Rising singer-songwriter Lauren Ray will join Paul Carrack at his Milton Keynes Theatre show in a couple of weeks (February 15).
Lauren has just issued her new single, Irreplaceable in the middle of January.
She talked all things music with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
Ooooh I have no idea to be honest…maybe the Little Mermaid Soundtrack or even further back Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Streaming mostly now as the only place I have a CD player is in my car. Although I do collect vinyl as I like the artwork and it’s a nice way to support an artist as well as streaming their music.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'
Probably the first time I realised music could be a job I knew I wanted to try and make it mine.
Your best on stage memory...
The last show supporting Anastacia in Milan was amazing because I asked for the lights to come up so I could take a video of the nearly 3000 people in front of me. Mind blowing.
And the worst gig you've ever done
Performing to no one except the staff in a bar in London many many years ago.
What made you take up singing
I just love singing and so it wasn’t so much that I ‘took it up’ but more that I couldn’t stop singing so I might as well try and get paid for it.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
There are so many songs out there that are incredible and beautifully written that of course I wish I had penned but seeing as we are approaching Christmas I guess I would say that I wished I had written ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You” for Mariah Carey..that would be a nice little mortgage payer.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
Come To Me from my first album means a lot because it’s a very personal story but also it’s the first song I released from my album, the first that ever got played on the radio and just seems to resonate with so many people (which is sad in a way of course).
Are there any current influences you look to
I listen to so much music, from so many different genres it’s hard to pin point a specific artist or song I am influenced by at the moment. I would say I am just always influenced by great lyricists.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
I always wonder what it must be like to sing and be able to perform like Beyonce because it’s so far removed from my own abilities.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
No I wouldn’t say that there are genres I can’t stand…I find the screaming vocal technique in hard metal or rock quite hard to listen to personally but I respect their ability to create that particular sound and performance.
Finally, plug your show in Milton Keynes with Paul Carrack - what can we expect?
I am really looking forward to supporting Paul Carrack in the new year.
I will be performing just piano and vocal to open the show and it will be a mix of songs from my first album, my latest EP ‘Inside This Silence’ and then new songs from my second album (to be released next year). I am just looking forward to sharing my songs with Paul’s audience.
To book tickets for the show at Milton Keynes Theatre click here
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