RECENT PRESS

"Shine" Video premiere on Blurred Culture:

NASHVILLE, TN- Laura Reed is a South-African born/North Carolina-raised/Nashville-based singer/songwriter with a real soulful sound.  That soul is given a funky polish on her single “Shine”. Released earlier this year on April 12, “Shine”, produced by WLPRWR, is a banger of a track. With its distorted guitar lines and booming horn section, the cut’s sonics really amplify the confident swag with which Ms. Reed sings. When we asked Laura whether “Shine” was indicative of the new music she’s working on with Dave Schools and Vance Powell, Laura says:

“Shine” is more of a sonic outlier […] as the new EP is really bringing everything back to the songwriting and melodies, and less about big production. The project with Dave Schools and Vance Powell are pointed in a more retro but modern rock direction. There are no horns actually, but more guitar and harmonica.  Everything performed live in the studio, at Vance’s Sputnik Sound Studios in Nashville.  Don’t get me wrong however, I LOVE big horn lines and the high energy of “Shine”. Some songs call for that and others don’t. The production WLPWR did on “Shine” fit so well with the message, the funky energy serving as a little extra sugar to help the medicine go down.

Blurred Culture has the exclusive of the music video for “Shine”! The video was shot by OMG PRKR while walking through neighborhoods and streets in East Nashville (one of which is her dad’s). With this experimental video, Laura has stated that the track is meant to “evoke & remind us of one’s power once they decide no one can take it, and celebrating strength in taking accountability for ourselves”. When we asked whether there was a specific moment that inspired her, Laura says:

There was not a specific moment, but more of a chapter that inspired the message and lyrics of “Shine”. I was out of a major publishing deal and on the other side of a divorce and was making music in such a free way. I felt in control of my life and my art again. I had a “zoom-out” moment in the studio when I heard the music that helped me recognize that I was in my stride, this is what I’m meant to do, and no one can take that away. I strongly believe we all have a purpose and when we can realize what that is and claim it, it’s a powerful feeling that sets you at ease. That peace of knowing what you are here to do is “Shine”. 

Full Article with video exclusive HERE

ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Charlotte Jazz Festival 2019

BY: MARK SULLIVAN 



South African vocalist/multi instrumentalist Laura Reed (now based in North Carolina, and also active in Nashville) played the first show of the Jazz at the Pavilion series, a series of evening free concerts. Her style draws freely from rock, funk, blues and jazz, and she's a firecracker.

HOMEGROWN MUSIC

CRIS JACOBS BAND W/LAURA REED - RALEIGH, NC 05.10.2019

BY: Lee Crumpton



Laura Reed and her band (complete with horn section) kicked off the evening with a set of soulful R&B with a good bit of blues and funk flavors throughout. She's got an incredible voice and also plays a custom ukulele and a mean harmonica. She invited out a guest guitar shredder, Emily Musolino (formerly of Dark Water Rising), to crank the rock up to 11. Reed, a Raleigh native, had lots of friends and even her family on hand to enjoy the show.  We're especially proud of her as we first met her long ago when she was a teenager and a rep for Home Grown Music Network.

STEEP IN

LAURA REED: LIVE AT THE POUR HOUSE

BY: Missy Malouff


Last night, Laura Reed hosted a Soul Shakedown Party at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh, NC. The crowd was diverse in age, gender, and race. Believe it or not, most crowds in Raleigh consist of white people aging from 18-35. It’s one thing for an artist to touch a specific demographic, but it’s a completely different thing for an artist to be able to communicate with just about anyone. This likely comes from Laura Reed’s evidently compassionate soul. The way she moves, talks, and writes music comes from an empathetic place; which is so refreshing when seeing white males whining about their personal problems dominating the music industry. We not only need more women, we need women like Laura Reed leading the stage. She commands this presence that is empowering to every woman in the room.
 
ARTSNOW NC
 

A performer’s inspiration: Laura Reed loves local

BY: Alexandrea Thomsen
 

Laura Reed, who calls the Triangle home, is fresh off performing at SXSW and recently put out a video for her song “Naturally” off her latest album “The Awakening.”

Reed is all about local. She supports local businesses and makes sure she plays shows here in the Triangle as well. That’s why she’s double booked, so to speak, on Saturday, April 25.

The South African born singer will play during Brewgaloo, Raleigh’s annual beer fest that features breweries from across North Carolina. She’s scheduled to take the City Plaza stage at 2 p.m.

You can also catch her the same day at the Art of Cool Festival in Durham. Her set will begin at 9:45 p.m. at The Pinhook. “[The Art of Cool] is a nonprofit that’s really helping elevate jazz, different musicians and kids,” Reed says. “Anything that’s helping bring music to children, I’m all for it!”

We recently spent a day with Reed in Raleigh to talk about her music, upcoming shows and her affinity for local.