Lous and the Yakuza Is Taking Flight In Music, Fashion & Beyond
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Lous and the Yakuza (who’s rocking Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2023 collection) continues to take leaps of faith. As she ascends to international fame, her identity remains unshakable.
Lous and the Yakuza wears many hats—from singer-songwriter to model to Louis Vuitton and YSL Beauté ambassador—that frequently require her to be glammed up. But as we begin speaking, she’s completely unguarded. “Sometimes I dress to be invisible,” she tells me. “Sometimes I really don’t want people to care about my entire existence.”
It’s a very real moment from a very real artist. Lous and the Yakuza blatantly confronts life’s challenges, whether it’s through her music, not relying on social media (“It’s not really my cup of tea,” she explains. “I think it’s getting more and more empty. When something’s not fun anymore, I just go away from it.”), or simply pointing out how we’re both sporting braids, bare faces and hoodies."
Louis Vuitton dress, boots and earrings, us.louisvuitton.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
The Congolese-Belgian artist, 27, built an international following on the basis of honesty. Her music (which fuses pop, trap and alternative R&B) invites listeners to her imperfect mindset, where she sings and raps (primarily in French) about trauma, depression, healing and the search for love. Boosted by manga-inspired visuals (Lous and the Yakuza is a huge anime fan, with her go-to being the Berserk series), she creates a vibrant world that’s equal parts raw, relatable and thrilling.
“Last year, I was looking at myself in the mirror and I started thinking things I’d never thought about myself before in my entire life, like ‘I’m not beautiful.’ What are you talking about? Why do you even care? What the hell? I literally judged myself within the same second,” she says with an infectious cackle.
Lous and the Yakuza continues: “That was a pretty important moment for me. I thought, ‘I never want to feel this way again in my life.’”
Louis Vuitton top and earrings, us.louisvuitton.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
The artist’s music plays like a diary, as listeners experience her thought process in real time. Yet she doesn’t see it as therapeutic. She’s just sharing her reality and is self-aware enough to realize that solely writing isn’t enough to get to the root of one’s problems.
“I feel like the only thing that can change a state, whether it’s depression, sadness or even trauma, is actual action. I’m acting on not losing myself in intrusive thoughts. Writing won’t help me actually heal. It could be a step, but the way I heal is always through transformations, through changing even a part of me,” she explains.
“THE WAY I HEAL IS ALWAYS THROUGH TRANSFORMATIONS,” –LOUS AND THE YAKUZA
Louis Vuitton top, earrings and bracelet, us.louisvuitton.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
When Lous and the Yakuza kick-started her career in 2019 with her debut single, “Dilemme,” she convinced herself that the best way to unleash her creativity was at night. It got to a point where she prioritized work over her health. She soon realized she could no longer use her passion as an excuse and created better working habits, which included waking up earlier.
“Sometimes the solution to our problem is very simple. But we have to break so many barriers and lies we tell ourselves. I had to move away from [saying], ‘It’s my passion. I’m such a dedicated artist.’ I realized there were also thoughts I was using to feed my ego and that was in vain. ‘Do you like being an artist? Or do you like for people to think you are an artist?’ Whether people hear me or not, I will still be the exact same artist. So I was like, ‘Why don’t you take care of yourself? Sleep at night for 10 hours.’ My entire life changed once I started working during the day.”
Louis Vuitton sweater and earrings, us.louisvuitton.com. All other jewelry, model’s own. Opposite page: Louis Vuitton top, pants and boots, us.louisvuitton.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
This transition occurred between the releases of 2020’s Gore and 2022’s Iota albums. The two couldn’t be more opposite: The former has themes of fleeing war at age 4 , violence and the pain following the aftermath of Rwanda’s genocide, while the latter is a dreamier escape with themes of love and playfulness.
“‘Is that what you want for your entire life?’ I never really questioned myself like that. I never understood how comfortable depression was,” she says of Gore’s tragedy-based themes. “Just like everything else, you get used to it. I was used to being sad, used to being traumatized, used to being in the darkness. Light was something weird for me.”
