Gemma Laurence opens up about her music journey and the traumas, alongside the glimmers, that made her album. A conversation about self discovery and its connection to making art.

GEMMA LAURENCE

gemma laurence interview with throughseptember through september interview

It was my fourth week of doing the Artists Way for the third time and I was determined to successfully fulfill my assignment: avoid as much media consumption as I could. I was walking around aimlessly in Williamsburg and remembered that I do indeed live in NYC and probably could find something to do pretty quickly. Obviously, my first thought went to music, wondering where to find a concert on a Sunday night.

I walked to Baby's Alright, bought a ticket for a random artist I’ve never heard of, and walked into the show. Gemma Laurence was opening up for another great artist, Piktoria Vark. I, fully immersed in the show, felt pulled in my Laurence’s soothing voice and powerful lyrics.

Gemma Laurence on heartbreak, emotional alchemy, and creating,

We Were Bodies UnderWater

by eylül şeyma

Gemma Laurence Performs at Union Pool

throughseptember

a deep dive & interview with Gemma Laurence

Gemma Laurence
A black background with white text describing Lauren's childhood and inspirations, mentioning her musical pursuits, influences from a 2000s Nickelodeon show, and her NYC-based career.
A young woman with long curly brown hair smiling while sitting on a bed inside a room with a brick wall and wooden furniture.
A woman with curly dark hair, smiling, sitting in a room with a brick wall and a mirror behind her.
Text about folk music, its cultural significance, revolutionary works by artists, and the emotional depth expressed through lyrics, focusing on human stories of love, acceptance, defeat, and peace.
A woman walking inside a room near large windows with sheer curtains, living plants, and bookshelves.
Page of text about folk music, mentioning a gentle voice, a banjo, and a talented band, describing a music album 'We Were Bodies Underwater' by Gemma, and the emotional impact of her songs.
Text excerpt discussing emotional expression through music, emphasizing honesty, courage, and the importance of space in music performance, with quote highlighted in red.
Gemma Laurence discusses the importance of reflection, vulnerability, and emotional processing in connecting with others, emphasizing steps of feeling, writing, and sharing.
Gemma Laurence
Gemma Laurence
Gemma Laurence's personal experiences creating peace with herself and her past, her artistic process as a self-made artist in NYC, and her challenges as a musician.
Gemma discusses growing up in Maine and its effects on her creativity
Gemma mentions bands like The Clash, Ramones, for inspiration for the album We Were Bodies Underwater
Gemma's collages
Interview
Gemma discusses building her band, mentioning iconic NYC based musicians Fran Pastore and Aida O' Brien.
'Can you speak more about the three step process of creation?'
Gemma Laurence discusses poetry, music, and artistic inspiration for her third album; We Were Bodies Underwater
Gemma Laurence gets personal in interview with ThroughSeptember
Gemma talks We Were Bodies Underwater
ThroughSeptember: Interviews Gemma Laurence -- discussing emotions, music, and creation

gemma laurence talking about adrienne rich musician from maine, a folk artist in nyc. books that inspire her in this interview

Gemma Laurence Interview
Gemma Laurence discusses her biggest obstacles & strengths of becoming a musician in this ThroughSeptember interview
Gemma Laurence Interview with ThroughSeptember
Gemma Laurence and Bloodlines: This Postpartum Emotional Release

Gemma: “Yeah seriously. He got to see the Clash live, and the Ramones. I’m very envious. I think I was always bound to write rock music at some point because I grew up on it and I listen to that all the time. When I'm sad, I don't want to listen to sad folk music. I want to listen to something to get me out of it. And as an artist, I can be sad a lot of the time so, I like listening to rock. This record, We Were Bodies Underwater, actually leans more rock.”


Oh that's super exciting, my favorite genre might just be classic rock. 


Gemma: “Yes! I love it too. I mean, at the end of “Bloodlines,” there's a full-on rock guitar solo (played by the amazing Aída O’brien). I was writing all this folk music, but “Bloodlines” was the first song I made for this album in 2021. I had just formed a band. It was my goal to go to New York City after I graduated college… to start a band of like all queer femme folks, just make music, go on tour, play in New York and sell out venues. 
And so that's what I was trying to do.”

Gemma’s work is revolutionary in a similar way, depicting stories of her intimate relationships, platonic and romantic, and showcasing the rawest aspect of human nature; falling in love, exposing parts of your inner world, occasionally being left like a dying corpse, crashing out, then finding peace in the act of the self love and love itself. Through her lyrics, she owns her emotions and rawness -- her yearning, her acceptance, her defeat, and her peace, sprawling it out across many pages and stages.  throughseptember gemma laurence interview