LOUD WOMEN’s Natasha Winge caught up with Sheffield R&B artist Lavelle at Tramlines Festival 2026 to talk about performing on home turf, synaesthesia, accessibility in the music industry and the new music she has on the way.
Playing one of Tramlines’ biggest stages in her hometown was a full-circle moment for Lavelle. Having grown up in Sheffield with the festival on her doorstep, she told us that performing there had been something she had aspired to for years, made even more special by a crowd filled with friends, family, former teachers and plenty of new faces.
Lavelle also spoke about how synaesthesia shapes both her music and its visual world. She experiences sounds as colours and shapes, with different instruments taking on different colours: guitar-led music, for example, might appear blue or purple, while piano can feel more green. That connection feeds into everything from the beats she chooses to the way she approaches performance.
As a disabled artist with autism and ADHD, Lavelle is also learning to advocate for what she needs when performing. She talked about discovering tools such as accessibility riders and becoming more comfortable asking venues and teams for adjustments, rather than worrying about being a nuisance.
The conversation also turned to what it means to build a career as a Northern R&B artist. Lavelle says being from Sheffield is a big part of what makes her different, but that access to opportunities remains heavily concentrated in the South. While events such as Tramlines give Northern artists an important platform, she would love to see more opportunities available without artists having to constantly travel south.
There is plenty more to come from Lavelle. Her new single ‘Habibti’, a collaboration with Manchester artist Geko, arrived on 14 August, with her debut EP Moodboard set to follow in September. She also teased even more personal music arriving in 2027, saying: “I don’t think anyone’s seen the best of me yet.”