She continues: “One day, I started to change everything about my way of making art. I wanted to talk about the dark things of life because they exist. I don’t want them to be shut down. But I don’t want to be a being who is only made of that. And that’s when Iota came in. I think even for my fan base, it was weird. Like, ‘You’re talking about love? OK!’”
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
Iota’s “Trésor” is a sparkling ode to being happily lost in love, while “La Money” celebrates women’s financial independence. Overall, the album finds Lous and the Yakuza prioritizing her happiness and striving for representation. When I ask her why she decided to become a model, her demeanor becomes laser-focused: “Because of the powerful message of having a Black, dark-skinned woman on a billboard. If I can contribute to putting people who look like me out there, I feel like I’ve done something.”
“I NEVER WANT TO LOSE SIGHT OF MY SPIRITUALITY. EVERYTHING COMES FROM ABOVE.” –LOUS AND THE YAKUZA
Louis Vuitton top, skirt and earrings, us.louisvuitton.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
“IF I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PUTTING PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME OUT THERE, I FEEL LIKE I’VE DONE SOMETHING.” –LOUS AND THE YAKUZA
Lous and the Yakuza, who became a Louis Vuitton ambassador in 2022, describes her working relationship with the house’s women’s creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, as “ beautiful.” In April, she walked Louis Vuitton’s first womenswear show in Seoul, South Korea, for the brand’s pre-fall 2023 collection. “He has such a powerful vision. In the beginning, I was like, ‘Why did you sign me?’ Literally, all the girls [who are] ambassadors are massive actresses,” she says. “Then there was just me, this random person there. And then he was like, ‘No, I have hope. I’m just here to see you evolve.’ That was one of the biggest [shows of] support I’ve ever had in my life.”
Sometimes ambassadors can be molded by the brand. But Lous and the Yakuza’s identity as an artist is still being displayed, from her unique sense of style to her signature face drawings. And she specifically requested that artistic freedom in her contract. I’ve been curious about the symbols she uses for each album era, and she explains she began drawing on her body as a kid and moved toward the face at age 18 during the start of her career.
“The more I grew as an artist, the more I realized my entire face can be a canvas to express something. That’s when I created the ‘Y’ symbol with the hands raised to the sky because I wanted to never lose sight of my spirituality. Everything comes from above."
Louis Vuitton sweater and earrings, us.louisvuitton.com. All other jewelry, model’s own. Photo Assistants: Dan Spigelman and Alexis Parrenin Styling: Damesé Savidan Styling Assistants: Deborah Gabeloux and Emilie Torres Executive Producer: Sam Rhodes Digital Producer: Nathan Zaoui Set Design: Antoine-Emmanuel PHOTOGRAPHED BY KENNY GERMÉ
“THE NEW VIBE [IS] JUST ACCEPTING WHERE LIFE IS GOING.” –LOUS AND THE YAKUZA
"I was like, ‘I want to welcome as much stuff as I can whether it’s knowledge, mistake or errors’ because that’s what I gained for years. So I just embraced everything that was coming my way and not be against the flow of life. A year before Iota, the symbol morphed because I felt like I’ve welcomed so many things. So the break [drawing is to] analyze everything that I’ve welcomed and just focus on me.”
The symbol’s hands are now down for Lous and the Yakuza’s new chapter. While she’s not yet focused on a third album (she does embark on a European summer tour from June 16 to July 29), she’s setting boundaries and being a little more selfish.
“I’m back to just being relaxed with the hands down and accepting faith. That’s the new vibe, just accepting where life is going,” she explains with a sincere smile. “I’m not giving up. It’s more like I’m letting go. My hands were tired… I’m free!”
CREDITS
All clothing and accessories by Louis Vuitton
Photography: Kenny Germé
Photography Assistants: Dan Spigelman and Alexis Parrenin
Writer: Bianca Gracie
Styling: Damèse Savidan
Styling Assistants: Deborah Gabeloux and Emilie Torres
Executive Producer: Sam Rhodes
Digital Producer: Nathan Zaoui
Set Design: Antoine-Emmanuel
Videographer: Luc Alonso
Video Editor: John Macdonald
