WRITTEN BY LAUREN JAUREGUI AND FEATURING COLLABORATIONS WITH VIC MENSA, 6LACK AND TIMBALAND
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LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO OF FOCUS TRACK
âON GUARDâ (FEAT. 6LACK) â OUT NOW
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âPRELUDEâ
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âON GUARDâ (FEAT. 6LACK) (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO)
A new chapter begins today for artist and songwriter, Lauren Jauregui with the release of her highly anticipated debut solo project, âPRELUDEâ â out now via her own label, Attunement Records under exclusive license to AWAL Recordings. Written by Lauren, the seven-track collection of songs features some of her most personal music ever released.
âThis is truly my child,â Lauren observes, speaking candidly about her project. âIâm continuing to change. These songs mean a lot to me and speak to a very real part of myself Iâve been working on. They feel good. Iâve sat with them. Iâm comfortable with them. Iâd done a few features, but Iâve been sifting through different sounds and working on unlearning what my heart had been trained to hear in the past. I found out what I sonically wanted to say. It was a beautiful process to understand I have my own voice as an artist. 2021 Lauren is a whole new bitch.â
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The projectâs focus track, âOn Guard,â featuring 6lack, sees Lauren locking into a conversational call-and-response with the singer and rapper. âIâm asserting my power and talking about having boundaries around my heart,â she reveals. Watch a beautiful live performance video of âOn Guard,â taken from Laurenâs incredible livestream concert, presented by the premium social live media platform Moment House, co-directed by Lauren and creative director Matthew Daniel Siskin (BeyoncĂ©, 6LACK, Florence & The Machine) HERE.
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Earlier this month, Lauren introduced âPRELUDEâ with âColors,â a track written by Lauren and produced by Johnny Rain, featuring sparse piano and airy strings, which underscore her emotionally charged delivery, effervescent harmonies, and evocative spoken word. Hailed by Billboard as âa piercing self-examination,â âcontemplative and emotionally charged,â the song was ushered in with a flurry of critical acclaim, including from PAPER Magazine who lauded the track as âa simmering, meditative introduction that burns slowly until it bursts,â with V Magazine proclaiming âit has enough substance to tide you down with just one spin.â
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Speaking about the song, Lauren shares, âWhen you paint a wall, you have to paint over what is underneath. Iâm trying to convince myself Iâm someone Iâm not,â she explains. âThe song is a literal conversation. When everyone is gone, itâs just you and I. You can paint on the wall, but you canât erase them all. Iâm letting myself know that no matter what is going on, I need to be okay with myself. You canât run away from yourself, because all of your layers are still going to be there. You need to learn to see them and accept them.â
âScattered,â featuring Vic Mensa followed, written by Lauren, and produced by Oak Felder (Demi Lovato, Brandy, Kehlani). Described by Rolling Stone as an âautumnal, horn-tipped ballad,â that sees âthe duo address emotional demons, finding ways to trust, and acknowledge when the pain might be too much to go it alone,â with COMPLEX calling it âslow-burningâ and âmeditative.â
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âItâs essentially about my mind being scattered. Vic heard it and felt it. I loved the idea of having a male perspective on assessing mental health,â Lauren says. âThe transparency and the vulnerability, thatâs what drew me into the song âScattered,â Vic Mensa explains. âIâve come to realize that when I speak about the myriad of mental issues I go through, and speak about them honestly and with no short-cuts, not only is it a catharsis for me, itâs also valuable for the world because so many people are going through the same manifestations.â
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Watch Lauren and Vic speak about the meaning behind the song and how it all came together HERE, and watch the beautiful live performance video HERE.
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Other project highlights on the project include âFalling,â which Lauren wrote and features production from the legendary Timbaland (Aaliyah, Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliott, Madonna). The track sees Lauren confronting depression head-on amid a fascinating sonic framework punctuated by beatboxing in the background courtesy of Timbaland. âDonât Wanna Say Itâ combines shimmering harp with a sultry and heavenly vocal, and on âSorry,â Laurenâs vocals tiptoe over faint acoustic guitar and swooning strings. She originally penned the song in Bali before GRAMMYŸ Award-winning super producer Malay (Frank Ocean, Lorde) lent his touch to the track. âMost of the songs are moments,â Lauren explains. ââSorryâ is essentially apologizing for not being able to love someone the way they want to be loved and having to walk away because of those differences.â
 Along with the new music, Lauren Jauregui exclusively revealed in an interview with Bustle that sheâs taking full creative control and embarking on a fully independent career, releasing music in partnership with AWAL Recordings and serving as executive producer on her upcoming âPRELUDEâ project. According to Lauren, âMy music is about getting to the bottom of how Iâm feeling⊠Now, I have the freedom to explore all of the different ways I can express myself. My art is a witness to my growth.â With the initial announcement of âPRELUDE,â Lauren reveals, âDeep gratitude to be able to finally birth the beginning of this project into the world. âPRELUDEâ is a piece of my heart, and I canât wait for you all to hear what that sounds like.â
You can hear, see, and feel Lauren Jaureguiâs evolution in her music. Of course, the world initially met the multi-platinum second generation Cuban American singer and songwriter as one-fifth of the award-winning, arena-filling, and chart-dominating multi-platinum pop phenomenon Fifth Harmony. Projecting her voice across popular culture, she collaborated with everyone from Halsey and Steve Aoki to Ty Dolla $ign and Diane Warren.
In between, Lauren dropped her first solo single âExpectationsâ during 2018, which went on to generate over 100 million streams, paving the way for a procession of fan favorites including âMore Than That,â âLento” with Tainy, â50ft,â and âInvisible Chains,â taken from Birds of Prey: The Album. During 2021, she released a new song, âTemporaryâ in collaboration with a mental health initiative sponsored by Ad Council.
Using her platform for progress, Lauren also actively speaks up for various social justice initiatives, including human rights, and womenâs and LGBTQ+ rights. Now, she embraces freedom of expression both personally and creatively on her 2021 independent debut, PRELUDE, released in partnership with AWAL. For the first time, Lauren showcases every side of herself with no shortage of spirit, sensuality, style, and soul, delivering an unfiltered and undeniable depiction of who she is.
Speaking about what she hopes fans will take away from âPRELUDE,â Lauren reveals, âWhen you listen to this, I hope you feel seen. I want you to feel held, hugged, or sexy. If youâre mad at a situation and donât have any words, I hope my songs can help you find those words. This is just part one of whatâs coming next as I explore myself.â
âPRELUDEâ is available everywhere now.Â
TRACKLISTING
Intro
Colors
Scattered (feat. Vic Mensa)
Falling
On Guard (feat. 6lack)
Donât Want To Say It
Sorry