Girl From The North – Lauren Housley Celebrates Life with Latest Album Release

Lauren Housley, our Girl From The North releases her latest album on 23^rd April. Written with co-writer and producer Thomas Dibb in lockdown this sumptuous folk/country/pop album celebrates life and all its adventures with the usual eclectic but seductive soundscape that we’ve come to expect from Lauren. From Bless His Soul’s simple melody but full production, the traditional country-pop of Guaranteed Sunshine and This Ain’t The Life and the almost Burt Bacharach sounding What’s Troubling You Child this album is full of the most satisfying surprises. The haunting and ethereal vocals on Breakdown, the reflective melancholy of Why Are We Making It So Hard, Lauren’s storytelling and vocal delivery creates a roller coaster of emotions through the album including a short instrumental breather in the intriguing Two Lovers Lost in Space.

Girl From the North – Track List

Bless His Soul

Guaranteed Sunshine

What’s Troubling You Child

Sing To Me

Breakdown

Two Lovers Lost in Space

This Ain’t The Life

Why Are We Making It So Hard

Stay Awake To Dream

We’re Not Backing Down

We caught up with Lauren via email to talk about the album and her journey to date, and the planning of the livestream launch. Thank you, Lauren, for your time, sharing your inspirations and songwriting process and good luck with this release!

Releasing music in 2021 has some unique challenges but also the possibility of getting back out and performing, how are you and your team planning the release to meet the challenges/take the opportunities of 2021?

It’s definitely strange to be releasing a record without heading out on tour to promote it immediately but I think people need music now and will hopefully get some comfort/joy from these songs when they most need it. I am planning to be touring at the end of the year. My album launch will be a livestream event on Tuesday 27th April, Live in Sheffield.

What were your musical influences growing up and who are the contemporary artists who inspire you today?

Growing up I listened to A LOT of Elvis. My Dad is a huge fan! I listened to a lot of big female voices like Aretha, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt & Dusty Springfield. Carole King & Carly Simon….Eva Cassidy’s voice made me want to become a singer. She could sing anything and I could feel every single word.

I listen to a lot of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. They write songs that feel so familiar but also take you to somewhere completely different to where you’d expect. That’s clever songwriting! Foy Vance, Yola, Black Pumas, Margo Price, The Highwomen, Laura Marling & First Aid Kit are all bringing so much inspiration to my creative world right now. I could keep going with this list…

Can you tell us the story behind the writing of this album, what were you reflecting on? How long did it take to write?

The album as a whole was an idea that was dreamed up by myself and my long-time collaborator, Thomas Dibb. Most songs were written in the basement studio we built in our hometown of Rotherham. We had total creative freedom and no time restraints, so we often lost ourselves in the creative process and followed wherever the muse took us. I reflected a lot on growing up in my hometown of Rotherham and focusing on living a positive, happy life full of opportunity. It’s about being true to yourself and living an inspired life and I hope it inspires other young people in the area. Experiences of love, loss, resistance and hope have all made it into this album. Some of the tracks were written at the end of 2018, most of the others through the start of 2019.

The soundscape of this album is so varied. How would you describe the album in terms of genre and influences?

I would say it has all of my influences in there. Soul, Roots, Americana, Country, Folk & Pop. I’d been listening to a lot of Fairport Convention, Gillian Welch & Kacey Musgrave at the time of making this record.

Can you tell us about Two Lovers Lost in Space? What does it mean to you and how do you see it as part of the album?

That was the first track that was recorded to be on this album. It was an experiment in the studio written as a stream of consciousness piece of music. It’s about choosing love above everything else and I believe this is the key to a happy life. It summed up everything I wanted to say with the album.

Can you tell us the story behind Stay Awake to Dream?

I was doing a songwriting exercise and delved into my sensory memories. I got vivid images in my mind of exact moments when I made certain decisions in my earlier life and I could follow exactly where those decisions had led me to and made me who I am now. Focusing on the light in dark situations has guided me so much and that was the thread that stitched all these particular memories together. 

What an uplifting joyful track about breaking free of the 9-5 you have in This Ain’t The Life – where did you and Tom film the fun video for this?

Thank you! I have been doing pretty much the same walk every day for the past year in lockdown and I always walk over the same bridge in Kelham Island, which is the industrial heart of Sheffield City. I often see the same people who are doing the same walk in lockdown and I wanted to bring some colour, music and joy to a place I’ve been walking every day during this strange time. 

How do you approach your songwriting and collaborations and how do you think this has changed over the last 10 years?

I now play guitar, which has influenced my songwriting hugely. It’s given me an extra tool to use to express myself musically and a few songs on this album, ie, Stay Awake to Dream and Sing to Me, were written pretty much as a whole, in one take, whilst playing the guitar. I’m also not afraid to get personal in my lyric writing! ha  

Any further plans for Tuesday Night Live?

I’m so excited to be doing an album celebration launch on Tuesday 27th April, which will be ‘Live from Sheffield’ and I’m hoping to plan some more regular TNL’s in future (I have some fun ideas blossoming). 

Where are you most looking forward to performing if and when we are able to get back to live gigs?

The Sage Gateshead as I used to work there when I was studying in Newcastle. That place is one of my favourite music venues in the whole world and the area feels like a second home.

Girl From The North is released on 23^rd April along with a livestream launch at 8pm BST/3pm EST from Sheffield Yellow Arch Studios via Facebook events. https://www.facebook.com/events/822919184981958

.Pre-order your copy here https://laurenhousley.lnk.to/girlfromthenorth/

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Interview by Ann Kenney (twitter.com/annkenneysongs)