‘Back to the basics’
Christian singer Lauren Daigle returns to roots for new album
Lauren Daigle’s trajectory in music continues to rise.
The singer’s career was jumpstarted with her 2015 debut album, “How Can It Be.”
Today, listen to the radio and Daigle’s single “You Say” is a rotation staple on plenty of stations.
In fact, on Feb. 10, Daigle picked up a Grammy Award for the single, as well as a Grammy for her album “Look Up Child.”
Before starting the work on her current album, Daigle says, she was burned out and needed to hit the reset button.
“I left too many of the places I came from, in order to keep the machine going,” Daigle says in an interview. “I had to return to the beginning. I took most of 2017 off and went back to Louisiana. I was reminded why I love what I do. I got outside of the expectations and the pressure. … I decided to go back to the basics.”
Being back in Louisiana helped her push forward.
She then went into the studio with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury, whom she has collaborated with in the past.
Daigle also wanted an organic sound, so she brought in a string section.
Doing so helped her push her boundaries as a singer, often pushing into a more blues side of her voice.
“I long for that energy I get when I’m home,” she says. “Jason, Paul and I stayed true to that. It meant I had to put blood, sweat and tears into everything. You pay the price spiritually, emotionally, and physically — so everyone else can gain something. I wanted to be as exposed and honest as possible. When someone else is walking through one of their most vulnerable spaces, I can give them something to hold on to.”
She says “You Say” underwent serious road testing and emerged as a fan favorite.
“I went into the studio with all of these insecurities and realized for the first time in my career that things are changing — whether I like it or not,” she says. “The old is out. The new is in. It was a shock, because I didn’t think everything would happen so soon. I wrote ‘You Say’ first and out of that state. We started playing it every night, and the crowd would sing along even though it hadn’t been released. Because of that, it just had to be the first single.”