Lauren Sanderson

You might not have heard about her yet but you will for sure this year. Hailing from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, the 22-year-old mixes R&B and Hip Hop with an Alternative touch and made a name for herself on YouTube to the point of being able to sell out a completely self-booked 18 city tour last year, and her self-released EP hit #1 on the iTunes R&B album chart. Extremely close to her fans, Lauren Sanderson is not just another voice in an ocean of new artists. Her creative approach and easy going persona, blended with her sensual voice and eclectic sound make her an artist to watch! Let’s sit and have a chat .

n The Move: You started off by posting videos on YouTube of you giving motivational speeches. Was it a way for you to build a following in a different way, or just to make your voice heard?

Lauren Sanderson: I just made the videos to share my own feelings and I didn’t really know what was gonna happen with those. I just wanted to share how I was feeling and let people know that they weren’t alone no matter what they were going through but I didn’t know what was gonna happen with them. I think I ended up doing kinda both: inspire people and build the foundation for everything else but when I first started making them it was really just to remind people that there’s another person out there who is in the same position. We all have stuff that makes life harder but you’re not alone.

On The Move: How did you go from those speeches and the TED talk you gave, to writing songs and wanting to be an artist?

Lauren Sanderson: I didn’t even know that I was going into music. I always loved music but I didn’t really plan this and when I started to get big with those videos, that’s when I realized what was gonna happen, I had no clue. Basically, I would do those uplifting speeches about positive messages and everything and I felt that it wasn’t expressive enough. I felt like I couldn’t tell the whole story only by speaking. I felt like I needed to have more of a crazy thing and that’s how I started looking up on YouTube and searching for beats, and then found instrumentals and just wrote raps on those. Everything I was saying in my videos, I was saying in my raps as well. Then I found a studio in my city and took this rap that I wrote and looked up on Google on how to put a song on ITunes and I just put it up. That was the beginning of everything. People said from the videos that I should keep making videos because it inspired them, which meant so much to me, so when I put out the song I felt like it really connected more. It meant also more to me for it to be in a song form and not just talking.

On The Move: Do you think it’s important for an artist - not just to entertain - but to use their voice to empower people ?

Lauren Sanderson: I think it depends on the artist. I would rather hear a message from someone who means it. With my platform I know I want to inspire and empower people. Everyone has a story. When I was in high school I had a story that - for some reason - people wanted to pay attention to and at that point I was just that kid in Indiana. So I think as long as people are sharing their stories and being true to themselves, that’s the most inspiring thing you could do.

On The Move: How would you describe your record "Spaces"?

Lauren Sanderson: "Spaces" stands for the spaces in my heart. My first EP was about heartbreaks and breakups and after I had my first real relationship I had this huge space in my heart. When I say "Spaces" I am talking about those spaces after this person left my life but now it’s spaces of opportunities. On "Spaces" I really talk about how I am chasing my dreams and there’s this song named "Los Angeles" that I wrote in Indiana and talking about how I don’t know how I am gonna get to Los Angeles, but I know I will. "Spaces" to me is to put your headphones on and zone the rest of the world out and being somewhere else and go to another galaxy.

I would do those uplifting speeches about positive messages but I felt that it wasn’t expressive enough

On The Move: Your song «Los Angeles» describes your thoughts of you wanting to move to Los Angeles and make it in the business. Why LA in particular and are you inspired by this city now you’re here?

Lauren Sanderson: I don’t know really why I wanted to come here *laughs*. I wrote that song and a couple of weeks later I got an email from Epic Records which is now my family and they invited me to LA to meet with all of them. When I signed I always knew that I would end up in California because it’s the most free place. I feel like I can be my freest self here.

On The Move: What were your inspirations to write all of those songs?

Lauren Sanderson: I think I am really inspired by Hip- Hop, authentic storytelling. I love J.Cole, I love Tyler The Creator, Mac Miller, all of those weirdo rappers. I think all of those rappers are in a cool space where they can freely be themselves and I really like bands like LANY and The Neighbourhood. I really just like Hip- Hop, alternative and this kind of stuff.

When I heard the beat of ‘Written In The Stars’, I was in another world and that’s my goal, that’s what I want people to feel when they are listening to my music

On The Move: So if you had to collaborate with someone, it would be a rapper?

Lauren Sanderson: No, it would be a singer and they would sing the hook and I would rap. That could be anyone. I wanna collaborate with Kehlani someday. I think we are in the same space, we share similar messages and energy so I feel like it could be a dope collaboration.

On The Move: You’ve been releasing music for a while now, is there a song in particular that you love more than the others for some reason?

Lauren Sanderson: That’s a good one, you have good questions *laughs*. I am gonna say my song "Jenny" or "Written In The Stars". I feel like there’s my singing side and my rapping side in "Written In The Stars", it is really just a letter to the universe. When I heard the beat I was in another world myself and that’s my goal, that’s what I want people to feel when they are listening to my music. I just went in my own world when I heard it and I feel like that song is really representing who I am because I just poured it all out and I talk about my past and past addiction and I am just like: "this is who I was, my future is just written in the star" so whatever happens is gonna happen so I embraced it and trusting the universe.

Interview by Pam Charbit | Photos by Eddie Jag exclusively for On the Move