Lola Balter

“I’m going for a feeling with my songs,” shares 16-year-old pop-rock artist Lola Balter. “I want people to experience a deep connection with my music.” The prodigiously talented singer and multi-instrumentalist is an evocative, emotional, and empathic songwriter. Lola possesses an invigorating sensibility that melds the boldly vulnerable singing of big-voiced balladeers like Alicia Keys, Adele, and Lady Gaga with a visceral 1990s alt-rock aesthetic. The Vancouver, Canada-based artist will release her debut EP in 2024.

Lola’s powerhouse pipes and melodic gifts came to the forefront when she was just 7. The story goes that she shocked her mom by singing a version of the Frozen song, “Let It Go,” in 25 languages. Lola learned the song from a multi-lingual YouTube video. She memorized the melodies, and learned the words phonetically. Sensing Lola had a rare gift, her parents enrolled her in voice lessons. “At first, I didn’t want to go,” she admits. “But, once I started taking those lessons, I felt like singing was what I was meant to do. I just fell in love with music.”

With a voracious appetite, deep concentration, and seemingly boundless musical gifts, Lola began to perform covers. Slowly, her love of poetry began to seep in, and, at age 11, she began to compose simple but compelling chord sequences on piano and guitar and then add lyrics. Soon, Lola was writing full songs, and she sharpened her innate songwriting skills through taking songwriting classes.

The music Lola first heard and connected with as a budding artist was the sleekly emotive sounds of early 2000s pop and R&B. That music’s broad palette of feelings spoke to Lola, but she was also searching for her own aesthetic. A fearless and restless creative, Lola began to augment her skills as a vocalist through exploring the guitar, keyboards, and learning the drums. These journeys led her to the expressive possibilities of rock where she found inspiration in 1990s alt-rock icons and modern pop-rock chart-toppers such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Olivia Rodrigo, and Jack Johnson.

Lola currently has a back catalog of songs that will appear on her debut EP. The songs in their pre-production phase showcase her vocals which ease between slow-burn ballad singing and full-voice emoting. The soulful, “14 Days,” recounts a whirlwind romance that left in its wake confusion and a dizzying array of emotions that took a long time to recover from. The feeling of love lost courses through “At Least,” as the protagonist strives to find a safe space to heal away from unwanted outside advice or interpretation.

One centerpiece of the EP will be “Price To Pay” which marks an artistic milestone. “That’s the first real song I wrote. I remember stepping away from it, and realizing it said just what I wanted it to say,” shares Lola. The singing here highlights a gorgeous flutter in Lola’s vocals that she judiciously uses with great dynamic effect.

Despite being a young teen, Lola is already a seasoned vet as a performer. She has won many regional talent contests, and she is an active Vancouver regional busker. In addition, Lola performs at various Canada Day Celebrations and at the Vancouver Christmas Market, and she regularly performs at invitation gigs.

Up next, Lola is feverishly writing new material, fine tuning her songwriting, and exploring the unbridled joys of bashing out some garage rock. These will all factor into her upcoming EP which will showcase her richly vocals within a raw alt-rock style.