Laura Meets Musicians

Amistat (Photo by Glynn Parkinson) Amistat is an indie folk due composed by twin brothers Josef and Jan Prasil . They were born in Germany and raised in Italy. With influences originating from Czech Republic and Australia, Amistat emerged in 2014. Their 2023 "colour in life" EP gained significant traction amassing north of 5.3 million Spotify streams and counting. At the same time, the musicians have multiple continents on tour and shined on festival stages. During 2023, Josef and Jan recorded what would become "a moment in the sun" in Cologne, Germany, where in the studio, they made a conscious decision to expand their sound. The result is something which is certain to turn heads, and they definitely turned mine! I  was already amazed by the music and harmonies they shared on Instagram, and I'm incredibly happy and honoured to finally feature them on my blog. Amistat inhale inspiration from life experience and exhale deftly crafted alternative folk anchored b...

Karen Harding On 8th March 2024, Melbourne based singer/songwriter Karen Harding unveiled her brand-new single, "Judge You" , the second single release from her upcoming album, "Behind The Mask". This emotionally powerful ballad explores our inner workings - specifically how self-judgment affects us as individuals, while at the same time revealing our protective mechanisms at play behind such internal dialogues. Karen Harding is a folk/pop singer-songwriter with a passion for sharing a relatable expression of human emotion and inner experience within her music. For Karen, music is not only an outlet for expression of her feelings and emotions drawn from a lifetime of experiences, music is a soul conversation, that allows the masks that we hide behind to fall away for a moment of sharing, a moment of mutual understanding, in a language that does not discriminate in any form. Through her path of introspection during counselling sessions, "Judge You" grew to...

The North Café Series: the storytelling episodes Among all the musical projects that I've watched growing up from scratch, The North Café Project is definitely my favourite. Passion, storytelling, art, instrumental music, love... this ambitious musical project has them all, and even more. Conceived of and created across continents in the aftermath of a global pandemic, it is the brainchild of instrumentalist, John Silvers (USA/UK), who has collaborated with co-founder and musician, Elfin Bow (UK), sound designer and producer, Woody Woodward (UK), visual artist, Gus Lopez (USA) and mastering engineer, Derek Smyth (AUS) to create a unique and intimate offering of story and music. At a time of division and isolation, this global effort to unite and uplift, is a double album release comprising both an episodic story in four parts, with instrumental musical excerpts, and an accompanying album of the full compositions by John Silvers (ukulele) and Elfin Bow (piano).  Creating someth...

  Enjoy my favorite picks released in March 2023, in chronological order! "NIGHT MUSIC" - Faeya -  Canada (released on April 1st) Vulnerable and raw, riveting and real, Faeya is a multi-talented singer and songwriter. The Canadian songbird is finding early success in her ethereal ballads, having culminated streams in over 60 countries. Her striking, piano-driven, cinematic style pushes the boundaries of songwriting for Faeya, giving her an instrumentation edge among the peers with which she shares her genre. Combined with her profoundly poetic lyrics, Faeya pens the music that most of us would be too bashful, too reticent to reveal what is really churning inside our core. "Night music" was inspired by a Celtic myth: that fairies are deceitful and lure people into the woods with their beautiful music. This turned into a metaphor for naivety- how the most innocent of us see the world through rose-tinted glasses, expecting the best of everyone. I wrote it o...

  Enjoy my favorite picks released in March 2023, in chronological order! "THE SHOW" - Emma G -  Washington, Usa (released on March 1st) Singer/songwriter Emma G celebrates International Women’s Day with the release of her new single "The Show". The song is a powerful anthem about allowing oneself to take off the mask, embrace your true self, and find the courage to live life on your own terms. "It’s so easy to let yourself fall into the narrative than in order to fit in in this world, you need to put on a show - and almost try to make everyone else around you feel comfortable", Emma G explains "but the strongest people are those that allow themselves to be vulnerable. And that’s something that all people should honor about themselves - especially women". As a youth empowerment through songwriting coach and TEDx speaker, Emma G's music and message have touched the hearts of many around the world. Her latest single is sure to resonate wi...

Karen Harding Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based folk/pop singer-songwriter with a passion for sharing a relatable expression of human emotion and inner experience within her music. For Karen, music is not only an outlet for expression of her feelings and emotions drawn from a lifetime of experiences, music is a soul conversation, that allows the masks that we hide behind to fall away for a moment of sharing, a moment of mutual understanding, in a language that does not discriminate in any form. Music has always been a part of Karen’s life, beginning piano lessons at the age of 6 and singing lessons at 14. She has played at many cafes and bars around the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in a combination of solo, duo and band performances, that have contributed to the sound that you hear today. Her debut single "I Didn't Realise" released in May 2021 marked the beginning of a musical and personal journey of exploration. Karen has since been pushin...

Enjoy my favorite picks released in November 2022, in chronological order! "STRONG FOR YOU" - Karen Harding - Melbourne, Australia (released on November 11th) Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based folk/pop singer-songwriter with a passion for sharing a relatable expression of human emotion and inner experience within her music. For Karen, music is a soul conversation, that allows the masks that we hide behind to fall away for a moment of sharing, a moment of mutual understanding, in a language that does not discriminate in any form. She says: "I love that "Strong For You" holds layers of meaning. The song can be translated as a declaration of love and a promise to be there with someone special, through the hard times, to say you’ll be there through thick and thin. I have been going through a period of a lot of self-exploration. For me, this song was born out of a desire to be there for the aspects of myself that I have previously rejected or...

Enjoy my favorite picks from Indie Music world released in July/August 2022, in chronological order! "KHOYA" - SAAZ - India (released on July 1st) "'KHOYA' talks about the feeling of Getting Lost. Lost in the dark where there is no way and hope. This song is a monologue narrated by that lost soul who is not able to find the direction where to move ahead. I'm pretty sure everyone has gone through such a phase. So he starts requesting Energy in which he has faith. And then suddenly he finds the ray of hope which will guide him. We all have faith and believe in that one thing whom we trust so much. Either it is in a person in, Energy, in God, in Nature or it can be Anything. In which you believe and you share with them everything that's inside you without any hesitation. Because you know that person or soul won't gonna judge you and you just let all your's feelings and emotion out. I hope this song helps you to get out of those dark days ...