In the past few years, we’ve had some amazing girl groups emerge worldwide and take over the charts. After its initial group boom in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, a road was slowly being paved by the likes of Destiny’s Child, The Spice Girls, and TLC to make way for another revival a decade later. Today, groups such as Wonder Girls, Little Mix, and Fifth Harmony are carrying the torch and inspiring younger artists as well.
L2M is made up of five members: Tati, Mariangeli, Jenna, McKenzie, and Lexi. Their different strengths in all things performance are brought together with a shared passion of music and dance. After coming together to work on a song for Lego Friends: Girlz4Life, they’ve been making music together since.
We chatted about origins, new music, and milestones!
How did you come up with the name L2M?
Tati: Before they put the 5 of us together, our management team had a meeting with a bunch of teen girls and they picked their favorite names, so our team saw what name other teen girls would like or be fans of and they picked L2M.
Mariangeli: We actually did not come up with the name L2M. A member of our team met with a group of kids that brainstormed and came up with it! Awesome, right?
Jenna: Our management team had a big meeting with a bunch of girls and they ended up coming with the name L2M which means listening to music!
McKenzie: Well we had a focus group of kids that helped discuss names for the group and we chose the name L2M!
Lexi: Well, before our group was put together, our management team got together a bunch of kids to present name ideas and L2M (Which stands for Listening to music) was everyone fav!
Were there any other potential group names that came close to being picked?
MC: No, I don’t believe any other group name was close to the name “L2M”! Everyone agreed on the name and we certainly love it!
What were your first impressions of each other?
T: None of us really knew each other but we instantly clicked and by the first few days, we already knew that we were going to be best friends.
M: Well, I immediately knew that these girls would become some of my best friends. We were all a bit nervous at first, but we slowly started to form a bond that would never be broken.
J: Honestly when we all first met it was like five puzzle pieces put together in a few seconds. We sort of just ended up getting along really quickly!
MC: I was a bit afraid of how all the girls would be and if our personalities would click but it turned out that they were all super nice and humble girls! To this day they are my best friends and I couldn’t ask for better ones!
L: I was so excited when I first met all the girls. I knew we would all be best friends instantly.
Who are some artists who inspire you musically?
T: Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Fifth Harmony, Demi Lovato, and many more.
M: Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, and Jordan Fisher.
J: In the music industry I’m very inspired by Tori Kelly and Kari Jobe. Tori Kelly sings clean songs and writes most of her music. Kari Jobe is a Christian singer and songwriter that I’ve looked up to ever since I was a little kid. They inspired me to start singing and songwriting, if it weren’t for them I probably wouldn’t be who I am today.
MC: Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, Tori Kelly, Whitney Houston, and Kehlani are some of my musical inspirations and I aspire to be like them one day!!
L: I am very inspired by Cher Lloyd musically. She writes all of her music and has an amazing voice!! And I would love to write as much music as she does one day!
How would you describe your experiences of working on Lego Friends: Girlz4 Life together?
T: That was the first thing we worked on together and doing our song “Girlz” for that movie is where L2M really started. I’m so glad we got to do that together because now we get to do so much more.
M: We did the theme song for the movie “Girlz 4 Life” and after that, we started working as the singing voices of the characters. We all fell in love the song “Girlz” as soon as we heard it, and loved getting to watch the animated girls sing along with us!
J: Working on the Lego Friends: Girlz4 Life movie was so much fun! It’s so weird knowing that we are in a movie. A movie about five best friends that do everything with each other, they also start a band just like we did!
MC: It was an honor to be a part of a Lego Friends movie!! We had such a great time being the singing voices of the characters and we were amazed when we saw everything put together and come to life!
L: Recording GIRLZ was one of the best days of my life!! Recording a song with your best friends is like a dream come true for me!
What do you think has been the most challenging part of being a young girl band today?
T: Sometimes people can be competitive and can get really jealous, but we have to learn to stay as a group, trust each other. We may not agree on everything since we are five different people but in the end of the day we are a team and we make it work.
M: Probably just the fact that we live so far apart. Not only is it a hassle with all the traveling, but being the great friends that we are, it’s hard to be away from each other.
J: I’d say the most challenging part about being in a girl band today is the fact that we are so young and not as experienced as the older artists that are always all over the radio.
MC: I think trying to set our band aside from different bands and not being compared can be challenging sometimes!
L: All of the girls and I staying true to ourselves and not changing and becoming someone we are not.
