Guest Author - Lorna London Sloukji

Every once in a while a new artist comes along and enlightens your ears with swift language accompanied by rich music. This time, that someone is 24-year-old New Jersey native, Laura Warshauer. As a newly signed artist to Island Records, her self-titled debut record is releasing on Sept 23rd.

I interviewed Laura to get a little more insight as to who she is, what she believes in, and what kind of art she creates.

How did you first get started in the music industry?

The yellow pages. I was 14, a young and ambitious singer/songwriter looking to record my first songs. I found Shorefire in Long Branch, New Jersey and arrived, $50 in hand, for an hour of studio time. I remember walking up two long flights of stairs, the smell of cigarette smoke, the Gatorade and pretzels that my dad brought when he picked me up. My grandfather gave a cassette of these early recordings to his neighbor, an entertainment lawyer in New Jersey. The neighbor then gave it to his friend, the entertainment lawyer in New York City who was one of my first contacts in the music industry.
*
Describe your sound.

A warm embrace, hot chocolate in the winter, a down comforter, the color of the sea, warm sand, clean clothes fresh from the dryer, a back float with your eyes closed feeling the sunlight on your face.
*
What does music mean to you?

Music is a lasting impression, a feeling that is stirred, something that lives long after a song ends.
*
What's your single, Sweet 17 about?

Sweet 17 is about finding love and losing it, wondering if it was really there or something that only existed in your head. A lot of my songs come from that in-between place of all that was and all that could have been. It is nostalgic, a longing for a time that has passed and the feelings that went with it.
*
Describe your debut album. What was the process like? What did you learn from making that album?

I would wake up in the mornings and walk over to Sony Studios on 54th St and 10th Ave in New York City. I felt free. The possibilities were limitless. I was writing all the time and recording the songs as fast as I was writing them, capturing the raw energy of the moment. The record is a reflection of me, a snapshot at a given time and place. I learned the more I let go, the better the music is. If you let something be, then it has the room to become something. And if you put the right people in the room together, great things are possible.
*
What was the moment that made you feel like "you made it"?

I'm still waiting for that moment.
*
What advice do you have for other female musicians?

Know who you are and stand firmly on that ground.
*
What are some of the best lessons you learned from established musicians/producers/writers?

Claim your space. Your space is your own. Picture yourself standing in a circle that you have drawn around yourself to protect the very essence of who you are - your ideas, thoughts, hopes, dreams, passions, secrets, stories, inspiration.
*
What are your near-future plans with your music?

I want to bring to the music to people. I spent a long time in the studio and it's time to get out there and play.