Lauren Rose Thayer has lived a lot of life in the leadup to her debut album, Going Somewhere.
Just in the last handful of years, the Pennsylvania native did a full 180 with her career path, making the switch from higher education to musician during the pandemic. It was then that she began writing songs, which she has compiled for Going Somewhere, set for release on Friday.
Promising an autobiography across seven songs, Thayer captures an array of emotions while paying homage to both her 90s country and 70s rock/singer-songwriter roots.
We chatted with Thayer all about Going Somewhere, as well as making the decision to pursue music, award nominations, her array of influences and more!
Pro Country: Your bio mentions that your sound is inspired by 90s country, 70s rock and roll and Americana music. Who are some of the earliest artists you remember hearing that you loved and had an impact on you?
Lauren Rose Thayer: As a child, I lived on The Chicks, Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, SHeDAISY, Trick Pony and Gretchen Wilson. When I began piano lessons, I listened to Sara Bareiles’s Little Voice and Vanessa Carlton’s Heroes and Thieves records on repeat until I had the whole albums memorized. Stevie Nicks was featured on Heroes and Thieves, and that was the first time I ever heard of her. So of course I dove into the Fleetwood Mac rabbit hole, and from there, I discovered The Eagles, Doobie Brothers, CCR, Heart, Pat Benetar, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Jackson Browne, etc. When I began writing songs, I listened to all of the artists listed above, but I was most inspired by Sheryl Crow and Michelle Branch, solely because they walked the crossover tightrope so easily. Even though I will always call myself a country artist, I don’t mind being categorized in Americana or crossover. I’m staying true to my sound, and if people are listening to it, then I did my job, no matter the title.
PC: You were originally pursuing a career in higher education before the pandemic spawned a career change toward music. As the pandemic and shift were unfolding, was it scary to leave your original path and put your eggs in a new basket?
LRT: Oh absolutely! It was not fun spending my 26th birthday applying for jobs out of panic during a global pandemic. I also felt a lot of shame about my situation. A lot of my family thought I was selfish and crazy for trying to pursue music as a singer in the midst of all the crazy. But I was never one to just sit back and do nothing. My options were to stay at my parents’ house in PA, apply for local jobs and wait it out, or move back to Nashville and sing my songs. You can figure out what I chose. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to please my family and friends and actually tried doing something I was passionate about that I found the most success.
PC: You began writing songs during Covid quarantine. What was it about expressing yourself in that way that helped you cope through that time?
LRT: I think being in quarantine forced me to sit down with my thoughts and try putting them to music. I never was one to let myself sit in pity, so all of my songs have a silver lining in them. I think overall, that was my outlook of quarantine. I could either sit in my room and cry or I can get a head start on some songs. Once one song was finished, the rest kinda fell into my lap. It became a lot of fun and therapeutic for me.
PC: You released your first single, “When You Said Goodbye (The John Mayer Song)” in May of 2021. What emotions were you feeling as you were releasing music out into the world for the first time?
LRT: I was in shock! I’m a recovering perfectionist, so I was trying very hard to make it sound as best as it could with the tools that I had. I felt this sense of urgency when I would play a show and folks in the crowd would ask if I was on Spotify or Apple Music and I had to say “not yet.” It came to a point where I just wanted to have at least one thing on my pages to show that I was here. Any time anybody tries something new, it is really just hearsay until you put a final product out there. Then it becomes very real. I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to it a whole lot since I released it, but I’m still very proud of the work we did. It’s literally step one of my music career.
PC: You’re set to release your debut album, Going Somewhere, in mid-June. How much are you looking forward to having an entire collection of songs you’ve written over the last few years to present to listeners as an introduction to your music?
LRT: I’m ready. There is something for everyone on this record from breakup songs, makeup songs, love songs, clap back songs, honky tonk songs, faith songs, but collectively, it’s my story in an album. This work is the start of what I hope to be a lifelong marathon of music to come.
PC: “Lighthouse” is our favorite song on Going Somewhere. You mentioned on social media that love songs make you “cringe” because of the lack of imagery and honesty in many of them. Can you talk about the inspiration behind “Lighthouse” and what it symbolizes?
