After the release of her incredible single “Be Ok” last year, Lana Chalfoun is back with a new pop-ballad single, “Cut Off!”
The song is a strong, beautiful ballad about realizing your worth after a difficult breakup, especially in a toxic relationship in which the other person consistently asks for a second chance. She wrote the first half of the song right after the breakup and the second half a few weeks after, and at that moment she felt just how empowered she was and how much better off she was without the other person.
“The song, in general, is about the heartbreak after a breakup,” Chalfoun explains, “But it’s not the sad part of it, it’s the part where it’s a week [later] and you’re like, ‘You know what? I deserved a lot better.'”
At the young age of 15, the singer has already achieved so much in her music career. She wrote and recorded her first EP, “In The Making,” at the age of 11 and released her full album, “Aware,” back in 2019. More recently, she dropped a music video for her single called, “Be Ok,” which discussed unique anxiety in artists in the music industry.
Although the industry has been difficult to navigate, Chalfoun has been able to conquer through and follow her dream.
“It’s hard [to be in the music industry] because you have all these dreams and ambitions,” Chalfoun confesses, “You’re just trying to do what you love and show that to people and turn it into a career. It takes a lot of maturity to keep going even when things get hard or if you’re not seeing a lot of progress and whatnot. As long as you love it and love what you’re doing, it’s pretty easy to keep going.”
Celeb Secrets (virtually) sits down with Lana Chalfoun to discuss her new single, “Cut Off,” the songwriting process behind the song, what she’s looking forward to after the pandemic, and more!
Keep up with Lana and her music on all her social media platforms: Instagram YouTube Spotify
Check out our Q&A down below and let us know what you think about “Cut Off” by leaving a reaction down below or tweeting us @celebsecrets!
Celeb Secrets: Celeb Secrets here with Lana Chalfoun! How are you doing? What have you been up to during quarantine?
Lana Chalfoun: “Hi! During quarantine, I’ve honestly been working away at school, music, and trying to be as organized as I can. Just working away!”
CS: Nice, nice. You started making music at a very young age, you released your first EP, “In The Making,” at the age of 11, and now you’re 15! You’ve released a debut album, and now you’re about to release your next single, “Cut Off,” which is really exciting! What made you realize that you loved music at such a young age?
LC: “I started singing at a very young age, so I always knew that I loved music in general. But, I knew that I loved songwriting around the age of ten. I wrote a song in the shower and brought it to my guitar teacher, and they were like, ‘Oh! Let’s go produce it!’ And that’s when I would say that I knew that I wanted to [make] music as a career.”
CS: It’s amazing that you’re very young and so talented! What’s it like to be in the music industry at 15?
LC: “Thank you! It’s hard [to be in the music industry] because you have all these dreams and ambitions. You’re just trying to do what you love and show that to people and turn it into a career. It takes a lot of maturity to keep going even when things get hard or if you’re not seeing a lot of progress and whatnot. As long as you love it and love what you’re doing, it’s pretty easy to keep going.”
CS: That’s good! So, you’re releasing your next single, “Cut Off,” and it is so great and emotional. What was the inspiration behind the song?
LC: “The song, in general, is about the heartbreak after a breakup. But it’s not the sad part of it; it’s the part where it’s a week after and you’re like, ‘You know what? I deserved a lot better.’ It’s kind of in the song, the guy wants to come back, always wants the second chance, and the other person in the relationship knowing their worth and not allowing that toxic relationship back into their life. I would say that’s the main idea of the song.”
CS: I love that! I think it’s very empowering while also being very emotional. Your previous single, “Be Ok,” touches on unique anxiety in young artists, which is somewhat of a different topic than “Cut Off.” Is the writing process or experience different between writing the two songs?
LC: “Yeah! ‘Cut Off’ is more of an empowering type of ballad. When I was writing ‘Be Ok,’ it was something that I was going through personally that really hit home. I’d say it was more of an emotional process to go through. But with ‘Cut Off,’ I actually wrote half of the song right when I got out of a relationship and then wrote the other half a month later after I felt that empowerment. So, that writing process was definitely a bit more different, but both were fun!”
CS: That’s good to hear! You worked with the producer Jeremy Ryan on both tracks. What was it like working with him?
LC: “It’s always a blast working with him. We really collaborate well, especially when our musical ears are alike. I really enjoy working with him.”
CS: Can we expect a music video for “Cut Off” soon?
LC: “We’re not doing a music video for ‘Cut Off,’ but we did do a music video for ‘Be Ok’ though!”
CS: I watched that music video! I loved the concept of it. It was very artistic and empowering; it was done really well.
LC: “Thank you! Jeremy, actually, was more of the director, I’d say, for that music video. Props to him for the ideas for it!”
CS: Is “Cut Off” a preview of what to expect for your future projects?
LC: “Yeah, honestly, ‘Cut Off’ is probably one of my favorite songs that I’ve written. I feel like it’s very true to my style that I’m starting to find. I’d say it’s a pretty good representation of what’s to come, and I love the song, so I’m really hoping other people will like what’s to come!”
CS: I’m sure it’s gonna be a great hit! You honestly have such an incredible voice, and your talent in songwriting is amazing, and I can tell you’re going to make it very far. Are there any artists you want to work with in the future? Whether it be featuring in a song or writing a song with them.
LC: “I have so many artists that I look up to! It’d be insane to work with Billie Eilish, or I’ve always wanted to, someday, sing with Adele. High hopes! Maybe someday.”
CS: So thinking more short term, what are music goals for 2021?
LC: “My biggest goal is that I not only want to keep creating music but my last song, ‘Be Ok,’ hit 100k streams, which is a pretty big deal because every other song I’ve released has only hit 2 or 3k streams total. We’re almost at 123 or 24k streams now, and that was a big goal. So now, with this next song, we’re like, “Okay. Now we’re gonna hit a million streams.” I’d say that’s one of my biggest goals. Also, just being able to perform again! Hopefully, everything with Corona calms down after vaccines are out so [I can] be able to perform my own music and get on stage and actually interact with the people that are listening to it.”
CS: Do you have a favorite memory from your performances from pre-covid? Is there a specific performance you look back on that you’re like, “Oh my god, I’m so excited to get back to that again”?
LC: “Actually, it was my last performance before COVID hit, and it was my album release, which is from an album awhile ago. It was for the ‘Aware’ album, which was before I even started working with Jeremy. That concert was so much fun. We had a lot of people show up, and I had the time of my life, and I’m so excited to get it back soon.”
CS: Yes, hopefully soon! So we’re Celeb Secrets, so what’s a secret that you can share about yourself or your upcoming projects that we don’t know about yet?
LC: “I actually wrote a song yesterday about a previous experience that I’ve been through, and I really love this song. And you don’t really produce every song you write cause as a writer, you’re supposed to be constantly writing, and you pick the songs that you like the best, and I really love this one. It’s a little more – I don’t have country slang and all that – but it’s with acoustic guitar, and it’s kind of a country, pop feel. This is not really something I’ve done before, but I really am liking the song’s concept and the way it’s going. So it’s probably something, probably released in the future. We don’t know yet!”
