Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The first full album from an Irish independent artist. But that’s not to say Belfast singer/songwriter Laura-Anne Collins is not about to make a big impact in the Christian music scene. Laura-Anne’s debut effort is a collection of 10 thought provoking songs that range from melancholic ballads to heartfelt anthems. With a sound and musical sensitivity reminiscent of American singer/songwriter Ginny Owens, Laura-Anne demonstrates both her vocal and songwriting abilities on ‘Fragments’ with “Who I Am”, an honest account of her outlook on life, one such example being, “So this is me, it’s who I am/Imperfect insecurity,” she admits in the chorus. Other highlights include “Crazy Beautiful” and final track “Invocation”, a fantastic ballad of the Lord’s Prayer that is a real cry of worship. Already accustomed to live performances as a solo artist, Laura-Anne’s next step into the music industry came upon forming a band with a group of local musicians in the summer of 2001. It was these musicians who she took into the studio to record ‘Fragments’, a collection of songs she had written over the previous 18 months. Listing Tori Amos, Dido and Sarah McLachlan amongst her influences, Laura-Anne seems set to embark on a career as a solo female artist. Suffering perhaps only from a lack of production polish common with low budget albums, ‘Fragments’ shows real promise of much greater things to come from this Irish 23-year-old. - Crossrhythms Magazine
Discography
In 2001 the band recorded Laura~Anne's debut album Fragments, reviewed in the Belfast News and featured on local television. The album received excellent critical acclaim with the single track "Shrapnel" being added to the playlists of local and national radio stations: CoolFM, CityBeat, Radio 1 and UCB.
The single was also featured on the cover CD of Crossrhythms Magazine, where Fragments was featured and reviewed. The band also recorded a live album of eight of Laura~Anne's latest songs in 2003.
Currently recording new studio album for release in 2008.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Laura~Anne is an Irish Composer/Performer based in the North of England. The music graduate, 28, from Queen's University, Belfast began as a Singer / Songwriter, recording two albums and gigging across the UK and Ireland. Having recently graduated with a Master of Arts in Digital Performance, Laura~Anne fuses her traditional performance roots with live interactive technology. As well as guitar/piano based solo performances, Laura~Anne's live gigs have expanded to include live looping and harmonising technology.
After graduating in 2000, Laura~Anne formed her own band where she began to experience the shift from backing vocalist to lead singer and songwriter.
Laura~Anne toured extensively with the band, playing gigs across Northern Ireland and Greenbelt Festival in 2001 and 2003. Laura~Anne included various session players on live gigs and recordings.
In 2002/2003 Laura~Anne was a finalist at the Avalon Acoustic Guitarist Competitions, and Runner Up in the International Guitar Festival's "Young Acoustic Guitarist". By 2004, Laura~Anne had established herself as a solo artist performing on acoustic guitar as well as keyboard.
In 2005 Laura~Anne enrolled on a new Masters Course in South Yorkshire, England. The MA in Digital Performance gave her the opportunity to experiment with interactive technologies whilst acquiring training in Digidesign Pro Tools and Apple Logic.
Laura~Anne is also a composer, writing musical scores for film and theatre for classical and contemporary genres. She is currently working on a new album with Engineer/Producer Nigel Pease, with whom she works collaboratively on composition projects. For more details see the Composition/Albums section of the site. Laura~Anne is also a regular performer in the virtual world of Second Life as Kayleigh Lundquist.
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