Lauren Amber Aquilina is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Bristol, she gained popularity by independently releasing a trilogy of EPs whilst studying at school. Her debut albumIsn't It Strange? was released 26 August 2016 after being signed with Island Records and Universal Music Group. In October 2016, she revealed that she would no longer continue releasing music; however, in August 2018, Aquilina announced that she would recommence releasing music.
Life and career
Aquilina was born on 23 June 1995 in Bristol to parents from Malta. Her musical origins began with her playing piano in school. She has been singing since she was eight years old and has been playing piano since she was nine. When she was thirteen years old she attended her first open mic event and sang "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga while her mother filmed her. Aquilina's manager, Ryan Walter, came across one of the videos and the two began working with one another putting together Aquilina's initial EP Fools.
"I uploaded the video to my Facebook page just as a kind of test to see what people thought and my manager spotted my first video within two days of uploading it even though it had less than 4 views, I was very fortunate."
Celebrity supporters include Perez Hilton, who posted a blog entry praising Aquilina in January 2012. In December 2011, Aquilina uploaded a cover of Brenda Russell's song "Get Here", which she recorded at home to raise money for the Meningitis Trust. She said that she was "trying to raise as much money as I can for a good cause, especially at Christmas time." In August 2012, Aquilina announced her independently released debut EP Fools through her management label Interlude Artists which was released on iTunes on 22 October 2012. It reached the Top 50 iTunes singles charts in its first week on pre-orders alone. To promote her EP, Aquilina performed an eight-song set in Tromsø, Norway, and was noticed by a Norwegian newspaper who called Aquilina "a great, talented songwriter who plays piano to accompany her beautiful voice." In September 2012, Aquilina announced on both her Facebook and Twitter accounts that she would be headlining her very first UK tour in early 2013. Aquilina has received significant popularity in Malta since the release of her debut EP, Fools. She has topped the Maltese iTunes chart, above Adele, and has been noted in several Maltese newspapers and websites and on Malta's National TV channel, TVM, as of October 2012. The title track from Fools received its first UK national radio play on BBC Radio 1 on 15 October 2012 on the BBC Introducing show. It was announced on 15 August 2013 that Aquilina would headline the BBC Introducing stage at Reading & Leeds Festival 2013. She also played her first ever show in the United States on 21 August 2013 when she played a sold-out headline show at Manhattan's Rockwood Hall. Aquilina released her final EP Liars in the Fools, Sinners, Liars EP trilogy on 10 March 2014. Having asked to hear Lauren's third EP Liars, which she recorded and marketed with her manager, Island Records and Universal Music Group signed Aquilina as a new artist. In June 2014, Aquilina collaborated with Scottish band Prides on one of their tracks, "Strong Enough". As of October 2014, Aquilina's trilogy of EPs have sold over 100,000 copies between them. Aquilina also put on a mini-tour of three UK shows as a special thank you to her fans for their support. Dates included Manchester, Bristol and London where the mini-tour ended. Aquilina's song "Time to Say Goodbye" was featured in the season six advert for British drama Downton Abbey. Aquilina released her debut album Isn't It Strange? under Island Records and Universal Music Group on 26 August 2016. On 10 October 2016 Aquilina announced on her Twitter and Facebook accounts that she was no longer going to be writing music or performing for herself and that Isn't It Strange? would be her last album. Aquilina returned to music in 2018 with "Psycho", from an EP due in 2019. In March 2019, she released a single ‘Tobacco in my Sheets’
Artistry
Critical reception
Music reviewing website "Sound Of The Day" praised Aquilina's vocals in her cover of Lana Del Rey's "Born To Die":
" took this cover and exploded it, and took vocals to another level. She has convinced me that with her very touching and emotional feel to her voice, she can change the course of many up and coming musicians. She is just in her room with a mic and keyboard, and has something to say, imagine her in an actual studio with better equipment. This girl could be a force on whatever label she signs with. The song and Lauren remind me of the beautiful Adele. Adele has a very powerful voice and people know when she is in the room. Lauren has that presence with her beautiful voice and amazing talent."
Fortitude Magazine writer Maxie Molotov-Smith complimented Aquilina's musical approach and rated her third EP, Liars, a five out of five star rating. Praising,
"Lauren’s sound is beautifully crafted soul-inflected Piano Pop that conjures lifting atmospheres, honey-sweet vocals and some of the wisest lyrics that any teenage songwriter has ever written".
Influences
Aquilina has covered many artists on her YouTube channel and at her live performances including Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding. She also credits Stereophonics, Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Annie Lennox as influences.
