I first wrote about Lauren Aquilinain 2013, shortly before her pet budgie tragically exploded.
Back then, she was a brand new artist heading off to SXSW to mingle with the masses and shake hands with oily men from the music "industry". She's taken her time since then, developing her sound over a series of EPs and signing to Island Records; while being talent spotted by Taylor Swift, who picked her as an opening act for her Hyde Park show last year.
“@laurenaquilina: this week has been nothing but a slow, painful wait for the @taylorswift13 album”
AHH! So sweet! PS I love the Fools EP.
Playing the long game has paid dividends for the Bristol-born singer... Her new material is (in her own words) dreamy, cinematic, honest and (in my words) beguiling, clever and subtle.
Her new song, Echoes, is slated to be the first single from her debut album. Have a listen below. You won't be disappointed. Unless you were expecting it to sound like Megadeath.
Some party music for the weekend? Don't mind if I do.
1) AlunaGeorge - I Wanna Be Like You
After Bruno Mars covered The Little Mermaid in the Live Lounge last year, AlunaGeorge have plundered the Jungle Book to record the scat jazz classic I Wan'na Be Like You. Unexpectedly, it's a perfect fit for Aluna's supple, slightly nasal voice. And, as it was originally a duet between King Louie and Baloo, can we temporarily rechristen the band BaloonaGeorge? No? Oh, alright then.
2) Justin Timberlake - Let The Groove In
The loose, unhurried grooves of JT's comeback singles lack focus. But, having read a few reviews, it sounds like the 20/20 Experience makes more sense as a suite of songs. Music for making out to, but not necessarily falling in with. It's up on Spotify today, so you can judge for yourself. My favourite so far is Let The Groove In, which Timberlake performed with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon's chat show earlier this week.
3) The Strokes - All The Time
They don't really get on any more, so why force them into a TV studio for a promo video? Here's 10 years of archive footage from The Strokes (and Lou Reed), to accompany their new song. Doesn't it look like fun being in The Strokes? Anyone?
I introduced you to promising young singer-songwriter Lauren Aquilina last month. Wanderlust, a desolate piano ballad, is her latest single - and it's raising money for Comic Relief. If you don't buy it, all the children will die.
5) Little Boots - Motorway
Little Boots first played this track two years ago... God knows what happened in the meantime. Maybe the motorway in question was the one Cheryl Baker and Rizzle Kicks got stranded on earlier this week. Anyway, it's arrived now, and it's rather beautiful in an ambient St Etienne kind of way. Motorway is a free download, and a new Little Boots album follows in May. Welcome back, Victoria!
Do we really need another Gabrielle Aplin? Well, yes. It's always good to have a spare in case the first one bursts.
Joking aside (and let's be honest, it wasn't even a good joke) Lauren Aquilina could be one to watch in 2013. She's already toured with Bastille and Gabrielle Aplin (natch) and has just sold out a headline show at London's Borderline in less than 48 hours.
Lauren is only 17, and lives in Windsor next door to the Queen. The unusual surname, pronounced "aqua-leena", comes from the Maltese side of her family. "It means eagle," she explains.
The singer-songwriter is still finishing off her A-Levels, but she's managed to get some time off school to play the SXSW festival in March, where's she'll meet a bunch of music industry bigwigs. She'll also be introduced to people with smaller wigs, and maybe a bald man in a hat.
The reason for all this fuss is Lauren's excellent Fools EP. Although it's been up on iTunes since October, the four-track single received a big boost after featuring on Hollyoaks a couple of weeks ago. Radio One have just added the title track to their Introducing playlist, too, so things are definitely looking good.
The song itself is a delicate, stylish piano ballad about two friends who've fallen for each other, but can't decide what to do: "What if we ruin it all and we love like fools?" asks Lauren in the chorus. It's simple enough to feel truthful, but deep enough to get under your skin.
By the way, Lauren's another one of those YouTube success stories, who's built a sizeable fanbase by posting piano-led cover versions online.
It's interesting how this has thrown up several artists (Aplin, Nina Nesbitt, Kate McGill, Ed Sheeran) who've scored massive teenage fanbases with the sort of reflective, acoustic music normally associated with Radio 2's housewife demographic. All of them write intelligent lyrics about first love and schoolyard crushes, but they're also very approachable and funny on their social media accounts.
Lauren is a case in point - she posts the chord sequences for her songs online, spends hours replying to fans, and has a great collection of irreverent tweets.
@beyonce Who does a girl have to email to support you on tour? I have a reasonable dose of sass and a great ass. Please get back to me.
— Lauren Aquilina (@laurenaquilina) February 28, 2013
I had a near death experience involving a marshmallow yesterday
— Lauren Aquilina (@laurenaquilina) February 22, 2013
So, keep an eye out for more. Lauren's still unsigned, but I can't imagine that continuing for much longer. I'll leave you with her "better than the original" cover of Cher Lloyd's With Ur Love, which was her first break-out YouTube hit last year. Nice.
