"Krone" interview

Gashi: Music genres must be broken through

Now "Urban Cowboy": New Yorker Gashi doesn't like to be boxed into prefabricated molds.

(Bild: Gashi)

As a child he got stuck in an elevator in Austria, today Larry Gashi is an up-and-coming superstar. The 35-year-old New Yorker recently released his country album "Brooklyn Cowboy" and is conquering the world with deliberate breaks in style. In the "Krone" talk, he provides deeper insights into his multifaceted life.

Musician, style icon, loudmouth - Labinot aka Larry Gashi can probably be categorized in this order in the world of entertainment. Born in Libya, the New Yorker is the child of two Kosovars from Albania. Until the age of ten, he moved with his family through various African and European countries until he finally settled down in Brooklyn, New York City. On his colorful childhood journey through various countries, he also crossed Austria. When asked by Krone, he could not remember exactly where he lived for a short time, but he named his penultimate album "Elevators" after this time. "I can still remember being stuck in an elevator in Austria and this elevator is a good metaphor for my career so far."

Likes to fall on
Gashi named his first real album "Stairs" in 2016, a synonym for the fact that he has always had to climb many difficult steps throughout his life. He now takes the elevator and no longer feels like climbing stairs. With more than 2.2 million Instagram followers, successful studio albums and many collaborations under his belt, the equally self-confident and often vulnerable thoroughbred musician has long since established himself in the scene, even if his name does not yet have the glamor and fame of America, especially in Europe. He has the mechanisms of modern celebrity down pat. An "accidental" photo taken by his tour photographer in 2022, which showed Gashi changing backstage with his backside exposed, went viral and became a popular meme motif, especially in the USA, for which celebrity butt Kim Kardashian was also used.

"My mom wasn't so keen," he laughs, with typical American friendliness offensive in conversation, "she's my biggest fan and always listens to my music first." Gashi has now arrived in country music. His album "Brooklyn Cowboy" (which should have originally been called "Dirty City"), released this fall, mixes his rap roots with digestible mainstream pop and the aforementioned country quotes. Gashi had to show a lot of patience before the album was released. For years, he was gagged in a contract with industry giant Sony Music, which he had been trying to get out of for some time. Gashi wrote most of the songs for "Brooklyn Cowboy" during the 2020 pandemic, and it took more than four years before the release. However, Gashi is now free from all contracts and clauses and has the fate of his career in his own hands.

Home is not always home
Gashi believes that the versatility of his music is due not least to his life to date. "All the different countries, people, cultures and culinary differences have made me what I am today. I am a global child who has roots everywhere." A few years ago, Gashi found out for herself that having a home doesn't automatically mean feeling at home. "I bought a house in L.A. with my first real money, but I was incredibly lonely there. You can buy a watch, but you can't buy time. You can buy a bed, but no sleep and you can buy a house, but no home. I need my parents, my siblings and my nephews around me. It's a bit like 'Kevin home alone'. I need a mixture of the liveliness of my family and beautiful design. When you come to my house in Brooklyn, you're in New York, France and Morocco at the same time."

Talking to Gashi is not only a great way to learn about Kurt Cobain ("a genius who always did exactly what he wanted and didn't take outside voices into consideration"), 80s pop ("I love Madonna and George Michael. That's why I recorded my album '1984', this side of me just had to come out") or Johnny Cash ("next to Frank Sinatra, he's my biggest idol. Gashi sounds similar to Cash if you look really quickly and he also got me into country music"). While other artists like to boast about being close to their fans, the New Yorker proves this in reality. A few years ago, a fan once let him spend the night in his house; today, the man in question works as Gashi's tour manager. "We're like brothers now. Mark is also of Albanian descent. We got closer, liked each other and he's now in my team. I also got an Uber driver on stage once, to whom I was deeply indebted. I have a really good feeling for people and like to help those who have a pure heart."

Searching for new paths
As open, offensive and breathless as Gashi comes across in the interview, "Brooklyn Cowboy", with its mostly melancholy mood, is the best proof that there is a completely different type inside him. A vulnerable musician, often disoriented and searching for meaning, whose goal is the path, but who consciously and willingly leaves the beaten track to find new paths. The lyrics revolve around self-discovery, resilience and heartache, and the otherwise self-confident musician is also well suited to their reverie. "When I play live, my audience includes real hip-hop gangsters, lots of women, LGBTQ rights activists, homosexuals and computer nerds. Just all walks of life. That's the result of me not catering to any genre. It's always been my goal to bring all cultures, backgrounds and types together. If my music can continue to do that, I'll be the happiest person in the world."