GFM Fam we wanted to put you up on the sounds of Laura Reed whose latest single “Wake Up” has recently been featured on one of my guilty pleasures VH-1’s Hollywood Exes. “Wake Up” will also be featured in the upcoming movie “The Inevitable Defeat of Mr. and Pete”, which is being scored by Alicia Keys. Written by Laura Reed and Shannon Sanders with production duties by Shannon Sanders “Wake Up” is an energetic anthem that features music tailored made to compliment these bluesy sultriness of Laura Reed’s vocals.
Video edited and directed by Ed Pryor.
Keep up with Laura Reed here:
www.laurareed.com
www.facebook.com/laurareedmusic
www.twitter.com/_laurareed
www.soundcloud.com/laurareedmusic
Purchase on iTunes.
VH1 feature of Wake Up on “Hollywood Exes” http://www.vh1.com/shows/music/hollywood-exes/season-2-episode-3-songs/
From the press release…
Nashville, TN, July 27, 2013—
Stay alert, know your worth, don’t sleep on love.
At first glance, those nine words may seem like the kind of affirmation that you would jot down on a Post-It note and put on your bathroom mirror but it’s actually the lyrics to a song. One that is co-written and performed by a woman who, upon first glance, you’d probably never expect that her small frame and signature locs would actually be the outer wrappings for an amazing gift.
To say that Laura Reed can sing is a major understatement.
One could probably attribute all kinds of reasons behind Laura’s incredible voice—one that has the uncanny ability to sound truly distinctive while simultaneously being reminiscent of artists such as Erykah Badu, Nelly Furtado, and the late Amy Winehouse. Perhaps it’s because she was born in the Motherland (South Africa, to be exact) or that she grew up in the Southern hospitality of Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Or maybe it’s due to the influence of some of her greatest musical inspirations; including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill. It also might be because of just how willing she is to be artistically vulnerable, both on the stage and off, as she strives to both learn and teach about love and life. All the while evolving into the artistic force she’s destined to become—something that translates very clearly in her voice as well as her lyrics.
“Sometimes it’s the words I need to hear, almost like THE advice I need to give myself….and I put it into a song,” shares Laura. “Sometimes it’s an insight or epiphany I have that I want to share. Sometimes it’s something I’m going through, it is almost a form of healing to get it out and into a song.”
This candid reflectiveness is quite clear in her first release “Faith Not Fear”, as well as her upcoming single “Wake Up”—the song for which those previously referenced nine words were birthed. A song that has actually made such an impression on the minds and hearts of others that it’s already caught the attention of the entertainment world (it will be featured in an episode of VH-1’sHollywood Exes on July 21, 2013) as well as R&B star Alicia Keys (it will also be featured in a film that Keys has scored entitled The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete starring Anthony Mackie, Jennifer Hudson and a host of others).
It’s apparent that Laura is making lots of headway towards achieving her own headlines; yet this is something that her writing partner and producer, Grammy and Emmy winning Shannon Sanders, saw in her from the very beginning. “It’s been amazing to watch Laura ‘Wake Up’ to understanding the magnitude of her gifts as well as her purpose,” says Shannon.
It is words like “brilliant”, “encouraging” and also “empathetic” that Laura uses to describe her creative experiences with Shannon. “Shannon often refers to my rough songs or ideas as raw wood,” says Laura. “In essence, I have a lot of raw wood. Shannon has a way of identifying what is special or ‘big’ and translating it. I enjoy the results of our artistic chemistry. It’s unique and incorporates my spirit.”
So yes, it would appear that “Wake Up” is a poignant way for even more people to get to know Laura Reed being that, on many levels, deeper parts of her inner self are doing just that: waking up. Thankfully, we are able to have a front row seat to the amazing evolution.
“I write a lot about love and being open to it coming into our lives,” says Laura. “I also write about realizing dreams and people being in control of their happiness. I am artistically focused on positively impacting people and the world with music,” says Laura. “This has always been the mission.”
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
