Interview: Lauren Hall Discusses The Release Of Her Single “Backwards”!

Rising country singer-songwriter Lauren Hall recently released her brand new single titled “Backwards” & has kindly spoken with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution about her latest release.

Hey Lauren, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Can you start by telling the readers a little bit about yourself?

Lauren: Hey Jess! First off, thank you for wanting to feature me! I appreciate the support so much. My name is Lauren Hall and I am from the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina. I was born and raised here in the “low country” as we call it, and I love Country music with my whole heart. I’m 23 years old and have been playing gigs with my band around the SC area since I was 17 and writing my own music since I was about 14. I released my first EP when I was 16 years old and have a sophomore EP coming out this year. Over the last year and a half I’ve been traveling back and forth to Nashville writing and recording this EP that will be released this summer sometime. I just released my first single off the EP titled “Backwards” on May 1st. I also have another single coming May 22nd with a music video shortly after.

When did you first discover your passion for music?

Lauren: I first discovered my love for music at an early age because I watched my dad play in bands and in church ministry from as early as I can remember. He’s a drummer and ironically is now the drummer in my band! I was pretty shy child, so it took me a little while to get on stage and perform for the first time. My early teenage years I discovered a love for Country music and that was it for me. I knew in my heart that was what I wanted to do with my life and I started working on writing my own songs and eventually started playing some small gigs here in there throughout my middle school years. I later started a band and spent all my high school years until now playing music venues, bars and festivals around the SC area. We play about 70 shows year round typically.

Have you always known that music was a career that you wanted to pursue?

Lauren: I actually didn’t know that was what I would end up doing. Like I mentioned earlier, I was really shy so I kind of stayed away from anything that would cause me to have to be in front of large groups of people, which is hilarious to think about now! I had always loved music, but I think it changed when I discovered Country music and specially, Taylor Swift when she first came out. I was about 11 years old and she just modeled for me the kind of songwriting and music I wanted to make. I loved how she connected with people and was so inspired by her. I know a lot of young girls in music say that about Taylor Swift, but my family really didn’t listen to Country music much, so Taylor was almost the first impression of Country music I got a taste of. I later discovered Shania Twain, Dolly Parton, The Dixie Chicks and so many other powerhouse Country artists that have now been such an influence on me and my music.

How would you describe your musical style to someone unfamiliar with your music?

Lauren: My music is definitely Country, but still has a modern edge to it. While recording this new EP, I really wanted to find my own sound and have it be organic and not as “produced” sounding as a lot of music coming out of Nashville sounds right now. I feel like I found a fresh sound with touches of tradition on some songs, and others that lean toward a more contemporary Country feel. I really like artists like Carly Pearce, Kacey Musgraves, and Miranda Lambert, so my sound is inspired a lot by those women.

You recently released the brand new single “Backwards”. How did the idea to create this track come together?

Lauren: Yes, first one off the EP! It’s been such a crazy, surreal release week. I got the idea from a saying I heard that was, “You understand your life backwards”. I really liked that concept because I was going through something at the time that was very uncertain and difficult when I wrote it, so it was encouraging to think there would be positives and lessons I would take out of that season once I was able to look back on it.

What does the song personally mean to you?

Lauren: This song is a really personal one to me because I wrote it back in 2018 when I was on strict voice rest and didn’t play live shows for 7 months. I felt like my career and life was on hold, kind of how a lot of us have felt during this season with quarantine. I wrote the song in faith that everything would work out and there would positives that came out of that hard season for me and sure enough, they did. During that time I finally had the time and vision to really dig in on my own music. I started making trips to Nashville and began co-writing with one of my now producers and also met my other producer on this project during that 7 months. This song is about how I feel like God can use the uncertain, broken parts of our stories and weave them into something better than we could have even thought of or imagined. He always has a plan for good, even if it doesn’t make sense or feel good in the moment. I wrote Backwards believing the light at the end of that tunnel was going to make all the heartache I went through worth it, and looking at these songs and where I am now in my music I can honestly say I don’t know if I’d be where I am if none of that happened. I wanted to release this song first as an encouraging ”in the moment” song for everyone right now dealing with all this uncertainty since it was written during kind of similar circumstances. It’s been so special to see how it has connected with so many people already.

