Hey Lauren! Thank you for taking a moment to chat with us, and welcome to Mixmag Brazil! How has this year been for you regarding personal and professional experiences?
Thank you so much for having me; I’m super excited to connect with you! This is my time sharing my story with Brazil. I am a huge fan of your beautiful country and have so many listeners and fans there.
After releasing my debut album RE:BIRTH late last year, 2024 has been a year of transition as I prepare to take on what the universe has in store for me next. I started the year off with my first show in Tulum, kicking off the season by jumping into new projects, planning the year, and taking on new remixes.
I worked on remixes for incredible artists like Moritz Hofbauer, a very talented producer and live act from Germany who released an album on Boris Brejcha’s label, FCKNG SERIOUS. He asked me to do a remix for his track “Oneironaut,” which came out just this month, and I have more projects currently underway that I can’t wait to share.
It’s so interesting to be doing remixes for tracks featured on others’ albums so shortly after releasing my own. After composing and compiling 13 songs for RE:BIRTH, I felt I needed a break from my own creative process to work on some collaborative projects.
My remix album of RE:BIRTH is finally coming out, featuring remixes from 10 artists I truly look up to and admire, like Alfa Romero, Binaryh, SKALA, and others. It was very moving to hear my peers apply their distinct styles to my original works.
Soon I’ll be releasing my first new, original music compilation since RE:BIRTH, my ‘Spectral Reverie’ EP. The EP’s lead single, “Frisson,” seemed to really resonate with fans, and I’m excited to see how both tracks as a pair land on the dance floors as I get ready for more tour dates.
In short, it’s been intense jumping into this year. Last year, I held space for myself to take time and create my album. It seems we’re entering a different era — stressful but amazing. With excitement can come anxiety, but I’m confident that what’s ahead will be unbelievable.
For those who don’t know you yet, could you share your story with Brazilian readers?
I started playing instruments at a very young age. My parents put me in piano and singing lessons when I was just a toddler, and I remember how much I truly loved to perform and share what I thought were my gifts.
My parents were very supportive and nurtured my creativity. They wanted to give me tools to explore different passions, most of which were centered around music. My mom was one of the top radio hosts in her home country, and my dad loves to sing; I think music just runs in the family.
Growing up in LA was challenging for me as I hit my teenage years. There was a lot of pressure and competition due to societal pressures and the culture of the entertainment industry.
At my lowest, I felt like I lost my belief in myself to pursue music professionally. Still, I kept myself deeply involved by attending events and immersing myself in underground music culture.
I was obsessed with finding new artists, and in my earlier years, I became deeply impacted by trance music. Influential artists in that genre at the time gave me that first metaphorical moment of ecstasy that many of us have when we fall in love with electronic music.
Eventually, I interned at Dim Mak Records, Steve Aoki’s label. I started to lean into the business side of music because I held myself back from the idea of being an artist, purely from fear, doubt, and a lack of self-belief.
As I got exposed to psychedelic medicine, I realized that I was healing the part of myself that was not allowing me to envision this possibility. After coming to these realizations, I quit everything and decided to go to music school for about three years. I immersed myself in my studies, learned how to produce, and returned to the piano.
I started posting videos of myself playing the piano online, and people liked them. That boost of confidence was exactly what I needed. That’s how it all began, and I’ve been focused on my career as an artist ever since—I just took a huge risk. Some people didn’t believe that I could do it, but I finally did, and this was just the beginning.
We know that your album RE:BIRTH, in addition to being a new beginning on a personal level, has also prompted a movement towards your independence as an artist. Tell us what moved you there, and why did you decide to make that change?
Based on where I have been in the last few years, I needed to liberate myself to be happy with what I am creating, what I am releasing, and the work that I am doing.
Once my career started to gain some momentum, it really took off. I started touring properly, released on a big dance label, and my fan base really began to grow.
There was a time when I lost my love for making music. I was madly in love with it; that was all I did, nothing else. Suddenly, I didn’t want to make music for a second. The level of pressure from my team and the labels I was working with to be a certain way creatively to fit what they wanted really took a toll on me. I thought, “Okay, this is just how it is.” I was doing it, but I was unhappy.
I would make music that felt right to me, and a lot of the feedback I received was, “Oh, this is too fast,” “Oh, this is too hard,” or “You have to stick to one genre so the fans know what to expect.”
I kept being told these so-called rules by so many people until I snapped. Art is about self-expression and being unique; the whole point is to be yourself. At that time, I got tired of feeling like there was no way to succeed without these big labels.
I want to be an example of someone who can become successful without relying on big labels. There are examples of artists like Maceo Plex, or Peggy Gou with her label Gudu Records.
For me, “making it” means connecting with as many people as possible with my music beyond just what they hear through their headphones. I want my music, my feminine energy behind the decks, sets, and performances to make people feel something.
