Laura Meets Musicians

Elif Dame In this mid-August week, I found the perfect tune to ease you into the vacation vibes - "Killing It" by Amsterdam based artist Elif Dame. "Killing It" focuses on letting go and features warm, honey-soaked vocals, vibey beats from fellow Amsterdam artist GANZ, and hypnotic melodies which create an all-encompassing atmosphere. Plus, it is the result of a self-care hiatus that the artist took to take care of her mental health - I'm always more than happy to showcase on my blog the importance of taking breaks and breath a little, while the whole world is pushing us to just run, run, run (most of the times without a direction). But before, let's learn a little about Elif! Born to a jazz pianist and retail-clerk, the Amsterdam based Elif Dame (meaning "she who brings light") started practicing her creativity at a young age. Having her musical interests initially sparked by the likes of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and the gospel genre, it wo...

The Sometimes Island The Sometimes Island is a tropical indie-pop band based in Los Angeles and Albuquerque. When I first heard their new single "Neon Summer", it inspired me strong beach vibes and they suddenly conquered me with their freshness. The band has millions of streams for their music to date, as well as praise from the likes of LA Weekly, Wonderland Magazine and Earmilk to name a few. If you ask them to describe the sound of the band, they say: "If Daft Punk and Fleet Foxes had a lovechild, this band would disappoint its parents and be sent to boarding school for sounding like The 1975!". This is exactly what The Sometimes Island are made of. Synth-heavy pop laced with introspective lyrics and bright, colorful sounds, it’s the kind of music you can both sway your hips to and appreciate both physically and intellectually. "I think the point of our music is movement", says Blankenship Jr. "We make music that people can participate physicall...

Izzy Potter Izzy Potter is a singer/songwriter currently based in Nashville, TN with roots in New York. She is an independent artist with universally relatable, poignant, and often personal lyrics. Her first self released EP "Place Called Home" has her most requested high energy single "Juniper" to play live. Izzy’s lyrics have depth and insight that is both playful and intriguing, and has been remarked as "spot on" for such a young talent. Her storytelling is invoked with the spirit of acoustic pop/folk style sounds. Her storytelling style is often compared to artists like Taylor Swift, Julia Michaels, Noah Kahn, Fleetwood Mac, and Phoebe Bridgers. She has been songwriting since she was 12 years old and was recognized by NSAI songwriting evaluators as "One to Watch". Izzy is currently studying songwriting at Belmont University, and is excited to continue her love of performing and writing. No doubt her drive, devotion, and passion for writing...

Petra Jasmiina’s upcoming single "Jackie O Lake" (out May 5th 2023) brings us bittersweet nostalgia with cinematic pop scores and a dash of Nordic sisu. Laura Meets Musicians has the honor to exclusively premiere the dreamy new single 48 hours before the release! Listen to it below and if you like the song and want to make sure you find it on release day, please pre-save/pre-order it here: https://ffm.to/petrajasmiina . Photo Credit:  Aleksei Postnikov / Petrafied Productions Petra Jasmiina, the Finnish singer-songwriter and producer based in New York City, is known for her vivid musical storytelling and her signature blend of catchy pop and cinematic drama. Her upcoming single, "Jackie O Lake" offers a glimpse into the artist’s first days in New York and reflects the conflicting experiences of a brand new expat - from hopelessness to grit, excitement to defeat, and foreignness to belonging. The self-produced alt-pop anthem, inspired by the ballads of Lana...

  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...

M. Byrd (Photo Credit: Miriam Marlene) German-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer  M. Byrd  has released his manically ethereal new single "Only A Feeling". M. Byrd unearths universality from intensely personal songwriting. In 2020, he turned heads with the single "Mountain", followed by "Morning Sun", gaining millions of streams and praise from Ones To Watch, Earmilk, Atwood, etc. At the end of 2020, he holed up in Detmold, Germany in a WWII-era British Corps squash hall rechristened as a studio with producer Eugen Koop to create The Seed.  Leaving his mark on each level of the music, M. Byrd personally plays guitar, synthesizers and bass on the record. After generating 10 million-plus streams and acclaim from outlets worldwide, he continues to perfect his vision on his 2023 debut LP, The Seed [Nettwerk]. Powered by a vintage OP1 drum machine, the track features airy guitars weaving around a steady beat as he tries to capture the...

Lilly Marshall At just nineteen years old, indie-folk artist Lilly Marshall has curated a life of wanderlust and adventure seeking, finding solace in open spaces. Like therapeutic highways, her songs are an invitation to join her and stay a while - maybe even catch a sunrise. A combination of driven grooves, hook-laden melodies, and sweet folk-tinged vocals, provide a sense of familiar comfort, that fits just right. With influences ranging from Grace Potter and Caamp to Sublime and Jack Johnson, her songs stitch together a sonic surfternative patchwork, held together with love, paving the way for one yearning heart at a time.  Marshall was born and raised on the New Jersey shoreline to her Nicaraguan mother and Dutch/ Irish father. Her early years were heavily shaped by her parent’s painful divorce which was finalized by the time she was seven. "They did the best they could at the time but were just so young", recalls Marshall. "I had to grow up a little faster than mo...