LOVE

Dear friends,

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. I’ve been too busy actually doing music to really think about it, and so I haven’t felt particularly inspired to write anything lately, and simply have not had time. However, it struck me yesterday that my latest season has been one of love - and that this includes music. I’ve had a really beautiful month with people who are very special to me, and a lot of that has been in musical contexts. Most of the people who are most important to me are people I met at music school, and feeling these relationships grow and flourish has really nurtured my love for music. I was joking with my friend in rehearsal the other day that the music will sound better if we all get along, so we should factor into our rehearsal time to all get dinner together. I was only half joking though really, I think this is true. I think my journey with music has progressed to a new stage, and I’m excited to be feeling a little less hurt by music and a little more in love with it. 

I want to reframe live laugh lemon as a place of all things love for music. Like anything we love, it’s not always uncomplicated or easy - there are difficult things to navigate and things that can really deeply hurt us. Like all things we love, we have to fight to make ourselves heard and understood, and like all love, everyone deserves to be able to express their love and hurt. In these regards, all the discussions I have referred to of systemic issues in the music world are still relevant, and necessary for myself and others to heal within ourselves, and within our relationship with music. But I feel like I want to re-centre the love and joy I have for music. 

As I have said, live laugh lemon is very much reflective of my personal journey in finding myself and my passion and my path, within music and outside of it. I think finding love for the things we do, whether it be our art or career or relationships is both necessary and also not unique to musicians, but music is the medium/language/framework I have to think about these things. I don’t think this really changes much - all of my thoughts and feelings have always come from a place of love, but I think choosing love is always powerful.

Thinking like this has given me a newfound sense of direction - for live laugh lemon and for my own path, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Aroha nui,

Lauren