Nu-soul star Laura Izibor on positivity in a negative world
Nu-soul star Laura Izibor on positivity in a negative world
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Friday, 20, Mar 2009 04:57
Officially nu-soul's hottest prospect for 2009, Irish singer/songwriter Laura Izibor has been supporting John Legend on his European tour.
Drawing stylistic comparisons to seminal soul singers such as Candi Staton, Roberta Flack, and Aretha Franklin, Let The Truth Be Told anchors itself firmly in classic R 'n' B, combining a reverence for the traditions of vintage soul with a thoroughly refreshing twist of modern sensibility, layered with Laura's powerful, honey-tinged vocals. Like any true performer, the stage is where Laura shines - in addition to wowing audiences at numerous sold-out headline shows in Ireland,
Born and raised in Dublin, the piano-playing 21 year old began working on her debut at 17, recording Let The Truth Be Told over the course of four years in a diverse range of cities: New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dublin among them. From the breezy sunshine pop of Shine - the forthcoming single to be taken from the album, to the dreamy love lament If Tonight Is My Last and the gospel-infused Mmm, it's Laura's incredible ear for melody and feel for a groove that sparkles
Introduced to the piano at 13 years old and having played ever since, Laura made Irish music history in 2006 by becoming the first unreleased artist ever be nominated and to win a Meteor Irish Music Awards (Ireland's Brit Award). Having shaped and honed her signature sound, and about to release her much-anticipated debut, 2009 looks set to be an incredible year for Laura.
How do you feel about your new release?
I'm definitely being kept on my toes right now. I'm excited about the new album and I'm happy to let the world hear what I've done.
What was it like travelling to different places to record the album?
It was great and brought a really fresh energy every time we recorded a new song, in a new
place, with different people. I was really fortunate to be able to experience that with my first record.
Have you been performing lately?
Yeah, I've had some amazing opportunities to support artists that I admire and respect. I'm really looking forward to touring with John Legend. I haven't met him yet but I've heard really good things about him. It's a huge opportunity for me to travel across Europe and get my music to as many people as I can.
Did you receive much recognition from your home town before you were signed?
That's where it all began and the reaction from your home town definitely means the most. Hopefully when the album's released I can go back there and perform the songs from it.
What was it like co-producing the album?
It was great. I wasn't planning to become a producer but it sort of happened that way. When you
write your own songs you instinctively hear what you want done with it so it was good to have my voice heard and have such an input to my first record. It's pretty unheard of for a new artist to be able to do that. I've had a lot of creative freedom with this record.
Watch the video for Laura's current single Shine
Your music is quite mature for a 21-year-old. Where do you get that from?
I don't really know. I think that''s just who I am as an individual and a lyricist. I didn''t get my musical talent from my family. Maybe I got it from somebody way down the line, like my great grandmother or something. Who knows? Music is just what I fell into when I was growing up.
There are a lot of comparisons being made between you and artists like Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack. How do you feel about that?
I'm just really honoured and flattered to be in the same sentence as these people. I listened to them when I was growing up. At the moment I really admire India Arie, Jill Scott, Jennifer Hudson, women that keep it real who have raw talent.
Did you do much music at school?
Once I started singing I would take classes and hang out in the piano room, take piano lessons and singing lessons. Pretty soon music became my life.
What did you learn during this long process of recording your album?
I changed record labels which took a long time to sort out due to politics. After that, it didn't take long for me to write and record. I think the biggest lesson I learned was patience and to enjoy now and stop wishing one's life away. It taught me to chill and appreciate what I have right now. My next album is almost written because of the amount of time it took to finish the first one.
Are you anxious to the feedback you're going to get?
For me this has been a long period of my life so the feeling I have now is peacefulness. There's no pent-up excitement like someone may have if they were only recording for ten months. I just want to let the album free.
What do you hope to bring to the British music scene?
Something fresh. Right now it's great to have a single that's very uplifting and creates a bit of hope in times like these where everyone's quite miserable. It's not a total reflection of the album, there are a lot of styles on it but right now it's great to have something positive out there.
Rashmi Shastri
www.myspace.com/lauraizibor
www.myspace.com/lauraizibor