Viral TikTok sensation. JUNO-nominated producer and songwriter. Frequent Charlotte Cardin collaborator. Solo artist extraordinaire. These are a few of the many hats Lubalin wears.
The Canadian artist rose to fame during the onset of the global pandemic in 2020 after his "Internet Drama" videos racked up over 260 million views and earned him 3.4 million followers on TikTok. Crafting catchy novelty songs out of the banality of user conversations on platforms like Facebook, Lubalin quickly amassed a virtual following and landed guest appearances on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Odes to stolen broccoli casserole recipes and threats to call the attorney general over a Marketplace ad are now classics beloved by millions. It's also how many fans first came to know his name.
Then, in 2023, he teamed up once more with Montreal's Charlotte Cardin and producer Jason Brando on her successful second album, 99 Nights. The album won multiple JUNO Awards, including Album of the Year. For his contributions, Lubalin picked up two JUNO nominations for Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, respectively.
Now, Lubalin is set to reveal his debut album, haha, no worries. The album (out December 6 via Cult Nation) blends drum 'n' bass influences with the gloss of 2000s electropop as it explores emotive highs and lows — all with the sense of humour and humanity we've come to expect from the Montreal-based artist.
The name of the album, initially suggested by Lubalin's partner, perfectly mirrors its duality. On the surface everything appears fine, but underneath lurks what Lubalin describes as a loaded "iceberg of subtext."
Pivoting from social media content creator to launch a solo pop career could be daunting for some. The risk of being pigeonholed is there, as well as the uncertainty of whether or not your current fan base will be accepting of the new direction or evolution of your art.
"It's interesting, there's a whole different kind of game when you're making content directly for the internet. It's a one-to-one thing," he tells Exclaim! over video chat. "And then when you're trying to make music and do this industry thing, there's a whole village. It's been really nice to meet all these people and develop these relationships." Relationships like those he maintains with Cardin, who lends backing vocals to the album, and Brando, Lubalin's close confidant, continue to influence his work and provide a safe space to exercise his ideas.
In reflecting on the success of his "Internet Drama" series, Lubalin teases the underlying theme that ties it all together: "I think I understand that everyone needs a story, something simple to grab onto and understand things by — and it's a strong story. But it was built on the same skills and ideas that I bring to my music, which is looking for the magic in things and trying to make you feel two things at the same time that you don't usually feel simultaneously."
Lubalin has long been fascinated by duality, exploring the liminal spaces between contradictory emotions and experiences. "I'm always looking for that magic," he says. "I love when you feel two things at the same time that you don't usually. In a way, that's why the 'Internet Dramas' really are just another extension of what I do. We're taking something stupid and making it beautiful, and through it, there's something to be said about who we are."
To find these moments, Lubalin says he often contrasts childhood understandings of the world versus the sometimes harsh realities of being an adult: "There's so many things that happen as a kid that ripple out through your life. Once you're in the world long enough and you get used to it, you forget that there was a time when everything was new and there wasn't a single thing you hadn't seen before. I enjoy digging through that, there's a lot to pull from there."
This duality extends beyond the music too. Lubalin's sense of humour has long been a part of his creative spirit. To tackle the many facets of being a modern artist, between marketing yourself to honing your craft, he created two personas to shoulder the responsibilities: True Luba and Suit Luba.
"Suit Luba, in my mind, is this persona that we created to bear the suffering that is trying to promote yourself as an artist in the modern era," he says. "His job is to do that for True Luba, so that True Luba can work on the music. If I'm too afraid of something or worried that people are going to judge a certain thing, then I like to try to create some kind of a version of me that doesn't care about that."
To carve out the sound of haha, no worries, Lubalin drew inspiration from artists like Kenya Grace and PinkPantheress. The sound is nostalgic and reminiscent of early-millennium dance floors, though clearly filtered through a modern lens. For Lubalin, drum 'n' bass naturally lent itself to a sense of motion and speed that made sense for his vision of the album. While the sound relies heavily on electronic elements, a lot of the music from this record was created away from computers — something relatively novel for Lubalin's approach to production.
"It's interesting how every different context and setup for writing a song seems to bring out a different songwriter. I really enjoyed experimenting with that throughout the process," he explains, describing the ways in which sitting down with a guitar elicited a very different approach than say a piano or computer. "To me, I can't control the output. I can only control the context within which I create and see what happens."
Being chronically online, he does need to starve off burnout. But how? "Oh god," he smiles infectiously. "I wish I knew. It's hard, especially when you're super ambitious and there's always more you can do to push the thing forward. At some point, you come to the boiling point: if we don't stop right now and reset, it's not going to work. The hard part is usually those moments come when it is the hardest to stop, right? It's a constant battle."
It's not uncommon for Lubalin to work on a song for weeks, tailoring the lyrics and production to his liking. His penchant for experimentation is a valuable asset in the studio, but sometimes leaves the artist a little stuck. "I see it as a race against time anytime I'm working on a song before I run out of the ability to objectively view the finished product, so part of what I do is I try to trust the magic of what I felt in the first sessions," he says. "If I really, really loved something on day one, I try to trust that it's still good even when I've heard it 10,000 times and it's worn out."
He also seeks out Brando to provide added clarity, their creative partnership being an important part of the process. He notes, "At some point you stop trying to create a thing and you start trying to serve the thing you're creating, if that makes sense."
Pop music is having one of its biggest years, with artists like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX riding the charts and dominating the discourse. It feels redemptive for the genre, and also groundbreaking. "I think it's a fascinating time to be making music and listening to music. I feel like there are no rules anymore. You can listen to everything," says Lubalin. "I always love things that are right on the edge of bad. It sounds like a crazy thing to say, but to me the best music is stuff that shouldn't work but it does. I think we're all more open to that today, and I'm excited. The bubble of what works is huge now."
For Lubalin, he's just looking forward to joining the bubble himself. When asked about his feelings on the upcoming album launch, he can barely contain his smile. Lubalin doesn't hide behind rehearsed, polished soundbites. He is authentic, animated and alive with energy. There's a real sense of pride and achievement when he talks about his music that feels genuine. While most artists would feel understandable anxiety about the launch of an impending album, Lubalin shines with excitement.
"I heard Kevin Parker [Tame Impala] say in an interview once that every song that makes the album at one point was his favourite song, and I 100 percent agree with that," he says. "It's exciting to hear all my favourite songs get out into the world and take on a new life and belong to somebody else."
He adds with a knowing smile, "In my head, I'm starting to craft the next thing, but that's a story for another time."