When Chordblossom came into existence, it was always our aim to shine a spotlight on the artists and bands that make up the music scene in Northern Ireland. We’ve been doing it for over ten years now and one of our favourite methods is our Introducing feature.
Put the kettle on, curl up on your sofa and and join us for a quickfire Q&A with some of our favourite new musicians. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite artists.
This iteration of Introducing features the musical talents of Garrett Laurie who just released their latest single ‘All About Me’.
What was the inspiration behind your artist name?
There are a few inspirations behind my name – About ten years ago, before I was releasing music, I was really inspired by Piper Laurie after watching Carrie for the first time and the name just always stuck with me. I first watched Halloween around that time too and Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode was an inspiration too for the same reason.
The fact that both were women and that both were drawn from 70s horror films didn’t really occur to me then, but when I was thinking of an artist name, I wanted something slightly androgynous that was also in keeping with the cinematic influence of the music too, and Laurie felt like the best fit.
You’ve just released a new single. How did it come about and what does it mean to you?
I wrote All About Me with Ciaran Lavery and Stephen O’Hagan when I was at Soft Gut Song Camp last year. After hearing the track I had worked on with some of the other camp members from the first day of the camp, Ciaran asked to work with me on an intimate, vocal – focused song. I suggested writing a song about ego in the arts scene and we quickly fell into a conversation about the process of releasing music and the vulnerable space it puts you in as an artist. We recorded the song after a night of bonding with the other artists over wine and I think you can hear that in the original vocals that made it to the final mix.
The title is a play on the Bette Davis movie title, All About Eve which Ciaran performs a muffled, overlapping monologue from at the end of the track. This single marks a new movement for me at this stage in my career, as to this point I think the song writing aspect to my music has been overshadowed by the heavy production style I opted for in my first EP, released late last year. The cinematic influence is there, but more in more subtle ways than before I think.
Have you any more releases or studio time lined up for later in the year?
I have been in the studio a lot recently, recording for my upcoming EP. I have two singles I am wrapping production on at the moment that I’m really really excited about. I took some time a while ago to consider where exactly I wanted to go musically from my last EP, ‘Can I Play Too Or Is It Just For Boys?’ and what I wanted to say. Lockdowns and everything a couple years ago halted the completion of the project because we were working with so many layers and stems and styles.
This new project feels different as it’s a bit more grounded in folk. I grew up singing in church folk groups within my family and in school so leaning into that and the singer – songwriter side of myself has felt like a natural progression. I also think this style is easiest to communicate with people through, which is my priority now.
Tell us about your song writing process.
I have to channel something when I write, whether it be a character in a film or a colour or something. It depends, but it’s pretty much always something sad, or with a sad tone to it. My favourite songs of mine are the ones that feel like they’ve written themselves because everything I’ve wanted to say is fresh in my mind after experiencing or witnessing something that I know will stay with me for a long time.
Who were your favourite artists/bands growing up? Have your influences changed over time?
I have always been a huge fan of Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks, and I love Courtney Love too. Female artists have generally struck more of a chord with me I think because growing up they represented something I was never allowed to be in my everyday life. I specifically like these artists because they are timeless, effortlessly play with gender and completely embody the worlds of their music.
The 2022 NI Music Prize has just concluded, what’s been your favourite album and single released this year?
I really liked that Lauren Ann single, ‘Adelaide’. I like how different her music feels from what we’re used to locally. George Houston’s ‘Undesired’ album was really strong…not sure if it was released in 2023 actually but it was great either way!
If you weren’t a musician, what line of work would we find you in?
I don’t know if it would work out this way, but if I music wasn’t my first love I would be pushing for a career as a writer of some kind. I love to read and I studied Creative Writing as my Masters in University.
If you could collaborate with one artist or band from NI, who would it be and why?
I really like Cathal Francis – I found him through the An Seanchaí Nua open mic night around Christmas time 2021 when we were both performing and I’ve kept up with his releases since. I played a show with him almost a year ago and I just think his sense of melody is really sweet and interesting.
It is intensely difficult to be successful in the music industry. What does NI need to do to invest in/develop to boost your chances?
I think the local scene needs to broaden it’s idea of what it considers to be good. I think recognition for great song writing is only really considered with artists who have mainly singer – songwriter styles because pop, for instance is still not fully taken seriously, at least not as much as I think it should be.
What does success look like for you?
The freedom to release music whenever I want to, without the financial strain and to be able to tour with my music whether that ends up being contained to the UK or beyond.
You’re going out on tour and can have anything you want on your rider, what would we find on yours?
Malbec everywhere please.
Where and when can we next catch you live?
I just played the American Bar with Joel Harkin a few weeks ago but hope to announce a few more shows soon.
If you enjoyed this feature and fancy discovering some more new artists, we suggest you jump on over to our archive of Introducing pieces.
If you are a band or musician based in Northern Ireland interested in taking part in our Introducing feature, we recommend submitting new music to us via our Contact page and if we enjoy it, you’ll no doubt hear from us.
