renforshort

Talks Debut Album, Evolving As An Artist, and Touring

By Brennan Greenwald

Toronto native, Lauren Isenberg, known professionally as renforshort, is a dynamic singer-songwriter at the inception of what is sure to be a lengthy, successful career. The artist has carved out her own distinct sound in the alt-pop space that features vulnerable lyrical content backed by infectious and energetic guitar-forward instrumentals. Furthermore, the cathartic release of her songwriting allows for extreme relatability for listeners.

Although her first EP was released just recently in 2020, renforshort is certainly not new to the music scene. She has accumulated millions of plays across streaming platforms, received acclaim from the likes of Billboard, OnesToWatch, and Teen Vogue, and has shared the stage with distinguished acts such as Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, and The Band CAMINO. In a press conference hosted by Universal Music’s creative solutions team,°1824, renforshort talked about her debut album, dear amelia, headlining her own tour, and maturing as an artist.

dear amelia is a personable album that addresses topics on mental health such as depression, anxiety, and toxic relationships. The dense lyrical content is backed by beats that will have you swaying and bobbing your head. The narratives in the project navigate the young artist’s maturation and are the most raw and revealing tracks she has released to date. When asked about the change in her artistic style since the release of her first single “Waves” in 2019, renforshort stated, “Over time my writing has definitely matured. I’ve consumed more media, met more people, I’ve learned more, and I think that that’s changed me as an artist and as a person.” She went on to explain, “since then I was so young… the older I got, the more experiences I had, and that really played into the narrative of my music… as an artist, they’ve helped me grow.”

The centerpiece of the album, Amelia, is featured at the beginning of the project in the title and at the end with the closing track “amelia.” renforshort described the role of Amelia stating, “Amelia is a character. All the songs are addressed to her. She is the personification of this part of my brain that I put so much stress on… instead of speaking out I’m speaking to myself… it closes with the song “amelia” because you lose that part of yourself… you put so much stress on yourself that inevitably something goes wrong and you lose elements of who you once were.”

One of the highlights off dear amelia is “we’ll make this ok,” which features the legendary Travis Barker. It opens promptly, with renforshort on the chorus singing with a melancholy tone, “We fight, we fuck, we kiss, we hug / We fight, we fuck, we kiss, you love / The way I break your broken heart / I push away, you pull apart.” At the beginning of the third line an ethereal synth beat smoothly slides in and then makes way for tantalizing drumming. “we’ll make this ok” is a ballad on a failed relationship that elicits rejuvenating dancing and singing along.

Another noteworthy track off the album is “let you down,” featuring acclaimed English singer-songwriter Jake Bugg. The track incorporates a slower pace to lament on the inability to cut ties with a significant other in fear of hurting them. The concluding pre-chorus, chorus, and outro pair the vocals of Bugg’s and renforshort. The duo beautifully harmonizes in tandem to illuminate the message of the song at its conclusion. When asked about the collaboration, renforshort recounted when she was first sent the track with Jake Bugg on it, “I started bawling my eyes out. He was one of the first artists I ever fell in love with. For me, it was like, wow. That happened. This is insane.”

*dear amelia* Cover Artwork / Click to Listen!

Coming fresh off from several months of touring with The Band CAMINO, renforshort is set to begin her first ever tour as the headliner. Her previously scheduled and sold-out tour was canceled due to covid. renforshort has headlined one show in her career which she described as one of the best nights of her life. She explained her enthusiasm for her upcoming tour stating, “I’m really excited to plan out a show. Lighting, the pace, being able to speak more and interact with the audience… on a headline, you as an artist can be more you.”

The tour is scheduled to make several stops in North America plus some international destinations. All it takes is listening to a couple of songs from dear amelia before you start checking if the tour makes any local stops. This young, captivating artist is certainly someone to keep on your radar and get familiar with.

Rexx Life Raj

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