Milking It: Ori Lababy @orilababy

Interview by Sarah Ruiz 

Introducing Venezuelan, Montreal based singer-songwriter Ori Lababy. She composes music in different genres that makes her versatile. She has an upcoming EP coming out next year that we are excited about.

What’s your go-to milk? 

My go-to milk is soya. I like how refreshing it feels when drinking it and the thought of getting a little extra protein than almond or oats. I never drink cow milk. 

What inspired you to compose “Limón con Cerveza” 

It was one of the first songs I ever wrote at 19 years old. I was a little tomboy back then and I remember having this chemistry with a boy at a party, to then realize he had a girlfriend that looked really different from me. What we call in Latin America “fresa”, refers to a “girly girl” and my style was very unconventional back then. The reason why I got along with this boy was he made music too, so I just used this little event that, in real life, for me, wasn’t that big of a deal (my crush wasn’t as big as the song makes it seem) to play with rhymes and a very relatable subject. I refer to myself as “Limón con Cerveza” to create this conceptual contrast of sweet vs sour. Plus, as a little kid I used to always eat a lime by itself at least once a day. Also, back to when I wrote the song, I used to always have a beer or two when going out, perfect for the rhyme’s sake. 

What made you pursue a career in music? 

Music always felt like a refuge to me. I always loved writing and singing and when I started rhyming I realized I was good at it. I was good at expressing feelings that I wouldn’t normally express, but with rhymes. I felt it was the only thing I was good at so I started taking it seriously. My dad was a huge inspiration, for he’s a salsa singer-songwriter that never saw the success he aspired for his career in Venezuela and he always told me to believe in my talent as if he doesn’t achieve success, it would be me achieving it instead. When I started recording, I knew I was good at making songs and since then, never looked back. 

So far in your musical journey, what has been your proudest accomplishment? 

My last show. I just gave a show, November 1st. It was my first time live with a band. I was so proud of putting the band together because the chemistry was great and we had a great time. I’m looking forward to putting more shows together with the same people and keep creating wholesome experiences. It sounded great and I will soon be putting out great footage of that night. 

What would you want your legacy to be in this industry?

I would love to leave a bunch of great songs in this world. I would love to create a big community of love and service to the people. I would love to help bigger causes, surrounded by good hearted people at all times. I wish my legacy to be good music, community, service, healing through sound and union. I wish people would remember me by my kindness, my willingness to help, the love I gave and how I reminded them of their own uniqueness. 

What do you have coming up in your musical career?

Songs! Songs! And more songs! I’m definitely getting the groove of putting more shows together and I’m loving the idea of putting out acoustic versions of my songs. There’s a really special song I’ve been singing to my audience that isn’t out yet and I’m thinking about 2025. Besides that, my first EP is definitely coming out in 2025. I’m really excited and just trying to do everything right to offer the best to my listeners.