Lauv's first new song and video of 2024, "Potential," shows him coming to terms with his sexuality.
Ahead of the release of the song, Lauv wrote on Instagram, "it’s genuinely a big deal to me, i’ve been writing songs for so long and have always seen myself as someone who was only allowed to be into girls. and then i started opening that up and now i feel just so so so much. and this song is the first one im gonna put out about a boy. so yeah, hope u love."
In the video, Lauv is pulled this way and that by both male and female dancers, until finally he and a male dancer end up embracing.
Lauv says in an official statement, "'Potential’ is about realizing you have feelings for someone and dreaming about the potential of what it could be. It’s the beginning of my next, most authentic chapter, and I can’t wait to share this and everything that’s coming next.”
In March 2024, Lauv posted on Instagram, "i finally, around age 29 have reopened the door to the part of myself that feels…well…into men. and i don’t know where its gonna go but i think it’s important to talk about because i literally spent A LIFETIME blaming my anxiety & eventual really bad OCD for all my thoughts that had to do with being into men, always shoving it back down."
He added, "But here i am, a few kisses and some fun in, a lot of songs in, and confused as ever but at least so much happier and more comfortable and less anxious because i’ve started to embrace a part of myself that i ran away from for so long."