We hear you’re all in “Hyperlinked”, a series on YouTube Red about girls creating and coding a website for girls. What was it like to be both acting and learning about coding at the same time?
T: It was so much fun doing so many things at once and doing everything I’ve always wanted to do like dancing, acting, singing, rapping, writing raps, choreographing, and all the fun things we got to do on the show.
M: We learned a lot about running a website and the making of content. It was interesting though to learn new, “tech” words that we had to incorporate in the show!
J: Filming Hyperlinked was so much fun! It was one of the best experiences I think we’ve all been through. Every single night we had new lines to memorize and it is very challenging to get school done and also keep up with our sleep.
MC: It was really cool to be able to incorporate acting and coding in our new show “Hyperlinked” !! Getting to learn about coding and creating a website was really cool.
L: Working on the set of Hyperlinked was amazing and getting to work with the crew members was super fun.
You recently released a music video for your song, “Living for the Rhythm”. What were your favorite memories from creating the music video?
T: Having such a great and fun team. I always love working with Coco & Breezy, they are amazing and always have a great vision. Our choreographers Rich & Tony were so much fun and we loved the dance they choreographed for us.
M: Definitely getting to hang out on the roof of a building. Not to mention the amazing team that we got to work with to make it happen!
J: My favorite moment from filming the “Living for the Rhythm” for the music video was probably just filming the music video, because well, I mean, I’m doing what I love!
MC: My favorite memory from our “Living for the Rhythm” music video shoot was being able to work with Coco and Breezy! We’ve worked with them before so it was super easy to get all the work done with people we are comfortable with! Also jamming out to our favorite songs with them was the best time ever!
L: Coco and Breezy directed the video and they are so much fun to work with!! I am obsessed with their style!! My favorite memory of filming the music video was getting to go up on the roof and watch the sunset and dance!! Oh, and I got to rock gold chains in my hair for the video!!!! I LOVED that.
What are some things you’ve learned about being in a group so far?
T: You’re not alone, when you’re going through a hard time… the other 4 girls will always be there for you and we work so hard but sometimes it doesn’t feel like work because we make it fun together while also being professional.
M: I’ve learned that it helps to be in a group because you have others to lean on. You’re never afraid to ask for advice, or help another girl out!
J: What I’ve learned about being in a group is that we’re a team and if one goes down all the others will too. We get through the rough times together and we cherish the great times together.
MC: I’ve learned that teamwork is key when being in a group with other people. It can be challenging sometimes but at the end of the day, you know someone’s always got your back!
L: That you have to work together and always trust, support, and most of all love each other.
What’s a message you want to convey to your listeners through your music?
T: “Be who you are, yeah that’s the motto” Always be yourself… love yourself and stay positive. Follow your dreams and don’t let anyone stop you or get in the way.
M: Just that they shouldn’t be afraid to be themselves. The society that we live in has some crazy expectations that we feel we have to meet. We want listeners to be able to listen to our music and feel confident just the way they are!
J: What I want people to get from listening to our music is to always be who you are no matter what people think of you. You shouldn’t care what other people think, and you should always follow your dreams.
MC: I want our fans aka “Listeners” to know that they can do anything they put their mind too, to always have fun, let loose, and be yourself!!
L: To be your self and never change for any one!!! Don’t be afraid to shine!!!
What are some milestones you’d like to reach in your careers?
T: I’d love to be an all-around performer that can do it all & I would love to go on tour with L2M and to follow in the footsteps of an amazing girl group like Fifth Harmony.
M: Hopefully one day getting to work with other amazing artists, whether that be in music or film!
J: I would love to perform at the Grammys and get a Grammy. Also perform and get an award at the Oscars. And going on a world tour!
MC: One of my dreams is to perform at Madison Square Garden and have a sold out show! Also to be able to go on a worldwide tour would be a dream come true. And win a Grammy!
L: I would absolutely love to perform at Madison Square Garden, get one of our songs on the top charts on iTunes and go on a world tour!!
Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
T: I love you guys all so much… thank you for all your support because without each and every one of you, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today. You inspire & motivate me so I really hope I do the same to you, always follow your dreams and be you!
M: Never be afraid to stand out, be yourself, or live life to the fullest!
J: If you stay determined, hard-working, kind, and humble, you can be whatever you want to be.
MC: Just to always believe in yourself, work hard, and stay humble! Also that we love you all and can’t wait to meet you?
L: I love you all so much and you guys are my world!!! XOXO
You can find L2M on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Are you excited to hear what the girls of L2M will release next? Let us know by tweeting us at @CelebMix!