The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.
❝Story· 9
❝Story02:30
The Musical Household That Made Every Genre Feel Available
Labrinth describes growing up between church music and a large family whose members sang, played instruments, rapped, produced, and listened across genres. Standing amid those different sounds made him want to try all of them, and he says family reactions still enter his mind when he creates.
Church worship showed him how sound could create a felt connection
His siblings exposed him to R&B, jazz, rap, drums, and production
Both sides of his family had musical roots in church
The variety made crossing musical boundaries feel natural
“being in the middle of that was like I want to do all of them”
#music#family#church#creativity
❝Story07:00
How Labrinth's Mother Gave Her Children What She Never Had
Labrinth says his mother emerged from a restrictive and discriminatory upbringing with little practical education, then taught herself subjects such as psychology and transactional analysis. Without much money, she held family discussions, supported her children's creativity, and avoided obstructing their individuality.
He says colourism and restrictive expectations limited his mother's early life
She taught herself practical and psychological concepts
She gathered the children for discussions about ideas such as willpower
She nurtured music and allowed the children to be themselves
“she nurtured our music music she nurtured our creativity”
“she didn't get in the way of us being ourselves”
#parenting#creativity#family#individuality
❝Story09:30
The Bedtime Moment That Changed How Labrinth Understood His Father
Labrinth says he felt little connection to his absent father while growing up and only grasped part of that loss after becoming a parent himself. Reassuring his daughter after a bad dream made him recognize a form of paternal safety he did not remember receiving.
His father was absent for much of his childhood
Labrinth says the loss became clearer after his father died
Comforting his daughter revealed what paternal reassurance could feel like
He believes parents can pass on memories and emotional support as well as material things
“I got you don't worry I'm here”
“the most important thing you inherit from your parents is memories”
#fatherhood#grief#parenting#family
❝Story30:30
Why Labrinth Signed Deals and Built an Image He Did Not Want
Labrinth recalls following his manager's direction into a label deal and even restaurant ownership without first asking what he wanted. He describes an industry image built around money, status, entourages, staged publicity, and romantic speculation that felt disconnected from his identity.
He says a larger cheque and promised label priority influenced the Simon Cowell deal
He entered the restaurant business despite having no interest or experience in it
Publicity suggestions included staged parties and relationship speculation
He later recognized that he had been accommodating other people's plans
“I didn't ask myself what I wanted”
“I never did because I was always accommodating what everyone else wanted”
#music industry#management#fame#identity
❝Story37:00
The Thrown Guitar That Nearly Hit a Camera Operator
During a period of career distress, social anxiety, and a deteriorating relationship with his manager, Labrinth threw a guitar on stage. After his tour manager told him it had nearly hit a camera operator, he says he recognized that something was seriously wrong and needed attention.
He describes feeling angry and disconnected while performing
His confidence had become dependent on his manager's approval
The guitar narrowly missed a camera operator according to his account
The near miss became a clear signal that he needed to address his condition
“you know you almost killed someone today”
“I need to deal with it”
#turning point#anger#music industry#mental health
❝Story46:30
Why Euphoria Felt Like the First Full Hearing of Labrinth
Labrinth says he had felt musically suppressed inside a pop-oriented career. He credits Euphoria with creating space for the less-heard layers already on his hard drive, because someone else explicitly asked for that material and invited him to make more for the show.
He wanted listeners to hear more than the pop layer of his work
He had struggled to share the wider range on his hard drive
The show's invitation reduced the pressure of exposing it solely for himself
The audience response showed him that some people understood the material
“Euphoria was the like first time I felt people actually heard what was going on on my hard drive”
#euphoria#music#creativity#career
❝Story49:30
How Labrinth's Wife Saw the Boundaries His Team Resisted
Labrinth says his wife recognized unhealthy treatment and exhaustion while people around him remained focused on lucrative shows. He acknowledges that he initially failed to support her, later apologized, and credits her with connecting him to professional and coaching support.
She challenged treatment that Labrinth was still excusing
People around him cast her boundary-setting as interference in his career
He says apologizing and recognizing her support strengthened their relationship
She introduced him to a mental-health professional and a life coach
“I want to protect this guy's sanity”
“I said to apologize to her”
#relationships#boundaries#support#mental health
❝Story55:00
Why Being Unknown in Los Angeles Felt Liberating
After struggling with a second album, Labrinth moved to Los Angeles for different collaborators and fresh energy. Being ignored beside globally famous artists felt freeing rather than humiliating, and he says the reduced expectations let him discover rather than reinvent who he was.
He left the UK partly to change his environment and creative energy
A photographer's lack of interest at the Grammys removed status expectations
He felt less pressure to choose between genre and racialized industry categories
He describes the process as realizing himself, not inventing a new persona
“I can I can go be that guy again”
“not Reinventing um realizing”
#los angeles#creativity#identity#career
❝Story1:05:00
The Marriage Behind Labrinth's Cosmic Love Album
Labrinth says he dedicated the album to his wife after her support through difficult music-industry experiences. He transformed moments from their relationship into an imagined story of two lovers travelling through space, describing the concept as Natural Born Killers in space rather than a literal diary.
The album was dedicated to his wife
Its songs draw loosely from moments they experienced together
He recast the relationship as a cosmic Bonnie-and-Clyde story
The lyrics amplify emotional memories rather than recounting dates literally
“two lovers uh Bonnie and Clyde riding through the the cosmos”
“it's all love songs”
#marriage#album#songwriting#love
?Q&A· 1
?Q&A22:00
Labrinth on the Daily Effects of His ADHD Diagnosis
Labrinth says he sought an assessment because he suspected ADHD and was diagnosed. He reports difficulty finishing tasks, remembering conversations, maintaining contact, and returning to collaborative work; these are his personal experiences, not universal claims about ADHD.
He says he pursued an assessment rather than self-diagnosing
He reports losing information during conversations
He describes forgetting replies and unfinished collaborations
He says these difficulties still affect his life and business relationships
“can't finish”
“your business is not going to change if you don't respond”
#adhd#mental health#relationships#work
▲Takeaway· 1
▲Takeaway1:23:00
Labrinth's Definition of Fulfillment: Desire Less, Contribute More
Labrinth says workaholism can pull him away from romantic relationships, friendships, children, and family. He frames fulfillment as balancing those areas, contributing without constant desire, and remaining present enough to receive the value of what he is already experiencing.
He identifies workaholism as an addictive pattern in his life
Balance requires investing in relationships as well as work
His concise definition is desiring nothing and contributing everything
Presence allows him to notice his children's wonder and enjoy what he has