Laurell

Laurell’s sound has been brewing her whole life. A Vancouverite and first-generation Canadian whose parents sailed from Liverpool, Laurell found herself singing along to the Beatles as soon as she could talk. Living in the Northwest exposed Laurell to the elements: snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, hiking, and dirtbiking. It was these elements that shaped her appreciation of acoustic, rock, folk, hip-hop, punk, and pop music. Her classical background and jazz-based schooling provided a...

Laurell’s sound has been brewing her whole life. A Vancouverite and first-generation Canadian whose parents sailed from Liverpool, Laurell found herself singing along to the Beatles as soon as she could talk. Living in the Northwest exposed Laurell to the elements: snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, hiking, and dirtbiking. It was these elements that shaped her appreciation of acoustic, rock, folk, hip-hop, punk, and pop music. Her classical background and jazz-based schooling provided a framework for all of these inspirations to take shape, and today, Laurell's music has found its way to a playful, acoustic pop sound, while never losing the honesty from which she draws. With three albums to boast, hundreds of U.S. and Canadian tour dates under her belt, a cluttered shelf of accolades, and a growing grassroots following, singer/songwriter Laurell is finding herself on new ground and jumping in with both feet. After being named "Vancouver Idol" in 2001 on TV's popular reality show Canadian Idol, Laurell took fate into her own hands and independently released her first full-length album, Into Your Love. The spiritually-reflective recording had 500 CD's snatched up the day it dropped, and with band-in-tow, Laurell crossed the country to a hugely warm reception and further success in CD sales. That year, the album's single, "Great 'I AM'" won Song of the Year at the Canadian People's Choice Gospel Music Awards (Shai). Eleven months later Laurell released The Fool In Me, and a playful experimentation of instruments, grooves, and subjects emerged. Once again, the CD sales exploded at her release, and Laurell went on to tour the west coast of Canada and the U.S. multiple times, sharing bills with numerous bands and songwriters. In November 2007, Laurell dropped Fears Aside - a beautiful collection of five more self-penned songs - into the hands of her waiting fans. The album immediately gained her international recognition, winning the We Are Listening songwriting competition for her title track, landing her the $10,000 grand prize in MSN/Sympatico’s indie artist search, and earning her a Western Canadian Music Awards nomination for Outstanding Pop Album. Laurell’s captivating lyrics and innovative songwriting have achieved her airplay across Canada and gave her an opportunity to sit on the New Songwriter workshop industry panel at last years CMW’s. In 2009, Laurell was invited to Toronto and LA to write with numerous established songwriters including Ron Lopata (Jully Black, Tommy Swick, Jacksoul), Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen) Glen Phillips (Toad the West Sprocket) and Jim Roach (Hoku). Her fourth studio album, Can’t Stop Falling was released on February 23, 2010 across Canada via Pacific Music / Warner Music Canada and ranked in the Top 40 iTunes Canada downloads it’s release week. The title track, Can’t Stop Falling, won CHUM Radio’s Emerging Artist Initiative and is currently at #12 on the Canadian BDS Radio Chart. THE QUICK FACTS: Crowned Vancouver Idol, 2003 → Participated in Canadian Idol until the Top 30 round → Independently released the worship album “Into Your Love” which sold 500+ copies the first two days of release → Received significant Christian radio and media support across Canada, featured in major newspapers and TV stations with her songs in heavy rotation on CCM stations → Released the mainstream “The Fool In Me” which sold 500+ copies the first two days of release as well → Won a Vibe award for Song of the Year → Toured multiple times across Canada and Western United States → Released the EP “Fears Aside” → Won the “We Are Listening 2007 Singer/Songwriter” award → Won the MSN/Sympatico’s inDiscover.net’s $10,000 National Independent Artist Search → Fears Aside nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Pop Album → Performed during Canadian Music Week, the JUNO Award weekend celebration, Olympic countdowns, and Canada Day 2009 → One of five BC songwriters (Shaun Verreault, Faber Drive, Jaydee Bixby, Sherry St.Germain) involved in the 2009 JUNO Awards Host Committee Highschool Songwriting Workshop Program → An industry panellist for Canadian Music Week’s New Songwriters Workshop → Has sold 13,000+ albums independently → Released the album Can’t Stop Falling February 23 2010 with distribution through Pacific Music/Warner Music Canada → The album ranked in the Top 40 Canadian downloads on iTunes it’s release week → The first single “Can’t Stop Falling” is currently sitting at #12 on BDS Canadian Radio Chart, #18 on Mediabase Hot AC Charts and #15 on Mediabase AC Charts