Lauran came to view her regular gig on this side of the Solent as a home-from- home gig.
Her name is starting to be recognised from a different place.
She signed with Virgin Records and just released her long-awaited debut album, Garageband Superstar.
Lauran described the album as ‘dad rock for your daughters’ and that it included tracks about breaking your leg, falling off rollercoasters, taking off your pants, and writing essays on Facebook walls. Yeah, all pretty relevant stuff.
On the eve of its release, she admits that it’s very exciting.
It’s weird that it’s finally finished and will be released at last, because I’ve been talking about it for so long.
It has been working with Virgin for a long time.
It is a complete dream come true. I’ve been making art since I was 16. I feel like I’ve earned my stripes and I’m very excited to be making the album I want to make. It’s very fun to work with Virgin and some great artists who inspired me when I was a kid.
There are a few high profile names on the album. DJ Lethal is a member of House of Pain and Limp Bizkit.
She said it was a total shot in the dark to get the DJ on-board. There were some scratching sounds on there. We wanted someone to come in and do this for us. My producer asked how cool it would be if we had DJ Lethal. I did not expect him to reply after I messaged him. I was surprised that he wanted to do it.
The lead singer of Wheatus, Brendan B Brown, is featured on the title track. The guy from Wheatus sings on a song about trying to avoid being a one-hit wonder.
She thinks it’s cool. I’m not sure how I pulled that one off. This time it was a one-off message. The first album of Wheatus is really good. Teenage Dirtbag is almost taken away from how good the rest of the album is. It feels like it’s coming full circle when a legend in my field sings about a hit which got away from you. I think it’s great.
She said the album was a nod to all of her favourite sub genres of the 1990s.
She says she knows. I would really like to be alive then. When I was a kid, I was drawn to films like 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless because they made you feel like there was a group for you.
The pop-punk scene made me feel at home. I want to be there. It starts to make sense when you find more bands and watch more films.
When you aren’t in a time, you can romanticise it a bit more. I don’t know what the meaning of the ’90s is. There is a lack of understanding to the whole record and my influences. I started wearing a Weezer T-shirt 10 years too late.
The album has received rave reviews from the mainstream press and other publications. Rolling Stone called her a new hero.
She laughs at the thought of getting a tattoo on her forehead.
The beauty of the project at the moment is that. I can go on a Vamps tour which is a pop tour and go on a Stand Atlantic tour which is more pop- punk/emo. It’s great to tour with different kinds of bands and still be able to find a place to stay. I enjoy the fact that I can be in Kerrang!
The reviews for Garageband Superstar have been mostly positive. It’s good to know that people have heard it.
Lauran’s appeal has always been her social media output and persona – funny, likeable and self-deprecating. How much of that is Lauran?
I can’t stop my sense of humor from pouring into what I do. It’s a big trait of my family and it’s how I am as well. The only way I know how to converse is through organic methods.
When I’m not Lauran, I can sit with myself and pat the dog and not think about anything at all.
You don’t exist if you don’t make videos and promote yourself on there. I wanted to make it fun because I didn’t want it to become a chore or something like that. The funny route is where I have the most fun and I feel like other people will as well.
When it isn’t real, people know. It’s the least I can do if I’m going to put out songs full of funny anecdotes.
Lauran says the songs on the album are all inspired by true stories.
The song Still Running is quite touching. She feels like she is still going over the same ground, even though her friends have built lives, because she feels like she is left behind.
I don’t feel like I’m connected to many of the people I grew up with. I’m doing this job because it’s fun and I’m still living on the Isle of Wight, so I still go to the shop. You go on your phone and look at what everyone else is doing and where they are. You are still running the same 5k even though you haven’t made that jump. I think it’s from my feelings.
Is she considering moving to the mainland? I certainly have. It’s so difficult when the ferries are involved. I’m more than willing to take it.
What do you think about her relationship with Pompey?
I feel like I’m at home in Pompey. Where do I go next as an artist? That was the next point of contact. When I was a kid, there was no place to play apart from pubs and that.
I was a huge fan of Jerry Williams when I was at The Wedgewood Rooms and I am still a huge fan of her today. I’ve been watching her and going to Victorious and things like that so I’ve been edging away from the Isle of Wight.
With acts like Lauran and Wet Leg topping the album charts, there has been more attention on the island’s music scene than in a long time.
It is great to see that the Isle of Wight is being recognized. It’s great to see bands like Wet Leg proving that it can be done and that being from the island isn’t an obstacle, and it’s very exciting. It makes you believe that anything is possible.
You are all female or female-led. The girls on the island seem to be taking over.
Lauran is at The Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea. There are tickets for $11. There is a website called wedgewood-rooms.co.uk.