LANY And Julia Michaels Tell Us How They Turned Heartbreak Into A 'Breezy Bop' With 'Okay'

Soon after five years, four EPs, and two full-length albums, alt-pop trio LANY's first-ever group effort is here. And that's probably a good thing, considering frontman Paul Klein once had a questionable approach to solo songwriting.


"I normally would just bang my head against the wall in the bedroom up until I figured out a song," Klein told MTV News, reflecting on the period before the musical group released its 2018 sophomore album, Malibu Nights. Although I came into this season of writing very open-minded and just down to work with anybody who would take a session with me."


Enter Julia Michaels, who shared some mutual companions — not to say, a knack for visceral, captivating pop music — with Klein. They met up at L.A.'S Conway Recording Studios last year, and in just two days, they had written a beautifully susceptible song called "okay," inspired by recent break-ups they had each experienced.


"I remember we discussed for a long time and we went outdoor and ate a bunch of grapes in the parking lot," Klein recalled about the genesis of "okay," which dropped on Tuesday (April 23). "She discussed to me about some guy she had a crush on, and I was like, 'I just can't even look at ladies now because I still loved this girl that completely wrecked me. At the end of my whole two-hour spiel, I think I mentioned to her, 'I'm gonna be okay. Right?' And she's like, 'write that right now.'"


Michaels added, "I really cherish people that have sincere perspectives and hope to write from a very conversational standpoint and write something very specific about their lives. As soon as we wrote with each other for the initial time, it looked like that right off the bat."


The way she and Klein repeat the song's central lyric — "I'm gonna be okay / Right?" — Makes it both declarative statement along with a self-conscious query; Michaels describes it as "hopeful with a little bit doubt." It's a sentiment both artists felt in the midst of their respective break-ups, and to hear Klein tell it, it captures the sort of elaborate emotions that can some days only be accessed through total, mutual trust.


"I had a couple co-writes with some dudes, and I just couldn't get there," he mentioned about previous writing sessions. "I felt, even at moments, susceptible, and I felt like I couldn't be totally sincere and transparent — and As soon as I did, I regretted it immediately. I'll never forget I had this one session where I almost had a panic attack. I ran to the washroom and was like, 'I think I just mentioned also much, I don't know if I trust this guy.' I noticed it's so much easier and safer talking to a woman about it. I don't know what that is, yet I think there's this love, this wisdom, this understanding that girls have. It's not easy to open up, however with the correct people, it certainly is."


"I think the studio, also, is such a safe space," Michaels agreed. "Even in the event you don't know the person, you walk in knowing that it's going to be a very intimate thing. And then it's like talking to your friend. It's that whole aspect of, would you rather go through it alone or would you rather converse with your friend?"

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On "okay," Klein and Michaels are far from alone; their voices are intertwined while in, breaking the established formula of a teamwork wherein artists take turns trading verses. The LANY frontman admitted that some people at his label were skeptical about the solo-less collab, and there was even a moment as soon as he thought singing the song himself, "because, you know, 'Album 2, no features' sort of vibes."


although Once I sang it alone, I was like, this sucks, it's not the same without her vocal on it," he continued. "There was just never a doubt or question in my mind."


Expect the pair's innate chemistry to come through onscreen for the track's upcoming music video, which they shot last week on the beach in Venice and at a roller rink in Glendale. It has a pretty unlikely source of inspiration that only '90s kids will totally appreciate: "You remember that movie Mighty Ducks 2? There's this pretty scene where Coach Bombay, Emilio Estevez, is having this reflective moment, skating on this tennis court in Malibu while in the sunset. We're going attempt to capture that vibe," Klein explained.


"I just love dropping songs in the summer, and I think this is a really nice, summer, breezy bop," he continued. "So I sort of wanted to throw it back to that summer childhood nostalgia, which to me is rollerblading. We're going to do the entire thing on blades."


He and Michaels laughed off any nervousness as soon as talking about their skating skills — the LANY singer mentioned he began to get the swing of things soon after getting back on some blades just a couple days ago. They're gonna be okay. Right?