Introducing Lauren L’Aimant, the St. Albans vocalist who recently featured on Maxinne’s latest single ‘Tell Me Something’. After a phenomenal release, we caught up with Lauren to find out more about the upcoming artist, discussing everything from her go to karaoke songs to performing live with Icarus and Rufus Du Sol!
Hey Lauren, welcome to the #ToolroomFamily and congratulations on your latest release ‘Tell Me Something’ with Maxinne! Tell us a bit about how the collaboration came about, and your relationship with the Toolroom label and Maxinne, are you both good friends already?
Helloooo #ToolroomFamily! Thank you for having me. Maxinne and I did a session a couple of years back and although nothing came of that particular song, we’ve always stayed in touch, sending each other ideas for tunes, and have definitely become good friends over this time!
Maxinne feat. Lauren L’Aimant – Tell Me Something
Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from and what music influenced you, were there any icons you looked up to when you were younger?
I’m from St. Albans which is basically North West London but I grew up listening to all sorts. The music that really resonated with me when I was young was Motown and Disco (the music of my parents) and my brother is the reason I fell in love with electronic music. He used to spin UK Garage on vinyl in his bedroom and it sparked something in me from there. I was also OBSESSED with Craig David in his heyday and I told myself I was going to become his female equivalent and I even learnt how to MC like him… HA!
Craig David – Rewind
You’ve been making a name for yourself within the electronic dance scene for a while, having collaborated with various artists as well as featuring on Toolroom House Party compilations. Tell us how you got into electronic music? Was it always an aspiration for you?
Electronic music is in my blood because of the people I associated with, the school I went to and as I mentioned, my brother. It’s the music that gets us dancing, and lifts the spirit. I can write anything, and don’t get me wrong, I love ALL music, but dance music really gets to me.
You’ve performed live alongside some huge artists in the electronic music world such as Rufus Du Sol and Icarus, tell us more about how they came about, what was it like performing to huge crowds and do you have any fond memories of those times?
My previous manager and I had recently parted ways but I’d been introduced to Icarus and had been sending them demos. Luckily for me, they saw something in me and we began collaborating frequently, and one of the pair is also now my manager. I’ve sung on some of their tunes and they’ve taken me around the world as their tour singer, which has been incredible.
I think the highlight of the many, many shows we’ve done was performing at Parklife Festival in Manchester back in 2019 to a 6000 strong crowd. It’s a high like no other, feeling their energy and hearing people sing along with you. I can’t wait to do that again.
Do you feel like those performances helped you develop further as a vocalists and performer? improving your song writing abilities?
Oh absolutely. Honestly, before I performed across America on the Rufus Du Sol ‘Solace‘ Tour, I was relatively inexperienced on stage. I feel that I’ve grown so much in confidence and I know how to approach my nerves now, because they really did stifle me. As for the songwriting side of things, being around music that gets people moving is very inspiring when it comes to crafting a song.
How do you approach writing toplines, lyrics and melodies, do you have a specific process to creating them? Does it tend to be a collaborative thing with who you’ve working with at the time?
My process is different each time – some days I’ll be making a coffee and a melody or lyric will just pop into my head so I’ll record the idea into my phone and go back to it, other times I’m sent an instrumental from a collaborator and it conjures up words and tunes. For me, that’s how I know I want to pursue a song, if it comes to me naturally then it’s already done. Or I’ll be sat at my piano tinkling around and I’ll get a lovely chord progression going and then a topline idea will just come. There really are no rules for me when it comes to writing.
Do you have any tips or techniques for Vocalists trying to beat those lockdown blues and improve their own motivation and creativity?
I’ve been lucky in that I’ve still been working (at another job) throughout the pandemic, so I’ve been getting the social interaction I’ve needed. I think that has helped with my motivation and kept me inspired as I’m not stuck inside day in, day out. I’ve also tried to keep to a good routine, getting up early, getting out in nature at least once a day, meditating and exercising consistently too! It’s all about stimulation – there’s always more to learn. If music making isn’t happening, go and be productive with something else. I’ve taught myself how to edit video and photos during lockdown, which is just another string to my bow!
What are your 5 all-time favourite vocal house dance records?
OOOOH. What a question. Ok, here goes:
1. Y-Tribe feat. Elizabeth Troy – Enough Is Enough
2. Mark Knight – Yebisah
3. EDX – Blessed
4. Icarus – King Kong
5. Joey Negro – Make A Move On Me
What is your go to karaoke song?
I Just Wanna Make Love To You – Etta James. I channel my inner diva every time I sing it.
Are there any other vocalists or artists you’re excited about who we should be keeping our eye on in 2021?
Well, this seems like the perfect opportunity to reveal that I’ll be launching a new project very soon called ‘1111’. This is going to be my outlet for creating electronic music as it’s not widely known that I’m also a producer as well as a singer / songwriter. I’ve also been working a lot with a DJ / Producer called Ruben Lasala, he’s got some very exciting stuff coming!
Future plans for 2021, do you have any more releases/collaborations planned for the rest of the year? Any potential gigs lined up once live music returns?
No gigs as yet, but I’m hoping that will all change come June 21st! Come on Bozza! As for collaborations, there are many already booked in and many in the pipeline. I also have an EP coming in the Summer, which has been in the works for nearly 4 years. Watch this space!