Laura White believes music is not just a job nor just a hobby; music is who she is. Music is Laura White.
Laura White is not the vision you’d imagine when just hearing her voice on record. A voice that superstar peers Jessie J described on twitter as ‘dope’, Beverley Knight recently begging fans ‘to support Laura White and her music. She’s amazing,’ and receiving enormous praise from Adele and James Morrison to name a few is simply breathtaking. With a vocal range that exceeds most talents across the globe, hitting top F easily in a state of tremendous passion, shocking audiences how she is unbelievably one of the few artists who is better live then even on record, Laura White is no ordinary ‘Popstar’. At a small 5’4, and hair so big it resonates an early Diana Ross diva image, Laura White is an incredibly beautiful, shockingly humble, quirky, crazy little soul with a strong northern accent…. sounding nothing like her vocal recording tone. CRAZY.
The story of Laura White and music began at just 4 years old, when she listened to gospel, soul music unlike any of her family at the time. At 8 years old Laura decided to study Classical piano and also took up the Clarinet, whilst keeping very secret about the fact that she desperately loved to sing. When asked what took her so long to showcase her talent she replies “I loved to sing but music to me was so personal. It was my way of really expressing how i felt and i didn’t feel comfortable at first sharing that with people.” Looking at this now we can see how Laura looks at music in such a unique form. It is what makes her an artist, not just a singer.
At 13 Laura eventually decided to enter a couple of local music shows, surprising her family who never even knew at this point Laura had a voice. Since this moment, she never looked back.
At 15 years old Laura started to gig up and down the country, taking her band (that she had put together herself) around Manchester, London even Ibiza, anywhere she could showcase her ability and showcase herself, singing in varied music venues from jazz bars in Manchester “with as little as 4 people in at a time.. but they listened!” she humbly explains, to eventually playing festivals showcasing her self penned original songs written on her piano. To this day people who know Laura describe her determination and will to succeed within her music as ‘unbelievable’, her drive to get her music heard burns so deeply within her soul.
After only 2 years of gigging, music mogul Matt Aitken spotted Laura and she signed her first management deal aged 16. However, after 6 months of recording, Laura made her departure from the project taking fantastic knowledge and skills but realising she wasn’t simply just a singer- singing pop that she didn’t care about.
Later, at 18 years old Laura decided to audition for the ‘E4 School of Performing Arts’ a TV show based on 10,000 applicants looking to become one of the six singer/songwriters who would live in a central London based hostel and study at a music type-school progressing as a writer and artist. Laura won a place on the show and was grateful for the opportunity, getting small clips of her self wrote songs shown on TV however felt the show was too heavily based on controversial relationships and ‘good TV moments’ rather than the music in the show. However the show allowed Laura to have time with her writing which eventually created her self-compiled album of songs entitled ‘For the Love of it all’ which she then chose to take and showcase to live audiences. “The album is so young musically and lyrically it does now make me cringe a bit, but I’m still glad i sat and recorded my own little collection of songs because it shows my progression as a writer and artist” she laughs.
Laura then quickly received enormous support for her voice and songs eventually gaining close to 500,000 fans on Myspace making her the 5th most viewed unsigned artist in the world in 2008. Due to her creating her own hype-wave Laura got head hunted to be in a project produced by the amazing Mark Ronson who wanted Laura to be part of his three piece ‘soul’ girlband. Laura got a place in the band and began recording, ready to sign to Universal Records. However as Laura progressed with learning the songs and learning the dancing she became complacent. “I missed being me, I couldn’t sing my own songs, a girlband member was not me. I didn’t want to become known in music for being in a girlband.” Laura then bravely pulled out shocking many around her.
Laura at this point was at a slight low feeling frustrated within her music and felt she needed to be heard, for what she could do. She then decided to audition for 2008′s the X Factor. This honestly was a show that Laura had never intended to do, however after being a writer /artist gigging for 6 years and having numerous knock backs and promises, she decided to take the plunge to get her incredible voice heard. This is of course, what she received, playing every Saturday evening to 16 million people. “the X Factor was a life changing experience for me, i learned so much. It was like playing at a gig but errmmm bigger?I was grateful after so many years of gigs i had finally gotten heard. From 182,000 applicants i was one of the final 8. I didn’t like how i lost creative control slightly though, I’m so proud of my performances as i picked all my own songs but the styling was way off! Not what I’m about.. I’m way happier being me!”
However Laura’s case on the show was massively different to any witnessed before. For one, Laura was favourite to win every single week of the finals she was present. Gaining unbelievable praise and adulation form the judges and fans around the world, Laura was branded ‘Worldclass.’ Laura’s then shocking exit from the show in November 08 was named the ‘ biggest controversy in TV history’ with over 150,000 people petitioning for her return, her name discussed in parliament and thousands of viewers stating they could never watch the show again. Yet she herself, never felt angry about it. “My music is in me, nothing takes that away. I am an artist who writes, plays and sings. i learned from all my experiences and i remain grateful for them all. I just couldn’t believe Mariah Carey’s singing partner Trey Lorenz cried though when it happened, I love him!”
Laura has had many unbelievable life changing experiences in her life however the best is yet to come. For the past 3 years Laura has written with World renowned producers Cutfather, Steve Booker and Alex Gray to name a few, writing for her own album and writing for other artists. Not many also know how much Laura has actually turned down to do what she believed in, turning down endless gigs, west end leads, TV work, and massive management/music deals that she felt simply were not in her vision. Laura stuck to her guns where many others thought of pound signs and fame. After playing two 6 week long arena and theatre tours playing her new material to live audiences, Laura has now also recently signed to ‘This Much Talent’ represented by prestigious manger Sandy Dworniak and plans to release her first official album when it is ready.. already being described as ‘Unbelievable.’
“I also did a track ‘You Should have known’ in 2009 of which I ran the project myself for my fans. It was a learning stage for me really, still progressing, searching to find exactly what i wanted to do as an artist. I am so proud me and my fans hit number 14 on iTunes independently though! It was unheard of,” Laura even received a phone call from the Top 40 chart, Radio 1 Dj Reggie Yates congratulating Laura on being the only independent Top 40 Breakthrough Artist.
However Laura is now ready with an album of songs, catchy pop melodies, hooks so addictive all audiences will simply not be able to stop listening to. Laura is set to come back with a BOOM. “It’s time and I know my fans will see this. I want to help people with my music, my own written music that I wrote when I fell in love, when I was curing a broken heart, when I cried over my experiences and when I was so happy I could of burst. I am stronger through my writing. It is my therapy. I’m ready.” And Laura, we are SO ready too.