If listeners could take away one message from the song, what would you like it to be?

Lauren: I would like it probably to be the first line in the verse actually – “If you wanna just give up, don’t give in”. I think we all get stuck in our own heads with all the crazy emotions we have and it’s hard to see outside of ourselves when we’re feeling confused or down. The message I want to stick with people from this song is that there’s always opportunity for positives to come out of hard situations and those difficult seasons won’t last forever. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Do you have any further releases planned, which you can tell us about?

Lauren: I do, actually very soon! The second single will be coming May 22nd and it’s a much different feel from this last one. It’s titled “Gone”, so based on the title you can probably guess it’s got break up song vibes. Every Country album needs one though right? I wrote this song about being treated second best in a relationship and finally deciding it wasn’t worth the heartache anymore. It has a very empowering, kind of Country-rock feel which goes along nicely with the theme behind the story of the song. Speaking of the story behind the song, there is also a music video for this single that will be out May 29th! I’ve never really acted before, so filming the video was a whole new experience for me. We had a great team and cast that made it such a fun experience! It really tells a story and portrays the heartache well. We filmed in this run down looking warehouse first and then went around my hometown of Charleston to film a bunch of date scenes. The idea was to portray this guy who was dating and stringing along a bunch of girls at once going on the same dates, saying the same thing, etc. I won’t give away the ending, but it does get pretty dramatic. You’ll have to wait and see how it unfolds on the 29th!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Lauren: I love to be outdoors especially living at the beach here in Charleston, SC! It’s a beautiful waterfront town, so a lot of activities are spent outside. I like to exercise too, so biking and walking the beach are two of my favorite things to do. I would say I like to run, but fun fact about me is I am extremely pigeon toed and a klutz, so running doesn’t work so well haha. A lot of my spare time is spent doing something outdoors though, especially right now during quarantine! My other favorite thing to do is going to other people’s shows and concerts. Really missing live events about now!

What song do you always keep on your playlist & why?

Lauren: Hmm, I would say right now I absolutely love “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell! That has been on my playlist for a while now. A current one I keep on repeat is “I Hope You’re Happy Now” by Carly Pearce. It’s just such a good song and I love the production of it.

If you could perform a duet with anyone in the world, who would it be?

Lauren: I think it would be amazing to do duet with Dolly Parton. She’s incredible in so many ways and such an inspiration. That would be a dream. Or, Taylor Swift just because she was such big influence for me early on.

What was the last TV show you binge-watched & did you enjoy it?

Lauren: Ok, I’m going to sound very out of touch with my generation right now, but I actually don’t have Netflix, Hulu, etc.! I did kind of binge watch a show recently using a friend’s account though haha, and it was “The Bachelor Listen to Your Heart” series (I know, terrible terrible show). It’s so cringey, but I will say I was very entertained! “Outer Banks” looks like a good one to binge watch. They shot a bunch of that here where I live in Charleston, so maybe I’ll actually watch that one!

If you could appear on any TV show, which would you choose & why?

Lauren: Oh that’s a good question. Hmm, well I know it’s a stupid show but I do love The Bachelor! I think it would be fun to be on that show and perform. Other than that, I’ve been loving watching The Circle network and all the Opry live shows. My ultimate dream would be to play the Opry and be featured on that series.

Finally, is there a message you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?

Lauren: I think right now my message would be this too shall pass. We will gather again, see our loved ones, and have concerts. Things may be different for a bit, but I really think we all are connecting more in a way. Just know we are all in it together and we’ll come out of it together stronger. Also, I always like to say this to anyone who asks about being an artist or musician. Remember there’s only one of you and you’re an original. Always be yourself and know you have so much to offer the world.
Thank you Jess for interviewing me and featuring my releases! It means so much and I’ve loved answering these questions. Can’t wait for everyone to hear the new music!

You can check out “Backwards” on Spotify below.