Lauran Hibberd
Confessions and Libations of a Garageband Superstar
by Christopher Long
Yo, dude! Watch your step coming through here!
Popped-open suitcases were strewn across the floor of her temporary luxury abode. And with colorful stagewear littered everywhere and moist courtesy towels scattered about, it looked as if the Samsonite factory had just purged violently after a raucous all-night binger. As various production pros, personal handlers, and band members were darting in and out, a slightly soggy Lauran Hibberd arrived on the scene following a rain-soaked, post-show fan meet-and-greet. Welcome to the “Sunshine State,” Superstar!
Described by her tour manager as “Lauran’s warm-down time,” the clatter soon became more chill, as the dressing room cleared out and the 25-year-old singer songwriter settled into a cozy black leather couch. We fell quickly into a casual, yet compelling conversation, while across the room, Hibberd’s guitarist, Jess Baker, assumed the impromptu role of congenial bartender — mixing one particular libation. “We’re drinking Disaronno,” Hibberd confessed. “It’s an amaretto liquor thing which we all really like. That’s our drink.”
Performing tonight at the famed Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Hibberd found herself somewhere around the halfway mark of a six-week US concert tour. An irresistible bowl of Skittles plunked in the middle of a spicy sausage platter, the British pop-rock princess has been going nose-to-nose with the big boys on a rather appealing bill that includes Grayscale, Gym Class Heroes, and headlining heartthrobs, All Time Low — a high-octane excursion that has exceeded Hibberd’s wildest expectations.
“This is my first-ever tour in the States,” Hibberd revealed, seemingly still energized from her super-charged set an hour earlier. “I’ve only really ever had spot radio plays here and there and a bit of press. But yeah, I feel like a brand-new artist again in another country. There’s something quite fun about that — hitting these crowds fresh.”
Since dropping her debut single, “Hunny is This What Adults Do?” while still in her teens back in 2017, Hibberd’s career has been tracking fast in the UK. However, the reality of paddling across the pond to forge into new frontiers in the US was rather unexpected — something that even Hibberd herself didn’t see coming.
“You never see anything coming, I don’t think. You always sit and hope. I hope a lot. It’s been a dream of mine to tour America, because everything I do is so influenced by American culture, and American bands, and American artists. So, it’s always been something I’ve really wanted to do. I toured with All Time Low in the UK and Europe earlier this year. They’re great guys. Demographic-wise, it just worked perfectly. And they said, ‘Hey, come to America, come to Australia with us.’ And I was like, ‘Well obviously, yeah! I want to do that!’ And that’s how I ended up here. So I kinda owe it all to them, really.”
After nearly three weeks of maximum driving, minimum sleep, and surviving almost entirely off the Taco Bell value menu, Hibberd’s wide-eyed enthusiasm remains constant and contagious.
“It’s been the best in terms of a support tour. The US is where I’ve made the most new fans. Which is amazing, because in the UK, even if people don’t know who I am, they might know of me or know the band I’ve supported. Whereas here, there are some people in the front row that love the songs and are singing along, but it’s like having a room every night full of new people waiting for something. They’ve got no premonitions, no secret guesses. And that’s just really cool.”
“We’re annoyingly best friends. It’s ungodly transparent,” Hibberd says of her personal relationships with guitarist Jess Baker and drummer James Porter. “I’ve been around for a while. I’ve had a million band members, because that’s just how it goes. I’ve had guitarists, lost guitarists — had drummers, lost drummers. But I feel like I finally found my spot with Jess and JP. It just works. Dude, I’d die for them. I love them. We wouldn’t last, hanging out in a Ford van, driving around America for six weeks if we didn’t like each other. Me and Jess met a few years ago. I don’t even know how we met now.”
“It was fate,” Baker quipped from across the room, pouring another round of Disaronno.
“We both always struggled to find female best friends,” Hibberd continued. “We’ve always had loads of male friends. And Jess is the first person I’ve ever met with a pair of tits who actually wants me to do well.” The comment elicits immediate laughter from Baker.
Following a procession of successful singles and a string of popular videos, Hibberd stepped up her game with a couple of snappy EPs: Everything is Dogs (2019) and Goober (2021). And in 2022, she dropped a bona fide banger — her debut, full-length, Virgin Music LP, Garageband Superstar. For those on the sidelines, it’s all looked like an easy progression. But for those in the huddle, Hibberd’s drive downfield has often proven less than breezy.
“It’s definitely not been smooth. I think that’s been my biggest thing that I’ve learned, so far. And it’s something I’ve started to care less about. At times you can become quite obsessed with the industry and how easy or hard it is for you, and how easy or hard it is for someone else. Everyone’s on their own path, and I think you have to remember why you’re doing certain things. And I make music because that’s the only thing I know how to do, and I love doing it. And I’m going to keep doing it the way I want to do it for however long I can.”
