LAURA COX
~ Interview mit Laura Cox ~
LAURA COX lernte früh das Gitarrenspiel und begann 2008, ihre Gitarrensolos und Coverversionen ins Netz zu stellen. Mittlerweile hat sie eine immense Anhängerschaft, die auch bei Live-Shows eine selbstbewusste und echte Bandleaderin erleben.
Für ihr neues Werk ´Head Above Water´ hat die französisch-englische Gitarristin elf Songs produziert – und wir für sie elf Fragen vorbereitet:
Hello Laura, did you have fun interviewing the SCORPIONS at the “Hellfest Open Air Festival”? You could already tell a certain reverence.
Interviewing SCORPIONS was a different challenge than playing on stage. I was glad I could experience another side of the music world, and see things from a different angle. Chatting with them was really natural, they are so nice even if they are legends. I think that being a musician, I could interact easier with them and understand them better.
Have you been familiar with the music of the SCORPIONS and also their new album?
I have to say I haven’t listened to their new album, but of course, I started learning guitar with the classics like ´Rock You Like A Hurricane´, or ´Still Loving You´.
Actually, ´Rock You Like A Hurricane´ was the very first song I performed, on stage in high school, for the end of the year party.
The SCORPIONS went back to their traditional sound. You too seem to have slowly found your rock sound with your new album ´Head Above Water´?!
For this new album, I wanted something more personal. Of course, I wanted to record a rock album, but influenced a bit more by country music. It was important for me to include this side more. I knew I wanted something less heavy than the previous album, and in the end we managed to record a coherent album, that’s taking you through a Southern Hard Blues journey.
In addition to the tremendous power of rock riffs, you also allow Americana or Southern sounds. A desired opening to more diversity?
I felt I had more freedom to try new things on this record, and I have to say I really enjoyed playing the banjo and the lap steel. This is something I’d like to experiment even more on the next album. These Bluegrass instruments are adding something different, a new color, a new texture to classic rock songs and it feels refreshing to me.
What is the album title ´Head Above Water´ supposed to tell or convey to us?
I like the meaning behind this title, it’s a simple but strong message. Keeping your head above water just means no matter what happens, you’ll accept, face it, and make it through. Life is about good times and bad times, just hold on during the turbulences and enjoy everything you can with what you’re given.
Where do you see the big difference between the new songs and the ones before?
For this album, I put more of myself. I used to sing more about general topics on the previous records, but I know the point of making music is also sharing a bit of yourself with people, and I think I finally accepted this.
Could you also improve something in the production compared to the predecessor?
We recorded ´Head Above Water´ in the same studios where we recorded ´Burning Bright´ in 2019. The production part was similar, as I was really happy about how it went last time.
You released your debut five years ago, and you were still uploading videos to YouTube ten years ago. Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I hope I’ll find the perfect balance between Youtube and my live project. I always feel like I’m neglecting my social media because I was touring a lot, but I’m sure I can do better. In 5 years, I still want to be touring, but I want to organize better so that I can fully enjoy the multiple sides of my guitar journey.
Do you think it was better to build your career slowly? After a meteoric rise, many YouTube stars have disappeared from the limelight after a short time.
Honestly, I don’t really watch videos from “Youtube stars”. I prefer more natural content, like live shows, gear demos or interviews.
I didn’t really choose to build my career slowly, it just happened this way, but I like it this way. For me, slower means stronger, and better chances that it will to last.
Do you already know how many stations your upcoming tour will have?
I don’t have a precise schedule in mind, but I know we’ll tour a lot from March to September, and I can’t wait to meet all the fans again and share the new tracks with them. We’ll come to Germany in March and April, and we are currently working on our new show.
Do you love playing in small clubs or at these big festivals?
I think what really matters to me is the vibe of the venue. I prefer a packed small rock club with a good energy rather than a huge festival where people don’t seem to care about the music so much. It’s all a matter of atmosphere and how the people are reacting to our show. I love both equally and I’m really glad we get to experience all of this.
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Pic: LeTurk,
Frédéric Bui
