Paul Klein of LANY Doesn't Want to Just Survive, He Wants to Thrive

"My life isn’t normal and I’m never home, but at the end of the day, it’s a gift to be able to do this."

It’s been a whirlwind four years for LANY. Since first dropping music online back in 2014, the West Coast synth-pop trio has conquered the Billboard charts, racked up tons of streams on Spotify, and toured nearly 30 countries on a sweeping concert and festival run—all with a single album under their belt.

For laid-back frontman Paul Klein, the group’s meteoric rise may seem pressure-filled to most, but he’s just happy to be along for the ride. “One thing that I try to work into the culture of LANY is that I don’t want to just survive—I want to thrive,” he explains. “On tour, you can go into survival mode, or you can get off the plane and sleep through your whole day and get messed up. I’m trying to find a rhythm. My life isn’t normal and I’m never home, but at the end of the day, it’s a gift to be able to do this.”

Ahead of LANY’s sophomore album Malibu Nights, out October 5, the performer remains in awe of the band’s success, including the artistic privileges it’s afforded them. In other words, he’s humble, emanating the exact sort of romantic musings you might expect from the man behind songs like “ILYSB.” “It’s a magical place, but I think Malibu can feel lonely at times,” Klein shares of the coastal paradise. “It’s really beautiful, but also really broken. Those two things seem to be embedded in the music. Every single word and emotion on the album is true. Sometimes I think I was put on this earth to write Malibu Nights.”