An Interview With The Canadian Singer-Songwriter, LAURA ROY!

Laura Roy is a singer/songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A captivating songwriter, vocalist and college music graduate, Laura has shared the stage with the likes of Canadian RnB sensation Jully Black, JRDN, Ludacris, Rakim and Freddy Gibbs.

Voted “Best R&B Artist” by the Coast Magazine, she is known for her powerhouse pop-RnB vocals. Laura is also a four-year attendee of the prestigious Gordie Sampson Songcamp, put on by the Grammy-winning writer in Nova Scotia every summer, and was invited to participate in songwriting camps via The Songwriter’s Association of Canada in Montreal and Toronto in 2015.

During these camps, Laura had the opportunity to write and connect with producers and writers like Rob Wells (Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande), Alex Greggs (N’Sync, Lady Gaga, Mad Decent), Caitlyn Smith (Meghan Trainor, John Legend, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and Garth Brooks, Cassadee Pope), and Gordie Sampson himself (Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill). Needless to say, Laura has come a long way since selling her first EP out of her backpack at the age of 16 on school lunch breaks. The project contains 6 songs infused with synth-pop, 90’s r&b vibes with soulful melodies and catchy hooks, she adds “I’ve been working on the EP for the last year and a half. I’ve tried to make sure the music represents my experiences in a way that feels true to who I am as an artist right now”. Written and recorded in Toronto and New York City with producers Adam King, Joel Stouffer (Dragonette) and Ari Leff (Epique), Laura Roy’s debut EP is now available on iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music.

Learn more about Laura in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Now that we are more then half-way through 2016, what are some words you would use to describe it? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for you? 

2015 was an awesome year for me because I was truly focused on writing and recording the EP! I was living in Toronto and really focused on finishing the project. I also was able to travel a bit during the year which is another huge passion of mine. I traveled to Vietnam for a couple weeks and it was an amazing way to reflect after finishing the EP!

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? 

Always. I can remember being a little girl in my room with a Celine Dion cassette and rewinding it over and over again in awe of your voice. I was always so drawn to music and expressing myself through dance and singing.

How would you describe the music scene in Canada? How do you think it’s grown and changed through the years that you have been a part of it? 

Canada is an interesting music scene. It’s such a huge country with a not so huge population compared to our size. I grew up on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia so it’s a very specific music scene here historically. A lot of great folk, celtic music and singer songwriters but that has changed a lot in the last 10 years. There’s more and more hip-hop, electronic, pop music coming out of Nova Scotia. It’s exciting to be a part of that movement.

What did it feel like finally releasing your self-titled debut EP? How long had you been working on it? 

I was working on the EP for over a year so it felt amazing to finally release it! I just can’t wait to get the next project out now. I am always thinking about what’s next.

Where do you get the inspiration for your music? Is that constantly changing?

Always changing, but I am mostly inspired by my life experiences and other artists I listen to.

Let’s talk about your first single, “Plastic.” How did it come together exactly?

Plastic was actually written in New York City. I traveled there on a writing trip and met with a couple writers, Ari Leff and Michael Matosic.  It started with some acoustic guitar chords and me improvising some melodies over top, eventually it turned into a strong verse feel, lyrics started to fall in place, then a chorus but we didn’t have that final line. Our other co-write Michael Matosic joined the session a bit late and heard what we started and said “If were not serious we can’t be tragic, you can’t break a heart that’s made of plastic” and we were like “yes, that’s it”. And that was it!

I’m curious to know more about these songwriting camps that you’ve attended in the past? What was it like working with such incredible producers and writers at them?

The Camps are always awesome because it’s a good challenge. You’re forces to write 2 sometimes 3 songs a day, with different people so it keeps your chops up! And there are always accomplished people at the camps but I never think about it like that. I just always try to bring my best writing game to the table and get a great song.

What was a favorite moment?

My favorite moment is always the show and tell time. Getting to perform your song that you wrote that day for the group of writers. It’s the payoff.

Do you have any upcoming touring plans? Where can people see you perform live next? 

I plan to do some tour dates on the east side of Canada and maybe make some trip over to the UK as well.

Do you hope to work on a full-length album soon too?

It’s not really my focus. I want to release a bunch of different small projects showing different sides of myself.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Too many but right now I am really into DVSN, Tory Lanez, Kehlani, Breakbot, Anderson Paak, Jazmine Sullivan.

Who would you love to work with in the future? 

Raphael Saadiq.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music?

I just hope people can listen and connect in some way. That’s all.

What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

If you’re into the music I just hope you can feel inspired by it, or just feel some sort of emotion. Whether it’s happy sad, excited, confident, whatever.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

I want people to know that music is my 100% passion and I just feel privileged to be able to express myself through it and have people dig it. And if you dig it then stayed tunes because I have a lot more music to come.