On stage, Hibberd truly comes alive — a tour de force, to be sure. Sporting tied-high blond pigtails, extreme makeup, eye-catching costumes, and monster-sized platform boots, she stomps about the stage, slashing at her guitar like a gleeful, real-life Saturday matinee superhero. With the qualified assist of her rock-ribbed two-piece backing band, Hibberd covers tremendous territory during her current 30-minute opening set — a fistful of fan faves, plus a raucous remake of the 2004 Gwen Stefani chart-buster, “Hollaback Girl.” However, it’s her shiny new, show-closing tune “I Suck at Grieving” that’s getting the greatest attention.
“Until something happens in your life that changes your path, you can’t write about that stuff — until it happens to you. When ‘I Suck at Grieving’ came about, I was like, ‘Oh, oh! Wait! This is the best thing I’ve ever done!’ It’s the first song I’ve released that’s resonated with fans on a level that hasn’t before. I love writing songs like ‘Honda Civic’ — that’s where I’m happy, when I’m kicking my legs. But I believe wholeheartedly, ‘I Suck at Grieving’ is my best song — so far.”
In addition to “Honda Civic” and “I Suck at Grieving,” Hibberd’s current set list features another new track, her next single, “Mary,” which also will appear on her new album that she expects to arrive (hopefully) sometime in the first half of 2024. And clearly, making actual albums is something Hibberd remains passionate about.
“I think releasing an album, as an artist, shows that you’re serious. It’s a common thing now for people to wait and wait and wait to release their debut album. They do EPs after EPs after EPs and they do mix tapes and all these kinds of things, and I’m like, dude, just make an album. What are you so afraid of — failing? What’s the worst that can happen — you don’t get a #1? It probably won’t happen anyway. So, you may as well get it out of the way.”
Hibberd’s creative thumb always has been placed firmly on the pulse of pop culture. Her unique songwriting talent — her knack for crafting catchy hooks and her ear for intoxicating melodies, combined with compelling lyrics that teeter between humorous and heartfelt has led her to be called, “the most important new artist on today’s music scene.”
“I write songs about things that happened to me in my life. And I think in your life you can’t always be joking about not having money and picking up the light stuff. And I joke all the time. I have a really dark sense of humor and I would joke myself out of any situation. Which is why most of my songs are laced in that, even the sad ones. But, I don’t want to be, and I’m not, a one-trick pony. I don’t want to just come out on stage and smash, smash, smash the whole way through. I want to smash to the point where people go, ‘Whoa!’ Then you sideswipe them with something that’s gonna knock ‘em out. ‘I Suck at Grieving’ is a sideswipe.”
In the old days, relatively little was expected of music artists beyond writing songs, snorting blow, banging groupies, and maintaining a modicum of sobriety for 65 minutes each night. However, survival in today’s super-savvy music scene requires exhaustive artist commitment to creating their work and marketing their brand, which often means a huge time investment in social media. But, that’s something Hibberd embraces and excels at, with ease.
“To a degree, I’ve grown up with social media being part of my life. So, I’ve seen Instagram become what it is, which makes sense to me. It feels quite natural. But, it’s kind of different when loads of new things come up. It’s like, one minute you’re doing this, then the next minute, TikTok’s the next thing. The next minute, everything’s got to be on video and everything’s got to be shot like this. I think that there have been times when I definitely resented it. But, I think for me, as long as I’m doing it in the way I feel comfortable, then I’m totally fine with it. And if that’s the quickest and easiest way to engage with people who want to listen to my music, then I’m down for it.”
Despite ad nauseam stylistic comparisons in the press, Hibberd’s actual musical influences, or lack thereof, might be surprising.
“I didn’t have a profound musical upbringing. None of my family were musical, or really ever cared about music that much. I didn’t grow up with my mom being like, ‘Oh, listening to Sgt. Pepper is the best thing ever.’ We were just listening to whatever pop radio station on the way to school. So, I grew up on pop music, just whatever was current. Whatever was popping then, I knew about it. So, that kind of pop sensibility has stayed with me throughout. I remember my best friend showing me bands like Weezer and Green Day and I went on that kind of wave. And that was so much fun. But then again, I’ve always been really into singer songwriters. I’m a massive fan of Elliott Smith. I love Phoebe Bridgers. I just don’t want to be one thing. I just want to be on my train, really.
Hibberd played her first live gig at age 16. And she knew (almost) instantly that music would be her life.
“I was so nervous. There were three people there. I thought I was gonna puke. And I thought, ‘I can’t do this. It’s not for me.’ But when I came off, I went, ‘Oh God, that was such a good feeling.’ No one thought that I had it in me, as a kid, apart from my mom. I was always very shy. And that was the one place I was alive. So, I’m just kind of addicted to it now.
http://lauranhibberd.komi.io
Featured photo by Steve Glashier.
