HELLO LAUREN WHITE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
My name is Lauren White, I’m 19 and I’m from Belfast in Northern Ireland, but I’m currently studying songwriting and music production in Liverpool.
I started off playing classical violin when I was seven but started writing songs when learning guitar at 13. I didn’t really think much would come of it, until I realised that I wanted to make a career out of my music when I was 16. Ever since then, I’ve been learning more about music production and trying to improve my writing too, in the hopes that more people can enjoy my music, and I can make a living off it!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSICAL STYLE? HAS YOUR STYLE CHANGED MUCH OVER THE YEARS?
I find it really difficult to pinpoint an exact style that I call my music, as I haven’t fully found my sound yet, it’s very much still developing! It would fit into folk, pop, and singer/songwriter, but some days I sit down to write a piano ballad, or some days I want to write something that you would hear in top 40 radio… it really just depends on the day!
The artist who I would consider my biggest inspiration would without a doubt be dodie, she is an English singer/songwriter, and watching her grow her YouTube channel into a music career, with tours across the world is what inspired me to start writing songs in the first place! A lot of my earlier songs have been influenced by her work, but as I started listening to a wider variety of music, my own style changed as a reflection of that.
WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR ARTISTIC INSPIRATION?
A lot of the time my songs are based on real-life situations that are happening to me or my friends, the odd time I would take inspiration from a movie or TV show, and sometimes I have a really cool lyrical hook that I want to use, so I just fabricate a whole new story around the two lines I have written down… it could also be a mixture of some or all of these things! Once again it just depends on the day and what mood I’m in.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER?
Once again (sorry for sounding like a broken record!), it would have to be dodie! I originally had a YouTube channel like she did, but moved over to Instagram after a year or so, as it’s a much more interactive platform, and I have found it more enjoyable too!
WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS LIKE FOR MAKING MUSIC?
Usually I’ll have a lyric (sometimes with a melody) and I let the melody flow from there. Melody always comes more naturally to me, so I usually have to tweak it a little to fit the words, and after I have a verse or a chorus down, I’ll start putting it to guitar or piano chords… usually the first thing I write is the chorus (I don’t know why), so I’ll then work through the verses and the bridge comes last. I don’t limit myself to working in this order, it’s just that it always happens in this order!
WHAT DO YOU DO TO GROW YOUR PERSONAL BRAND?
I feel very strange saying that I have a ‘brand’ but I just genuinely am being myself throughout the whole process: recording covers, writing my own songs, artwork and production etc. everything is done by me, so it feels a… I also really like to put a longer, more personal caption on my covers on Instagram so that people get to see a little bit of my life each time I post. It’s also been really nice to chat to people in the comments since I have so much more time on my hands in quarantine!
WHAT IS THAT ONE THING THAT YOU ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR MIND WHILE PREPARING YOUR CONTENT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA?
I’m always making sure that I’m being authentic and genuine in my posts, I never cover a song that I don’t like, just because I think it shows when I’m singing. I also always have to remind myself that I do music because I love it, that’s what it all boils down to. I do this for fun, so I always make sure that I am actually enjoying myself, and I’m not just covering a song because it’s trending and I’ll get more followers. Sometimes that overlaps, and that’s great, but personally I’d rather be having fun and showcasing that to a small audience than being fake in front of a large one!
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO A BUDDING ARTIST?
I would still consider myself a budding artist, as I have a lot of things to learn still! That being said, one thing that I regret is not posting covers sooner because I was too scared. I had my YouTube channel for a year before I actually plucked up the courage to post anything, and it turns out I had nothing to be afraid of!
It’s so cliché to say it, but it’s true: nothing grows inside the comfort zone, so as difficult as it is to do (trust me I understand!), just start putting music out, or start writing songs… it won’t be easy in the beginning, but eventually it’ll become less scary! Another thing I learned is that it’s never the “right time” to start… I waited for the ‘right time’ for ages and it never came, the right time is now!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
Yes! Thank you so much for reading this interview, I hope you found it interesting and maybe even a little bit insightful or inspiring!
WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND YOU ONLINE?
I am most active on Instagram (username is @laurenwhite.music), where I post covers/ snippets of my life every now and then, I also still have my YouTube channel, which is where I post covers that I decided to spend a bit more time on, there’s no set schedule for that, it’s just as and when I get the time or feel like it!
I also have two singles out called ‘Crystal Ball’ and ‘Commitmentphobe’ on all the major streaming platforms, the links to those are available if you follow this link: biglink.to/laurenwhite_
