Lauren Mitchell and the nativa band
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Lauren Mitchell and the nativa band

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releasing album in 2007

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LAURENMITCHELL AND THE NATIVA BAND

“Lauren is a fantastic vocalist, very impressive, style panache and attitude” Presenter Liz Barry, ‘Home Grown-National Radio’

Currently based in Christchurch New Zealand, Lauren Has worked with a host of local talent including Flip Grater, and Trillion in the Throwing Shapes show release, with Christchurch Band the “DUKES” playing support for INXS, working on their second album and performing with Solaa.

She co-wrote New zealands rare shot blues debut album, 3 singles from the album are currently playlisted on kiwi fm, also featuring Lauren as vocalist.
She has written and produced a self funded debut album of original material due for release in 2007 in conjunction with the Christchurch Arts Festival

She is also collaborating in songwriting and recording project with Oakley Grenall and working on remixing her original material with Breaks co-ops Hamish Clark.
and her song "Be Free" was placed in the top 50 suggested artists list in the VH1 song of the year december 2006

Lauren’s music has also been included on two compilation C Ds one for New Zealand music month in collaboration with the Christchurch press and CPIT Jazz School and the other the “reason for being” CD through Underground Coffee.

Musical Influences

Through out her life Lauren has been influenced by music that’s very diverse including song writers like Pearl Jams Eddie Veddar, New Zealands Bic Runga and Bjork.
Once she started into Jazz her versatility as a vocalist became clearly apparent and her love for soul and jazz influenced her vocally and musically. Vocalists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott , Ella Fitzgerald, and Julia London Pianist Chick Corea, Song writers, Joe Henderson, Roy Ayers and Dave Douglas and Beck Hasen. Just to mention a few.

Her debut album is a beautiful blend of all things singer songwriter with soul and groove, a distinctly New Zealand form of soul an Alicia Keys from the Pacific.

Background

Lauren grew up on an orchard in Rapaura a small rural community in Marlborough New Zealand. She started playing piano when she was seven, taking lessons for 3 years, until she discovered she had a penchant for making it all up as she went along. Though Lauren stopped lessons she never stopped playing. Everything she played from this point on was either an original composition or aural transcription of her parents old LPs, like the Doors and Bobbie Gentry,

Lauren from an early age developed her own style of writing and scoring original music refusing all attempts in or out of school to ‘format’ her writing and playing, but she did get involved in the arts and musical theatre and school choirs. This is where she got most of her early performance experience, traveling nationally and internationally to compete in singing competitions

Lauren wrote her first full song with lyrics and music for her sisters fifth form music composition assessment at the age of 13, which she passed. and by continuing with poetry writing she started adding vocals to more of her compositions.

At the age of 17 she went to Brazil on Student exchange where she learnt fluent Portuguese, traveling around Brazil and to Paraguay and Argentina, all of these experiences encouraged her creatively and she returned with the ambition to study music and make it her career.

In 2001 she moved to Christchurch to study at the Christchurch polytechnic Jazz school, completing Contemporary music and a jazz degree. She was awarded several scholarships for excellence in performance. During this time she was also given opportunities to perform at Jazz festivals in Christchurch and Australia.

Drawing on her experiences in Brazil she performed an out standing concert of Bossa Nova with Keith Petch in Christchurch and Nelson Arts Festivals.

In her final year she formed the nativa band with some fellow students; the name is derived from the Portuguese word meaning the native and inspired by a reggae band
“Os nativos” for they're truth and pride in they're culture and belief in they music.

Using a university assessment opportunity Lauren Mitchell and the nativa band recorded her first EP in 2004, which was reviewed by Liz Barry on Home Grown, national radio’s New Zealand music show.

Also during this time they performed a residency at the Torenhof in Christchurch, and Lauren played a slot on the morning show with Wammo at R D U. Also being interviewed at the same time was Aaron Keown director of pop, winner of the New York International Independent Film festival; he gave this definitive statement about Lauren Mitchell.

“Alicia Keys is a white girl living in Christchurch”

Contact: Lauren Mitchell Music , 335 Eastern Terrace, Christchurch 8023, New Zealand++ 64 3 942 0590
www.laurenmitchell.co.nz, www.myspace.com/laurenmitchellandthenativaband
laurenmitchellenterprises@gmail.com