NASHVILLE, TN- Laura Reed is a South-African born/North Carolina-raised/Nashville-based singer/songwriter with a real soulful sound.  That soul is given a funky polish on her single “Shine”. Released earlier this year on April 12, “Shine”, produced by WLPRWR, is a banger of a track. With its distorted guitar lines and booming horn section, the cut’s sonics really amplify the confident swag with which Ms. Reed sings. When we asked Laura whether “Shine” was indicative of the new music she’s working on with Dave Schools and Vance Powell, Laura says:

“Shine” is more of a sonic outlier […] as the new EP is really bringing everything back to the songwriting and melodies, and less about big production. The project with Dave Schools and Vance Powell are pointed in a more retro but modern rock direction. There are no horns actually, but more guitar and harmonica.  Everything performed live in the studio, at Vance’s Sputnik Sound Studios in Nashville.  Don’t get me wrong however, I LOVE big horn lines and the high energy of “Shine”. Some songs call for that and others don’t. The production WLPWR did on “Shine” fit so well with the message, the funky energy serving as a little extra sugar to help the medicine go down.

Blurred Culture has the exclusive of the music video for “Shine”! The video was shot by OMG PRKR while walking through neighborhoods and streets in East Nashville (one of which is her dad’s). With this experimental video, Laura has stated that the track is meant to “evoke & remind us of one’s power once they decide no one can take it, and celebrating strength in taking accountability for ourselves”. When we asked whether there was a specific moment that inspired her, Laura says:

There was not a specific moment, but more of a chapter that inspired the message and lyrics of “Shine”. I was out of a major publishing deal and on the other side of a divorce and was making music in such a free way. I felt in control of my life and my art again. I had a “zoom-out” moment in the studio when I heard the music that helped me recognize that I was in my stride, this is what I’m meant to do, and no one can take that away. I strongly believe we all have a purpose and when we can realize what that is and claim it, it’s a powerful feeling that sets you at ease. That peace of knowing what you are here to do is “Shine”. 

Peep the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments!

Follow Laura Reed on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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