I loved this conversation! LARO is the artist project of Lauren Worthy, a singer-songwriter based in Liverpool, UK. Her pop-punk influenced pop combine playful storytelling and brutally honest confessions. She describes her music as fun and full of female rage, perfectly encapsulated by my favourite song of hers, He’ll Never Listen.
What is your musical background?
I was in the school choir growing up and was always singing. I studied GCSE music, and the teacher really championed me and encouraged me to take it further. I’ve written songs since I was about 13. During the pandemic, I had a lot more time to produce stuff and even though it wasn’t the best, I gave it a go and I released some demos. After the pandemic, I started working with Joe, my producer, and we worked on the first EP. Now we’re on the second EP and it’s been four years of taking music more seriously and growing LARO as a band and brand.
Your debut EP is called “The Receipts”. What influenced the playful title?
It’s a saying that me and my friends always say. The phrase “keep the receipts” is when someone does you wrong and to keep it in the back of your mind for future reference. I had that in my notes for absolutely ages. I had so many different working titles, but was stuck on making a final decision. It’s in Wishful Thinking where I reference “the receipts”. There’s a few friends that also shout it on the song. Because of that, it felt like a correct title. I think with songwriting, I tend to release things after I’ve processed it. When I’m performing them, it doesn’t feel as emotional. When you go through a breakup, there’s the stages of grief with the anger, the sadness, the heightened sense of confidence when you know you deserve better. It was important to get all of the emotions in the EP. Even though I’ve grown as an artist since that project, I still love performing those songs because they still feel right.
Has your creative process changed since releasing that project?
In terms of writing songs and the very start of the process, that’s the exact same. I’ll be sat in my ‘music corner’ and that’s where everything seems to start. My last single, Fragile, was slightly different because my guitarist, Jacques, had an instrumental on his Mac from a couple of years ago. He sent it and asked if I wanted to write something with it. Whenever I write a song, I don’t really have an end goal for it. It’s always a nice feeling when you finish a song and you can then think about a project. I try to not leak it everywhere and to keep it to myself for a bit.
You capture such a fun energy on He’ll Never Listen. What made you choose it as the first single for your next project?
I think it was really fun. I remember I wrote that song after I’d had writer’s block for a couple of months. I’d gone out for a drink with Joe, my producer, and a couple of my music-y friends. I was saying to Joe that I was so stuck and I wanted this new era. Me and Joe were walking down the road, both a bit tipsy, both saying we would go home and see what happens. I actually wrote He’ll Never Listen when I was a bit tipsy, when I got home from that night out. As soon as I started writing it, it felt right. I sent it to Joe and he said that we’ve done something good here. I just wanted it out as soon as possible. It felt right in that era of my life as well and it just fits.
You spoke on the Sound Advice podcast about LARO being a persona, a version of yourself that younger you wanted to be — can you tell me more about that?
When I first released the demos during COVID, that was as Lauren, my normal name. I was so shy and reserved growing up, but there was also LARO. It’s become an alter ego now, but at the start, I would ask myself “If Lauren didn’t care, what would my music be like?”. I came out with that and I didn’t have any listeners back then, only friends and family. I thought people would see that and be like “who does she think she is?” sort of thing. At the same time, that was 2021 and we were still in a lockdown [in the UK] and I thought that no one’s going to see me so if I’m going to do it, now is the best time. I started releasing and it felt right. It helps with stage presence as well because once I’m on stage, I’m fine when I’ve clicked into LARO but on the day leading up, I’m very nervous. As soon as I get my outfit on, I’m not Lauren anymore — I’m LARO. It’s nice to have the divide. I’ve started to bring them together a bit more. I would think people might think LARO is cooler than Lauren, although we’re technically the same. I think the songs that are more emotive or sadder, like Empty Words or even Fragile, feel more like Lauren. I think LARO encapsulates feminine rage, whereas Lauren has a big heart. He’ll Never Listen was definitely LARO, there is no Lauren in that. The more upbeat and sassy the song is, the more it’s LARO than Lauren.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
The first thing that came to mind was playing Manchester Academy in January. That was the biggest gig I’ve done. I’d never had that many listeners in one room either. On the day of the show, I knew people were coming, but I didn’t realize how big of a crowd it was going to be. When we walked into the venue for sound check, I thought there’s no way that we were going to fill this room. It was amazing to hear people sing the lyrics back. Another highlight was the first time I did a fan Zoom call for my birthday in January too. Having the “forget me nots” [the name of LARO’s fandom] in one space was so cute and it was great to speak to them and to put faces to names when they comment. With the He’ll Never Listen rollout, people started to find me on TikTok. I don’t think it feels real still, it’s crazy. When I meet people after gigs, it makes my heart so warm.
What are you most creatively inspired by outside of music?
I’ve been writing a lot more about mental health because I’ve struggled with OCD and emetophobia my whole life. I’ve written songs about it before, but they hadn’t really fit with the LARO universe. I’m working on a project for later on this year after the next EP, which is solely focused on mental health. On my personal Instagram, I spread awareness for OCD, so quite a few people in my fan community found my music through that because they struggle with it as well. It is really healing because I’ll get messages saying it’s nice to see that you experience it, but you can still do all of this cool stuff. I want to start writing from other people’s perspectives, including from TV shows and movies I watch. I’ve not done that so far. I would also love to write songs from the perspective of my friends and family. He’ll Never Listen does that a bit because it’s more about men in general rather than solely my experiences. It was more for me and my friends. Most of my inspiration does come from me, so it’d be cool to explore other things a bit more.
Which artists are you enjoying the most at the moment?
Maisie Peters is the main one for me. I also love Alessi Rose — I’ve seen her three times this year. I love Lily Knott. She’s from Brighton and she is on the rise. She’s so cool and her voice is so pretty. She’s just released a song called blonde and another called sunny side up. I talk about it all the time. My friends ask who she is and I tell them she’s gonna blow up this year. Kat Penkin is great too.
What are you working on next? Any plans for the rest of the year?
The EP will be out this year. I haven’t finalised the release date for that just yet, but all of the songs are done apart from half of the last one, so I’m so close to finishing that. The project about mental health is being worked on at the same time. It’ll be released later this year, whether that’ll be an add on to the EP or separate. I’m planning a headline show in the middle of those two things. I’ve had a little break from gigging to give all my time to that, but I can’t wait to get back to it. Lots of planning behind the scenes, lots of writing — a busy year!
LARO has since announced that her new EP “the show must go on” will be released on 10th October! Make sure to listen once it’s out.
Listen to the recent singles “Fragile”, “Hung Up” and “He’ll Never Listen” as well as the fantastic EP “The Receipts” wherever you get your music. You can find LARO on Instagram and YouTube. You can also purchase her merch on Bandcamp.
Thanks for the intro to LARO!
Mustard loved this interview!