TOTT #8: LAURA WELSH

Seemingly arriving from nowhere with the Dev Hynes-produced ‘Unravel’ in March, London-based singer Laura Welsh was in fact giving her musical career another push. Previously heading up acts Laura And The Tears in 2010 and Hey Laura, the songstress had taken a hiatus to reset her ideas and “write songs for myself”. She later moved on to work with the likes of Rhye and Emile Haynie (Kanye West, Lana Del Rey). “It felt like a sort of period in time where I had a lot of freedom to just build on what I wanted to do”, she said.

That freedom is duly encapsulated in her music, particularly the candid lyricism of ‘Unravel’ – “I’ll give you all my love/ just take what I don’t need”. All the components are exposed to the elements, from bare piano notes to breathy vocal hums and hushes, allowing Ms Welsh to stand with the take-me-as-I am spirit of neo soul peers Jessie Ware and Laura Mvula.

In October, Radio 1 added her latest single ‘Undiscovered’  to the In New Music We Trust playlist and a flurry of famous producers have since jumped to remix her work. Now putting the final touches to her debut LP due early 2014, it seems Laura has set herself up well for what we think will be her busiest year to date. A holiday does wonders for the soul.

Words by Charlotte Krol

 Originally posted on The Tipping Point on March 4th