Laurel Smith chats to us about her unique brand of dark pop and current creative inspirations. Find out more about the artist here!
S] How are you doing today, Laurel?
Good, pretty sleep deprived as usual! I often end up getting creative late at night, hop on my laptop and the next thing I know it’s 4am…
S] How do you define success as an artist now?
I think in the music industry now becoming “successful” can be simultaneously easier whilst also much harder to maintain. Platforms like TikTok are blowing people up overnight and creating trends that can be massive, but then they drop off in a matter of weeks, so to me now success has to be about longevity; maintaining that position. Anyone can get lucky, and have a trending song for a short amount of time, but if you can sustain that and take it even further, then in my eyes you are a successful artist.
S] Talk to us about the inspirations behind ‘Everybody Bleeds’ and what that track means to you?
I had this anger during the time I made “Everybody Bleeds”. I felt like was trying too hard to fit in, this song was definitely a turning point for me, a big f*ck you to the people in my life who were limiting me. It’s about rising up against an oppressor, because in the end we all bleed the same, if you hurt me, expect it to come back around.
S] How much weight do you put on your image, and the visual side of what you do? It seems like it’s a pretty important aspect?
Visuals and aesthetics are hugely important to me. My brain works very visually. When I’m writing songs, I see the lyrics as pictures or mini movies in my head, so I always want to make sure that the videos I make accurately represent this. I remember at the video shoot one of my friends stepped into the set and said to me “It feels like I’m inside your head right now”.
S] What is motivating you outside of music now, think of specific people, places and movies, for example?
A lot of the people I surround myself with are creatives, it’s important for me to always have hard-working people around me because I get quite competitive and that makes me work 10x better. Back in April, I went on a trip to New York, one day I’d love to move out there once the music starts to kick off so that’s also been a big motivation for me to put the work in every day and get to where I wanna be.
S] What is your message to those who have supported you, and will continue to do so?
I feel like there are so many cliched things I could say to this, but the bottom line, I love you, stick with me we’re going places. <3
S] Have an ace rest of your day!
Laurel Smith will perform at Jaguar Shoes on the 15th February.
Produced by Jay Flew (L Devine), mixed by Manon Grandjeann (Flo, AJ Tracey, Cat Burns), and mastered by Matt Colton (FKA Twigs, Blood Orange and Aphex Twin), ‘Let It Go’ further shows Laurel’s transgressive approach to music, inflected with trap and hyper pop; a delicate, otherworldly electronic track straddling frustration and harmony.
“LET IT GO is a song about a moment of realisation and transcendence. Leaving the person you used to be and the people who were bringing negative energy to you behind and moving forward full speed to reach your goals” – Laurel Smith
