Laura is on a roll
SHE'S clocked up some serious Air Miles in the eight months since she first picked up a microphone.
And Laura Steel – who tomorrow finally gets to show what the fuss outside of her hometown has been about when she performs at Sheffield's Pride event – has picked up a trick or two, such as how to make 'human fajitas'.
"We'd been out and were back in the apartment," recalls the 24-year-old of the experience in Florida.
"We had these massive rugs and for some reason I curled myself up in one and then someone else joined me and then someone else. Hence, human fajitas."
The Aston lass cannot guarantee a repeat of that at Endcliffe Park on Saturday but she aims to show why some respected US producers have been keen to get her into the studio.
Those experiences and the fajitas episode have been captured for a 10-part YouTube series which has been pulling plenty of web attention her way.
"We did some gigs in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando while I was recording out there and I took this camcorder with me," says the singer, who is clearly still taken aback by events.
"If eight months ago you'd asked me what life had planned for me I would never have said singing. I never thought I would have what it takes to get up and sing. Then again, I like the attention."
Former regulars at Sheffield's Gatecrasher/Republic nightclub may recognise Laura from collecting tickets on the door.
"It made me a lot more worldly wise as I was a bit of a village girl," she admits.
She eventually headed to London to study fashion at St Martin's College - in the footsteps of Jarvis Cocker - and has since started her own hair and make-up business, styling other artists, and a media company.
A closer tangle with the music business came when a friend, performing as MC Angel, heard her singing in London at an after party.
"She said 'Why not come and sing on one of my tracks'. So I did and we wrote together. Then her producer liked my voice and asked me back and I said why not. I will try anything once.
So I went in and went from there.
"I thought this might lead to me writing for other people, but then I found some other people who wanted to work with me and in the space of months we had 20 tracks recorded."
Her album Time For Change, for release later this year, was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Frankie 'Lucio' Biggz (SWV, Brownstone, Christina Aguilera) mixing up Laura's brand of electro pop rock.
Taster single Running impacted on the dance charts and led to legendary producer Todd Terry requesting her writing/vocals on a future production.
"I've always been musical, playing piano since I was young, viola and French horn, but I never thought I would do anything with it – I just had it on the back burner," says Laura who got her first gig lined up two months after grabbing the mic.
She's since been labelled a 'one to watch' in a busy year that has already seen her perform at Ronnie Scott's, Hippodrome, Soho Revue and Caf de Paris.
She also sang at the OK Magazine Fashion Week '09 Party, will headline for fashion label Lipsy's launch party in Dublin and will perform to over 200,000 people this spring/summer at Pride events in major UK cities as well as in Orlando.
You may have caught her on Channel 5's The Gadget Show and she also made her first appearance on the catwalk with stylist Johnny Blue Eyes (Kate Moss, Take That, Beth Ditto, Scissor Sisters) at this year's London Fashion Week.
Her style is experimental and tough to define but one thing she's not shy of is letting her accent shine through, so much so her producer would stop her to ask her to explain certain lines.
That footage on www.youtube.com/laurasteelmusic (warning contains strong language, nudity and stupidity) will go some way to explaining Laura further – see her recording her album, riding the tallest sling shot in the world, booty shaking with Miami's finest, performing at Orlando's largest gay resort, kick boxing and making those human fajitas.
Come success or not, Laura is happy to reveal as much about herself as people want to know.
"Too many artists are so secretive about their personal lives that when stories come out about them when they were younger there's a massive hoo ha.
"So I want to have no secrets. If I'm going to succeed people are going to root around for secrets - so I'm offering myself on a plate."
What do you think? Add your comment below.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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