Early in her career, inspired by her parents taste in music, she sang background vocals for Paloma Faith, she was initially discovered on Myspace in 2008. La Havas was co-writer and performer in ‘The Paris Parade’ alongside Christian Pinchbeck (who designed the artwork for Lost & Found) and also is now part of the duo Elephant (Memphis Industries). They had a short career but it began La Havas’ career in commercial music. In 2010, Lianne signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting skills before releasing music publicly.
La Havas made her television debut on October 21, 2011, broadcast of BBC Two’s Later, with Jools Holland, a program that also featured Wisconsin folk band Bon Iver. Following her appearance on Later, with Jools Holland, it was announced on October 25, 2011 that La Havas would be the supporting act for Bon Iver’s December 2011 North American tour.
La Havas released her first EP Lost and Found on October 21, 2011 featuring artists like Willy Mason, and then released another EP titled Live From Doubt. She has also worked with and in support of Artists such as Alicia Keys and Prince.
After touring Jamaica with her mother, she felt inspired to write her Grammy nominated album Blood. This album includes songs like “Unstoppable” and “What You Don’t Do”. Reviewers describe La Havas music as “illuminating passion, impulsiveness, ambivalence and uncertainty, yet the structures La Havas created are lucid and poised”.
Having Lianne La Havas in the music industry is very important because she is aiding in the representation of Black women in alternative music styles.