Northern Ireland alt indie-pop artist Lauren Ann has released her new track “Blatant” out now. The blistering new track sees Lauren Ann continue on her upward trajectory, exposing the depth of her song writing and the true grit of her musical prowess.
“‘Blatant’ is about a blunt end to a relationship that you cared about,” she explains. “It’s about being let down by someone you didn’t think (or rather didn’t want to believe) could hurt you. It’s about being left out in the cold, yet you still care for them even though they don’t care for you anymore.”
Her own experiences are the launchpad for her imagination to take those stories into bigger directions. It’s also about staying true to who she is. “My songs are centred around heartbreak and anger. I didn’t want to write love songs as it’s not who I am. So I ended up doing break-up songs instead.”
Having already earned praise from artists including Sir Chloe and Starcrawler, Lauren Ann’s upwards trajectory continues in the coming months with the release of her debut EP. Between her limitless potential and people like Olivia Rodrigo reintroducing guitar to the mainstream, Lauren Ann’s talent can take her to the top.
“Back at school, most people didn’t understand or like this music. I remember on non-uniform day, I’d turn up in grunge clothing and loads of dark make-up, and people would be like, ‘What’s she doing?’ But I liked it, so I did it. But it’s becoming a lot more popular. Now I want to play music for a bunch of people and become the best I can be.”
With a fiery mix of grunge dynamics, garage rock exuberance and a hooky pop edge, Lauren Ann’s music feels like a natural hybrid between grunge’s original wave of killer bands, but with a flavour of contemporary practitioners such as Sir Chloe, The Regrettes and Milk Teeth
A key component of her recent rise was working with producer Declan Legge (Jealous of the Birds, Ciaran Lavery), which helped shape her raw songwriting talent into fully realised productions. By the summer of 2021 she put plans to study law on pause, and signed to Dublin label Faction (James Vincent McMorrow, All Tvvins) on the same day that she left school. It’s a phenomenal achievement for someone who only started writing songs a year before.
With performances at Ireland Music Week 2021, and high profile support slots with New Dad and upcoming ones with SPRINTS, Lauren Ann has truly been establishing herself as one Ireland’s most exciting new talents.