don’t always win. I felt my childlike hopefulness dissolve under the barrage of inconceivable new policies and the rolling back of human rights. That, coupled with the pandemic, its aftermath, and the usual growing pains of adolescence made for more than enough emotional ammunition for an album.

5. [RSK] Your sound carries a classic rock spirit but also feels very modern. How do you see your music fitting into the current rock landscape?


I feel like the best music, rock or otherwise, comes from artists that stay true to themselves. Instead of changing themselves to fit into a pre-determined landscape, it’s their raw honesty that influences the music world around them. I am not a marketing genius or a strategist, so what’s most important to me is to pour my heart and soul into my songs, regardless of what genre I’m playing. I have been lucky to work with some incredible artists like Desmond Child (the songwriter behind ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ by Bon Jovi and Ricky Martin’s ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’), Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band, The Disciples of Soul), and Sam Hollander (songwriter/producer of ‘High Hopes’ by Panic! At The Disco and Ringo Starr’s ‘Thank God For Music’), and while all these legends represent various genres and styles, and are known for writing chart-topping mega hits, they all approach each new song with vulnerability and honesty, which allows the tracks to become universal. These days, we need art more than ever, particularly music, as it unites audiences of all kinds. As Jimi Hendrix said: “Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” That’s how I hope to fit in, and not just be a passing noise.

6. [RSK] In your song “Boys’ Club,” you talk about navigating the music industry as a young woman. What experiences led you to write that song?


I was a seventeen year old girl exploring the hip Los Angeles music scene on my own… Before I found my place in a wonderful, supportive community of incredibly talented young musicians, I was running with bands that subconsciously placed an emphasis on men being in the center of the action, while their girlfriends just came along to cheer. I couldn’t figure out why I felt like an outsider, often undermined by a group I thought were my friends. Slowly but surely the reason became evident: I was surrounded by the ‘Boys’ Club’. This includes many fun things such as a constant performance on the tightrope between bravado and nonchalance, a confusing cocktail of ego and insecurity, and my personal favorite: being too caught up in one's own projected image to notice someone else’s falter.

7. [RSK] Do you feel that rock music is changing for young female artists today?


Yes and no. There are some great contemporary female rock artists to look up to these days, from Wet Leg, Arrow De Wilde from Starcrawler, to Larkin Poe and Julien Baker, to name a few, but we’re definitely still in the minority and are treated as such. I grew up mostly seeing myself in acts from a different time. Legends like Heart and Janis Joplin are timeless and as inspiring now as they were in the 70s, but there is still a load of work to be done in order to amplify modern female rock artists. At my core, I’m just a girl who lives and breathes rock’n’roll, and my biggest goal is to be an inspiration for the countless other girls like me.

8. [RSK] You’ve been acting since you were young, from Annabelle: Creation to Superman. How does working in film influence the way you write music?


In the past, I used music to process my own feelings, and drew from my own experiences to write. In contrast, acting is more about stepping out of yourself and into another character. Last year, I got to work on two film soundtracks, and it was a totally different experience. It is quite liberating to write material, which has to fit a certain narrative and channel the voice of a character. For Superman, I transformed into the frontwoman of The Mighty Crabjoys, the biggest punk band in Metropolis. The song, written by the amazing James Gunn and Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam, is so rowdy and unlike my usual style, I felt like a different person in the recording booth. I went home with a new attitude towards my own rock songs, feeling like I discovered a new voice. Later, I was in New York City, writing and recording a soundtrack for an upcoming indie film with one of my childhood heroes, Steven Van Zandt. The movie required a more nuanced and lyrical tone, and the songs that came out of my work with Little Steven and the phenomenal musicians of the Disciples of Soul who play on the tracks, are singular and incredibly touching. I am so damn proud of this material. It also helped elevate my game for my own solo recordings.

9. [RSK] When you’re creating music, do you ever imagine scenes or cinematic moments in your mind?


When Stevie Van Zandt and I were composing our soundtrack, it was all about what musical texture was going to amplify the visuals of the scene. We wrote the music before shooting the film, so we spent a lot of time imagining what moments were going to look like on screen, and some of our ideas even ended up making it into the script. Given my passion for movies, I often find myself writing songs inspired by specific scenes (or the entirety of The Double Life of Veronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski), so it was particularly exciting to reverse that and create the music first. Now I can’t help but visualize my songs as I write them. That means that many more music videos are on their way…

10. [RSK] You’ve said that playing live is your favorite part of being an artist. What do you feel the moment you step on stage?


It depends on where I am playing. My first gigs in America were at the iconic Troubadour in LA, and standing on a historic stage like that is always an out-of-body experience. I can feel sixty years of history seeping through the soles of my shoes, connecting me to every one of my idols who stood there before me, such as Jim Morrison, Stephen Stills and Pearl Jam. When I played at the Opole Amphitheater in Poland, which has been home to Poland’s National Festival of Song (one of Europe's oldest and most preeminent festivals, whose stage was graced by some of the biggest European music stars) since 1963, the 75-piece symphonic orchestra started playing, and suddenly I was standing there with Niemen, Wojciech Młynarski, and all of my other Polish heroes who cut their teeth on that stage. The energy of a live performance never dissipates from where it took place, so it is an honor to hook up to a power grid fueled by decades of legends baring their souls. I always hope that my euphoria translates to the audience. As a spectator, my favorite part of a live show is the moment it feels like you and the artist are the only people in the room. There’s nothing better than that flicker of connection.

11. [RSK] With Runaway about to be released, what kind of journey do you hope listeners experience when they hear the album?


The album is a reflection on the complexities of a young life amidst the tumult of today’s world. The path to self-discovery has never been easy, but I think that the environment the young are faced with today is particularly chaotic. I hope that people my age can identify with the stories in my songs and recognize in them notes of their own experience. And I hope that my album gives everyone else a good glimpse into what it is to grow up today. Most of all, I hope they buckle up and settle in for some good old rock’n’roll!

12. [RSK] Rolling Stone Korea reaches readers across Asia. Have you had any experiences with Korean music or artists that inspired you?


I am enormously inspired by Korean artists and by the audience they have fostered around the world. It has been so exciting to watch people from around the globe come together to support Korean artists, and they have created a beautiful safe space for us girls who bond over their mutual love of their favorite bands. It’s like Beatlemania for the new generation! With the release of K-Pop Demon Hunters, a whole new fanbase has woken up, and I’m so excited for EJAE who won the Oscar for ‘Golden’ last night. I’m so inspired by films that amplify women’s voices in music, and I’m very proud to see the KPDH team be recognized for it. Korea has also produced some really cool rock artists, like FTISLAND and Day6. I love getting to hear how different modern rock from other countries sounds. It’s not only modern Korean music that has inspired me. I love Shin Joong-hyun, a Korean blues guitarist whose groovy albums are among the best of the 70s psychedelia craze.

13. [RSK] Is there a Korean artist you would love to collaborate with someday?


I would love to collaborate with EJAE. Band-wise, I love Touched, especially Yunmin, their vocalist and guitarist. I think she’s exceptionally talented, and our styles would compliment each other well. I also like The Rose and Jaurim. I’m sure that there are tons of other fantastic Korean artists that I have yet to discover, so I would love to hear your favorites. I look forward to coming to Korea and getting to experience the music scene first-hand. Hopefully the Korean audience likes my music, and I get to collaborate with some of their beloved artists!

By Kary H. Rho