LRT: Oh, I’m so glad you love it! “Lighthouse” is honestly my lightning in a bottle song. When I wrote it with Luis (Slice), I was going through a “right person wrong time” season, and was in my feels but couldn’t put it into words. He sat at the piano and I was venting to him: “I feel like I’m like a giant flood light just flashing this blinding light and this guy is looking in every single direction but mine.” To which Slice replied “Maybe you’re not a flood light, but you’re a lighthouse, and he’s a boat out on the water.” And the rest is history. Obviously the guy didn’t work out, but I knew we had a great song at the end of it all. Although it was very hard in the beginning for me to perform it live, “Lighthouse” became a crowd favorite at every show. Once I saw how much people related to the song, Slice persuaded me to put it out as a single.
PC: “The Attic” is a comforting song that discusses going home to see family and living in the moment. After the whirlwind you experienced in the years leading up to the release of Going Somewhere, how much of “The Attic” was a message to yourself and about slowing down?
LRT: Not a lot of people know this, but “The Attic” was actually written in 2019 and I definitely think it was a foreshadow of what was gonna happen in 2020. I think in order to ground yourself in anything, you have to slow down and be still. And in this industry, it seems counterproductive to be still, but now when I hear “The Attic,” it’s like a hug through the headphones. I also think it’s sweet looking back on verse three, it sounds like a father talking to his kid. And that’s exactly how I believe God talks to us when we listen for His voice. It is almost like He wanted me to buckle my seatbelt because 2020 was coming.
PC: You included a re-imagined, “healed” version of “When You Said Goodbye” on Going Somewhere. How much did you enjoy looking back on the song and offering a new rendition?
LRT: The Healed Version is a breath of fresh air! When we were coming up with the tracklist for the album, I wanted to put “When You Said Goodbye” on there, but the production was very different from the rest of the songs, so this gave us a chance to revisit it and modernize it for our growing fanbase. We really wanted to ‘countrify’ the song, so I’m very grateful to have Van Plating, who is a pioneer in her own right, play fiddle on the Healed Version. It’s also nice to have two versions of this song, because it gives my listeners options. I’m always gonna be proud of the OG version, but I feel like the Healed Version is the most relevant to where I am now in my career.
PC: The album title “Going Somewhere” comes from “Hello, my name is…,” an uplifting song that closes the album. What was it about that line and title that you felt encapsulated the record and drew you to make it the title?
LRT: Aha! You figured it out! “Hello, my name is…” is my reintroduction; it’s my autobiography. It ties the whole record up in a big pink ribbon. When you listen to the record, it really shows a timeline of my life up to now. Every time I set a goal for myself, it never goes the way I had planned. So “Going Somewhere” kinda takes it out of my hands and into the audience’s. The whole theme of the album is a journey: we’re not sure where we’re going, we just know we’re going somewhere!
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Going Somewhere after listening all the way through?
LRT: I hope this album makes you feel all the emotions. I want my listener to dance, laugh, cry, call their mom, go out on the town, pray, get together with some good friends and some good wine, go out for a drive and scream it in the wind, fall in love over and over again.
PC: You were recently nominated for Rising Star of the Year, Country Female at the Josie Music Awards in Nashville. What does getting that nod mean to you and how much are you looking forward to spending that night at the Opry for the show?
LRT: That was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card, but I’m honored and excited! When I turned 30 this year, I promised myself that I was not going to let anybody tell me I wasn’t ready for XYZ. I worked way too hard to let the opinions of others hold me back any longer, regardless of their status. As soon as I let those people go and focused on me, that’s when I felt true freedom, and next thing you know, I got a Josie nomination! Having it be at the Opry is indescribable. The fact that I used to work at Opry Mills for years and now I get to attend the Opry as a Josie nominee is unbelievable.
PC: With Going Somewhere on the horizon, what else do you have planned for the rest of 2024?
LRT: So for now, I’m a full-time Broadway musician in Nashville, so outside of my regular gigs, I plan on going on a mini tour in July playing a couple shows in Buffalo, NY and Hershey, PA. But after that, I am going to focus on my growing fanbase on TikTok and my other socials. I have met so many awesome people from social media, and they really helped me get my music off the ground. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but I am just along for the ride, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.
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