After picking up solid traction with her single ‘You Broke’ back in September, Sydney’s own Lauren. is premiering the visuals right here on LWA.

Lauren. is a member of local hip-hop crew Bodega Collective, and it definitely shows on ‘You Broke’: The single was produced by heavy-hitter Kwame, while Idigress and Xiro took care of the mixing and mastering. Making it a full in-house affair, the man behind the lens is Zain Ayub, a frequent collaborator of the crew – and he’s crafted a glitchy video which sits appropriately alongside the single’s woozy sounds. Having displayed plenty of charisma on her early singles, Lauren. is on track to make a serious mark in Sydney and beyond – get your first watch of ‘You broke’ below, where you can also read our interview with the emerging talent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7xF9X6Qmno&feature=youtu.be

You Broke has gotten a solid response since releasing a few weeks back. Has it taken you by surprise?

I’m surprised by any response to be honest. This is still so new to me and I was never comfortable to be an artist, so now to make the step and see people supporting it, is a super beautiful thing. the one thing that still surprises me the most is people overseas sharing love for the track, it’s really motivational and eye opening about my music and artistry.

Tell us about the whole Bodega team, and who came together to make You Broke?

The whole Bodega team is my Brady Bunch fam, we have done everything together and feel everything together and we all push each other’s dreams. We started in a warehouse in Castle Hill four years ago, we’ve come along way and I love them all so dearly! They’re going to make big moves in the industry.

It was actually the second track I wrote and when piecing it together, it was a life changing experience with my friends. Kwame really helped me come out of my shell in this one, we danced along to each bar I wrote and each time listening to it, he pushed me further to break the boundary of my voice. Funny thing is, at the start I am usually so hard on myself I wanted to give it my all, but what made the track, is me getting stoned and Kwame telling me to make no effort at all. This track will always be special to me.

What is the main narrative/storyline you wanted to convey with the track and video?

At the start of making the track, I had a lot of anger towards certain men in my life and I haven’t always had the best representation of them, so I used that energy. But when making the track, I wanted to relate it back to the people out there who act like the tangible materialistic things or funds are somehow put into the same basket as their own character and what they offer to the world. We have created a money driven society which I personally don’t agree with, because it gives people false ego.

I just wanted to spread the message that life is so much more than that, and your objective in life is so much more too. Always make sure you reflect and have good reasons to stunt on people with your ego (your essence, who you are, what your beliefs are, hard work, treat people as they deserve, your art) before you throw cash out or brag about what materialistic items you got, because that means nothing if they’re your only accomplishments.

Directed and edited by my good friend Zain Ayub, this music video means so much to the both of us and I am just proud of the piece of art we have accomplished.

How do you think you’ve evolved as an artist throughout 2018?

This year I really took a step back to give myself the time to absorb myself as an artist and what it really takes. I have always run very independently and I won’t feel comfortable making moves until I control and have full knowledge of everything, so it has been a big learning curve. At the start of the year I was so grateful to find my voice and an outlet that I knew resonated within me.

Throughout the year I had evolved a lot in knowing what the industry holds and really embodying myself as a brand. Really learning from mistakes I made to then to come back harder. The industry holds a few unpredictable and artificial individuals, so I think the biggest thing I learnt and I feel every artist should learn is educating yourself on EVERYTHING to do with your artistry.

What are some of your rap goals in 2019?

Rap goals in 2019 are definitely to bring more events out to the west. For real, there is so much talent out there and I recently had the opportunity to perform in Rooty Hill for open source party The Culture and there is really something beautiful brewing out there. This year I got to visit some real creative spaces out west and sounds I haven’t heard anywhere in the world. There is a special community that needs to be heard and that is a huge goal for 2019.

Within myself, I have a huge goal to reflect to my listeners what my life is really about and how I got to where I am. I have
studied flows my whole life and always had an obsession with hip-hop, it ran my life. But I’m really aiming to really dig deep to things I’ve only recently come to terms with, and connect and help people find strength through my music. I find strength in my voice so I want others to feel the same.

How would you describe the Sydney rap scene right now? Who are some of your favourite upcoming artists?

The Sydney rap scene is in a place where I have never seen it, and I have no words to describe how excited I am. I love international artists, but we don’t need them when we have the voice and the sound right here, we should all support each other. This is our culture we are forming here… A few artist I really look up to would be Raj Mahal, Kymie, Gibrillah, Dombatheproducer, ChillinIt, Triple One and Amastro. Honestly these are only a small amount too, there are so many more.

I respect all of these artists including their story, marketing, beats and to their very foundation and essence as an artist. I really appreciate all their hard work for this culture in Australia so watch out for all of these guys.

What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year?

I recently moved up to Queensland to be with my mother and grandma, so I already got my Christmas present, which is to be with my family. My biggest motivation in the world is my mum and the life she deserves to have, so to be with my best friend for Christmas is all I could ask for.

What’s next up for Lauren?

I have a few more single releases coming up after the You Broke video. I’m excited for each one because I learn so much, so I look forward to sharing all those with you. Apart from music, I have been really trying to support people through my learnings, because music is my outlet and each song I make I can dig deeper in my pain, but a big thing I noticed when releasing music is I have the opportunity to help people, which is a huge priority of mine… And I am still very new in my artistry, so just to enjoy my relationship with music and work towards a full body of work.