story / Erica Russell photo / Pip Â
As Laurelâs voice rolls mistily through the crests and troughs of the brooding synths and heart-wrenching strings of âTo The Hillsâ, her recently premiered new single, a sense of distant melancholy washes over. In song, Laurel is a mysterious fairy-child from the English countryside, completely encompassing with her bewitching spellsong, yet ever out of reach. In contrast, however, over the phone the 19 year old singer-songwriter and burgeoning music-fashion darling is as warm, sweet and inviting as a slice of freshly baked homemade pie, and unlike her somber musical incarnation, is a bright, friendly and engaging teenager ready to chat excitedly about her favorite rappers and dreams of sound-tracking a film.
If this is your first time hearing of her, get acquainted, and quickly. The lovely British ingĂ©nue, recently having popped onto major radars with her stunning and cinematic debut EP, âTo The Hillsâ, crafts spellbinding music that is a smart, eclectic fusion of piano balladry, electro-pop, and gloomy hip hop beats. But Laurel doesnât only sing. She also writes all her own music, and produces it as well. And unlike many other contemporary pop offerings, Laurel made certain to record live instrumentation for her music as well, injecting it with a raw, nostalgic energy.
I chatted with Laurel about her gorgeous new EP, what itâs like being compared to Lorde, the process of recording live strings for her single, and more! Read on below to learn about this enchanting young artist, as well as for a FIRST LOOK at a behind the scenes video of Laurel in the studio with her orchestra, premiering exclusively right here on Ladygunn.
Your new EP, âTo The Hills,â just dropped this month. Can you talk a little about the inspiration behind it?
Around the time I wrote the song âTo The Hillsâ, I was actually coming to America, to Los Angeles, so I think thatâs where I got the idea for the name of the song from. At the time I was really getting into dark hip hop, so I was like, âHow can I incorporate this into one of my songs?â I love hip hop and dark beats and dark music in general, so I tried to infuse it with some of the other tracks I wrote.
Something I really aimed to do with the EP, and with my album especially, is for it to be a collective piece of creative work instead of just an album full of singles that could be from many different albums. I wanted it to be a piece of work instead of just a bunch of songs. I think they all fit together really well in the end.
Your lyrics tend to have a storytelling vibe. Would you consider yourself a storyteller?
Iâm used to writing my music as stories I guess since the songs focus on my life; my life is a bit of a story. Itâs basically me writing a diary and singing it.
You mentioned you love hip hop. Who are some of your favorite artists?
I really like Tyler the Creator at the moment. My boyfriend played me one of his songs. Heâs got the darkest songs. If you listen to his whole album, by the end you feel really dark and stressed out. Itâs quite heavy! I really like hip hop thatâs heavy and dark like that. I definitely like the grungier side of that world.
Would you consider your music dark as well?
Yes! Itâs really bad though, I canât write happy songs! As soon as I start writing and it starts getting happy, I go to a dark place in the song and Iâm like, âI canât do this!â [Laughs.] I love moody music. All the English are so moody so it definitely comes out in the music.
What do you make of comparisons to contemporaries like Lorde and Lana Del Rey?
It doesnât bother me too much because youâre always going to be compared to somebody and theyâre really great artists to be compared to. Theyâre doing something great for the music industry that not a lot of artists are doing. But at the same time, itâs unfair for people to say Iâm taking my influences from Lana and Lorde. Weâve only being around for a couple of years, you know? Whatâs more likely is that weâve all grown up with the same kind of music and that inspiration is coming out in our own music now. I canât change what I listened to when I was younger. This is the kind of music I love, and weâre just making it at the same time.
What other music do you like to listen to?
Personally, I enjoy womenâs music way more than I enjoy a manâs voice. Thatâs just a personal thing though. I listen to Bjork a lot and Florence and the Machine and Santigold.
I read that you grew up in a sleepy sea-side town on the English countryside, is that right? Do elements of that environment seep into your music?
I did. The town is mainly loads of houses and suburbs and thereâs nothing else there. There are a few songs on my EP and album that are inspired by the fact that I come from somewhere that thereâs not much going on. You can even hear it in âTo The Hillsâ: itâs me trying to get away, go on the road, go to the hills or somewhere else to get higher than where I am right now. Thereâs a lot of stories on my album which are about me and the guy Iâm in love with and my friends and how weâre all like, âOh, weâre dying in this town! Why are we here?â
You also self-produce your music. Thatâs impressive. How does that work?
Iâve got a tiny room in my house and Iâve been producing the whole album which has been quite a big task. Sometimes Iâm like, âOh my god, why am I doing this? Why am I not letting someone else help me?â [Laughs.] I wouldnât mind working with other people. But when Iâm on my own and when Iâve got control to do whatever I want is when I get the best out of myself.
Do you find that self-producing allows you to really express whatâs going on your head?
Yeah, I feel like when you write a song with somebody else, itâs more about crafting a song for the public, but when I write on my own itâs about me just feeling and writing exactly how I feel in the moment, and if it turns into a good song, then thatâs great! Thatâs my main priority. If you write with someone else youâve usually both got an idea of what kind of sound you want to make. Itâs not really as spontaneous.
I watched the video of you in studio watching the orchestra record the strings for your record, which weâre premiering here. Tell me about how that was for you.
It was amazing! Iâve been recording the strings on the computer, so to go in and hear them played live with the mastered string section was insane! It was incredible. I hadnât experienced something like that before. Not many people are recording real drums or real strings anymore because itâs easier to do it the other way, but it just brings this amazing energy to the music.
You also have your own record label imprint. Can you tell me a little about that?
There was a number of different ways I could put out my EP, and someone said to me, âWhy donât you make your own imprint on the label?â And I was like, âHell yeah, I wanna do that!â Itâs really amazing. I named it after the first song I wrote under the name Laurel. Itâs called Next Time Records, and itâs a toast to the song that got me here.
Someone whoâs never heard your music asks you about it. How do you describe it to them?
Itâs very cinematic. Itâs quite like film music. Itâs not music you will find instantly catchy and be singing along to like a Katy Perry song. Itâs music that makes you feel something proper rather than music makes you sing along. Itâs music that moves you and makes you think.
I love that you called it cinematic. Would you ever consider writing for a film?
Thatâs my really big dream! Iâd love to write the soundtrack for a movie.
And where are you at with the album right now?
Itâs pretty much done. It wonât be released for a while though. I think weâre going to do some more strings on the album. Iâm actually in my studio right now working. By the time the album gets released⊠weâll see how it goes. I think early next year or the end of this year, but you know how it goes. You canât really tell!
MORE:
