Lauren Presley
Hearing “White Noise” for the very first time was a very good surprise. I was hoping to hear something good but it definitely went beyond my expectations. “White Noise” is a pop smash that has an empowering behind it. I can totally relate to this story. I’ve been there and knowing that we are not alone is a powerful thing. “White Noise” is about being true to ourselves and chasing our dreams despite all the judgements that people may have about us.
With the help of Kate Ryder, Gregory Walton and Scify, the Nashville-based artist probably released one of her best records. It surely deserves so much love and attention.
Go stream “White Noise”, out now !
Photo credit: @seanmcgeecreative
Hi Lauren, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. How are you? What's your story?
No problem, thanks for having me!
I’m great! I’m a pop artist based in Nashville, TN. I moved here from Texas years ago to pursue a music career. The past few years have been filled with lots of songwriting, meeting/working with new people, building an audience & doing a couple shows.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up in Texas so when I was really young country was the main genre, but as I got older I got really interested in all genres. Now I listen to everything, but pop is my number one!
Could you list a few records that influenced the music you are making today?
There’s several songs by Fletcher that have influenced me, specifically ‘Bitter’ and ‘girls girls girls’ and several from Halsey, one being ‘Without me’. Overall Tate McRae is another big influence as well.
When did you know music was more than just a hobby? What/who gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
Somehow deep down I always felt that this is what i’m supposed to do, ever since I was really little. So I don’t think I ever had a specific moment of realization of like ‘ok this is it’, because it was just always there. My mom has always been my biggest supporter in going after this dream, and also my husband. When we met, I was in high school and had taken a step back from music. He didn’t even know I did music but after finding out & hearing me sing he was like ‘why are you not perusing this harder? Like you’re too good to not do this.’ And from that point on he’s been supporting me & pushing me & just helping me believe in myself.
"White Noise" is your latest single - what’s the story/inspiration behind this song?
Being in Nashville (or I can imagine any music centered city) people tend to roll their eyes at yet another person wanting to be an artist. It’s almost like sometimes people look down upon you because they think you’re living in this fantasy world. I’ve been asked or heard things like:
‘how’s your ‘little’ music stuff going?’
‘So what’s your plan B?’
‘It’s just not realistic’
Also I didn’t finish college due to the fact that I was working a job full time to support myself, doing music full time, going to school, and trying to maintain relationships and stay sane. It was just too much and something had to give. I realized I was going to school because I thought that’s what my family wanted and was just the thing I was ‘supposed’ to do. I didn’t even know why I was going, I didn’t need a degree to be an artist so I dropped out. That came with this feeling of letting people down around me. So ‘white noise’ is all of these feelings and experiences wrapped into a song.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process for this song? Who helped you create it?
I wrote this with my friends Kate Ryder, Gregory Walton, and Scify (Scify produced the song as well). I went into the session with the idea of what I wanted to write about. After explaining the concept to them, they started helping me organize my ideas and putting it into melodies. We took a break to all go eat together and came back and finished it up & tracked a demo of it that night. It was one of those sessions that just flowed really well which is always really nice. I listened to that demo for months and fell more in love with it and then decided to release it!
What did you feel when recording this song?
I think I was sad about some of the experiences I mentioned earlier but also a little mad and just kinda over it. At the end of the song, we added an outro that I perceive as me taking my power back. Which also works as an introduction to my upcoming songs that are a darker vibe, basically my villain era! (laughs)
What's your favorite lyric on "White Noise"?
I think my favorite lyric is ‘Too bad i’m not your poster child now’. It’s kinda a sassy way of saying like i’m not your puppet, and I’m living my life for me the way I want.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I wanted the artwork to look/feel like all eyes are on me watching me and there’s a lot of pressure from that. My original idea was a photo day at school so there’s the typical school photo day backdrop and a camera flashing. The camera flashing was hard to do so the other idea was to just have phones cameras taking pictures so it still feels like people are watching me. I wanted to tie in the school idea because one of the lyrics is ‘You should stay in school don’t let us down’ so the song is kinda mocking that in a way.
What message do you want to deliver through this song?
I want to send the message of if you’ve had similar feelings of feeling like you let people down and putting pressure on yourself to please other people- you are not alone.
Also I hope it inspires people to let go of the people pleasing mentality and do what they truly want to do, not what others want them to do. It’s your life and we only get one!
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What advice would you give to women out there?
Thankfully most of the people I have worked with have been amazing individuals. I will say being a woman in the industry, I have felt in a couple instances that men seem to be respected more than me, for no reason. This industry as we know is mostly men and there’s definitely this ‘bro’ code thing going on so sometimes I do feel left on the outside. Also have been told to show some more skin because that will help me make it further. So unfortunately there are some ugly sides to the industry but I’ve been fortunate enough to surround myself around some really great people, including some guys who I see as brothers now. My advice would be to keep fighting because you deserve to be there just like the guys, and you will find your people if you put yourself out there!
Photo credit: @seanmcgeecreative
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
I think personally the hardest part is continuously putting myself out there for the whole world to see (and judge). I’m actually a very introverted person who likes to be private & also live the moment. It can be hard to live in the moment when I’m constantly trying to film content and share my life with the internet. I definitely have to take a step back at times and create some space between me as a person and my career. Because the lines become blurred at times. The best part is simply making music. That’s why I do this, music is so healing and has gotten me through so much. In a writing room or a recording session, that’s truly my happy place. And also the comments/messages I’ve received over the years saying my music helped them get through something or it inspired them, those kinds of messages is just the cherry on top for me. That makes my heart so full.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
The music industry is tough, there’s a lot of people who want the same thing. I think a lot of musicians have been feeling very burnt out (myself included) the last few years. It’s become very social media, specifically TikTok focused. Sometimes it feels like you have to be an influencer first in order to be an artist- and it’s hard to be completely honest. Most labels are only interested if you’ve had a viral Tiktok moment unfortunately. Although I will say social media can be really great at the same time. You can connect with people through it, build business and personal relationships through it. So I think it’s a double edged sword. I would change how focused the industry is on numbers and viral moments. I want to go back to when the music industry was genuinely about good music. I see so much amazing music go unnoticed because the artist hasn’t had a viral moment.
What advice would you give to young artists?
Keep going! It can be really easy to compare your success to others & put yourself down for it, but trust me it does no good. Everyone’s journey looks different & success is not always a straight line. Try to enjoy the journey. With talent and relentless hard work, you will be successful if you just keep going.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I’ve truly learned to not stress over the things I cannot change. I can’t control who likes me or doesn’t like me or my music. All I can do is continue to be myself, make the music that feels right and genuine to me, and hope others like it too. I think that’s a very important mindset to have being an artist.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Kindness. I think showing others kindness, even strangers, and maybe even when we aren’t in the best mood and don’t feel like being very kind, but choosing to be kind anyway. I think that’s such a powerful thing and would a million percent make the world a better place.
Connect with Lauren: