DIVA caught up with British singer-songwriter and producer Lauren Bannon to find out more about her new singles
BY KAY TRAYFORD, IMAGE BY RICARDO BONISOLI
I sat down with the fabulous (and stunning) Lauren Bannon aka LLOREN, to talk about her new singles Like This and California Daydream, her briefly single life, and her experience on The Voice. Oh, and maybe a little something about ramen noodles.
I really enjoyed your performances on The Voice, can you tell us what life has been like since leaving the show, what have you been up to?
It’s been a bit of a long journey! I‘ve spent quite a bit of time finding out what I want to do with my sound, writing lots of music for myself, and for other people and working on projects for me. I’ve had bits of success within TV (LLOREN’s music has been featured on Netflix, The L Word, and Grey’s Anatomy to name a few) and now I’m starting to put out the work that I’ve always wanted to put out which is full of cinematic, dream pop, retro vibes, which features heavily in my songs.
I’m guessing it’s not just instant fame when you’re on TV, there’s still so much to do, right?
Yes, people often think it’s an instant shot to fame when you’re on TV, but there’s actually a really long journey in between. Being on a TV show is not the big break. To really breakthrough, you have to have multiple breaks, you have to keep at it and there’s always going to be days when you just feel like, “That didn’t go as well as I thought” or “That didn’t get listened to as much as I wanted”. Everyone also thinks it’s such a glamorous life but it’s crazy. One day I’m in LA, landing an HBO advert and everyone is shazaming my song, and the next I’m back home, with no heating on to save electricity, eating ramen noodles.
Nothing wrong with a cup of ramen noodles! But it’s good to hear about the reality behind the glamour. Tell us more about your new singles Like This and California Daydream.
Like This was the first song released, I wrote it a couple of years ago and that actually became the inspiration for the rest of the sound on the album. I finally made something that I thought “Oh, ok this is it, this is me”. With California Daydream, it was one of the last songs I wrote on the album and the only one that I didn’t write while I was in LA! I had the opportunity to write with three amazing producers, all of whom totally understood the sound I was trying to capture. I love old Hollywood nostalgia and I love retro sounds. I joke that it’s Lana Del Rey on happy pills. It’s not all similar, but every song sounds euphoric and at that time in my life, I just really needed to feel happy.
And understandably so, since I heard that your 12-year relationship with your, now ex-partner, has ended.
Yes, but there’s no hard feelings whatsoever. Obviously, it’s a hard thing to happen when you’ve been with somebody for so long but it’s still quite positive. Becky is now Ben, and we are still really great friends. He is in a new relationship now and he was incredibly supportive during The Voice. When we separated, I didn’t want to write sad or dark songs, I wanted to write something that felt like escapism and pure happiness and I wanted other people to listen and think “Yeah, this makes me feel really good”.
I can definitely feel those vibes listening to your music, especially your new songs. Is this a good time to ask if you yourself are dating anyone new?
I have started dating somebody, it wasn’t expected or planned, it just kind of happened. I still feel like I haven’t really had a “dating” experience because I’ve spent my entire adult life in quite serious things. I feel like I am incapable of being casual. I really wanted something casual this time but I’ve been so not casual. I’ve just never “played the field” but I think if I did, I would get so much more writing material. I’m a pansexual woman so choices feel very open for me – the world is my oyster.
Absolutely! We only live once, right? Tell me more about when you auditioned for The Voice, were you nervous?
I wasn’t that nervous, I was excited. As the stakes got higher towards the finals it did get more nerve-wracking, but I approached it with an “anything can happen” mentality. These shows are wonderful exposure but they’re not the make or break. Even the winners have to go on and work incredibly hard afterwards, it doesn’t matter how far you get in the competition, whether you’re a finalist, whether you win or whether you make it to the music charts, you still have to put the work in to build your career.
And, as an openly pansexual contestant, what advice would you offer to individuals in the LGBTQIA community, who might be interested in a music career?
Don’t be disheartened, I tried for The Voice a couple of years previous, and I didn’t even get past the first audition.
If you try and fail the first time, get up, and try again. It’s not the end of the world and nowadays we have access to social media. Create stuff and put it out there. Television is a great platform but it’s not the only one.
You’ve mentioned Lana Del Ray previously, is she someone you aspire to be like, musically and famously?
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I wouldn’t absolutely love to be the next Lana, but there are so many ways to build a successful career in music. To be able to do this as my job is such an amazing thing and a privilege. I’ll still keep chasing the stars but I’m already living the dream, me, myself and my ramen noodles.
You can listen to Like This and California Daydream now.
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