In this interview spotlight, I chat with Lauren Alex Hooper about her music, the challenges, the technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m originally from London but have spent most of my life in Brighton until I went back to London for university. I’ve always struggled to identify which genre my music fits into because I don’t think it naturally falls into any of them. I love the honesty and focus on lyrics in Singer-songwriter music, I love the storytelling in Country, I love the catchy melodies and polished production of pop… At one of my last gigs before lockdown, I was described as Indie-pop, which I really like. So I think I’ll go with that, at least for now.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I always loved writing and originally thought I’d end up writing novels. But I also loved singing and then one day, I suddenly realised I could do both of these things at once. And I really enjoyed the challenge of trying to tell a whole story, even if it was simply the story of a moment, perfectly in three minutes or so. The industry is really tough and I’ve had frustrating periods of writer’s block but the thing about writing songs and singing them is that I love it more than anything in the world. It’s when I’m happiest. Even when I’m really struggling, I always go back to the writing and the utter joy I get from it.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This is the newest track from my EP, Honest, which tells the story of my struggles with mental health over a period of time. My first single, Invisible, was about mental health and I wanted to continue the conversation and expand on it with this project. This song is the first positive and upbeat song I’ve released, which is a new experience, but it felt really important to include because we all experience ups and downs with our mental health and to only tell the darker parts of the story would be an inaccurate representation of what it’s like to live with mental health problems.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age?
I think the use of the word over saturated is important because it’s so true. It’s very hard to get your music out there when so many other people are doing the same. And with so many of these people being so talented, it can come down to who you know and how much money you can put into your project. So it’s not a fair playing field, not that it ever has been. Plus the increased difficulty of getting gigs due to smaller music venues closing, it’s becoming harder and harder to be an independent musician.
Another problem, I think, is the way the industry hasn’t evolved to match this ‘over saturated, digital music age.’ It’s continued to favour a relatively small group of artists, allowing them to have high numbers of their songs in the charts while this massive group of newer artists aren’t being heard. It’s very hard to break into that inner circle.
How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
What I love about how technology has advanced and become more available is how much more creative freedom we have. Previously you’d have to go into a big studio to make a track whereas now we can work on our songs in our bedrooms, spending as much time on them as we want, for only the price of the program. It opens up so many creative possibilities. That is just such an amazing gift.
What was the last song you listened to?
‘The One’ by Kalie Shorr. Her debut album, Open Book, is one of my all time favourites.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Probably MP3s because of the convenience: I can carry all of my music around with me on my phone. But I still get the CDs of all of my favourite albums when I can. I think there’s a real sense of nostalgia, having started listening to music when CDs were the prominent way of listening to music, plus I love looking at all the artistic choices that go into all the packaging.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I think I’d have to say Bandcamp. I don’t personally use streaming services that much, to be honest. They pay artists and songwriters so poorly that I really prefer to buy an artist’s music since it’s a better way of supporting them.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I’m probably most active on Twitter (@laurenahooper) and Instagram (@laurenalexhooper) and my music is on all major platforms.
My website is www.laurenalexhooper.com.
And I also run a mental health blog at www.finding-hope.co.uk.
Anything else before we sign off?
As desperate as we all are to go to concerts and play shows, I really hope that everyone continues to stay safe and socially responsible. There’s still significant risk from Covid-19 and with all the mixed information around, it’s difficult to know what the right thing to do is. I just hope that everybody can stay focussed on the big picture, as desperate as we all are for some normality and fun experiences.
