About

A folk-pop singer/songwriter in the lineage of Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King, Lauren Balthrop makes captivating, candid music propelled by her crystalline voice. Her “bell-clear vocals” and sophisticated, folk-leaning pop songwriting have earned her praise from major music publications across the country, including Stereogum and Audio Femme. She’s a valued performer who has collaborated with a wide range of acts, from singing on notable Bob Weir, Kevin Morby, Elizabeth and the Catapult, and Benjamin Booker records to touring and performing with Kevin Morby, Lucius, Sara Bareilles, Bob Weir, Benjamin Booker, and Michaela Anne. Known for developing different characters and experimenting with various genres over the course of her career, Balthrop’s songs have been featured in HBO series Bored to Death, EPIX series Get Shorty, coming-of-age drama film The Myth of the American Sleepover (produced by Moonlight’s Adele Romanski), and a Match.com commercial which won the Gold Lion award for Best Use of Music at the 2011 Cannes Advertising Festival. Lauren’s second full-length solo album Things Will Be Different – released August 12, 2022 on Olivia Records – showcases her characteristic clarity and crisp, luminous vocals while revealing a fresh, more intimate sound. 

Balthrop’s second solo album Things Will Be Different, is a dynamic folk-pop collection that examines nostalgia in all its brutal and benignly beautiful forms. From the driving guitars of the ironically upbeat single “Bringing Me Down” to the fragile, encouraging lines of “Piece of Shit,” the album is filled with a sense of freedom despite the themes of stagnancy and anxiety it explores. Featuring open tuning and delicate vocal melodies, the songs reflect the depths of love lost, revealing Balthrop’s growth as an artist along the way: “This is the first record that feels entirely, fully my own. It’s about anxiety and heartbreak, and the millions of little moments that make up both. It’s about being stuck in the present but fixated on the past… and moving through to the other side.” Produced by Nick Kinsey (Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby), Things Will Be Different features musicians Ellen Kempner (Palehound), David Lizmi, James Paul Mitchell, Matt Combs, Jared Samuel (Invisible Familiars), Matthew Douglas (Mountain Goats), Kevin Copeland, Steven Bernstein and Maya DeVitry, who co-wrote the single “Thank You”—a tender waltz about the kind of forgiveness that arises only after other feelings give way. “In the end you learn from those things. In the end, you’re thankful for them. It just takes a while.”

Born and raised in the south, Balthrop has lived in Mobile, AL, Brooklyn, NY, and Nashville, TN, developing a distinctive, folk-infused style that blends a mellow, downtown lucidity with pangs of Southern charm. She began playing music at an early age, drawn to the gypsy swing style popularized by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, who inspired her to take up violin. She later gravitated toward artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, who influenced her narrative songwriting style and penchant for open guitar tuning. She took voice and piano lessons, sang in the church choir, taught herself to play guitar, and actively participated in musical theater. After moving to New York to pursue theater, Balthrop shifted back to music as her primary focus, finding that songwriting offered more creative freedom than acting. From 2007 to 2012 she joined forces with her brother Pascal Balthrop, also a prolific songwriter, to release five albums as folk-rock band Balthrop, Alabama, touring the U.S. and drawing a cult following for their lively, family-band folk anthems. Balthrop also joined Dawn Landes and Annie Nero to form retro doo-wop trio Bandana Splits, releasing two highly acclaimed albums in 2011 and 2015. 

Balthrop released a self-titled solo album under the pseudonym Dear Georgiana in 2013, introducing her unique brand of breathy, lilting ballads that hit the mark somewhere between Mazzy Star and Carole King. The album was produced by Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir, The National, Hiss Golden Messenger, Josh Ritter), with the “absolutely lovely” single “Don’t Ever Forget” premiered in Stereogum. In 2018, Balthrop released her official solo debut This Time Around under her own name. The dreamy, bittersweet collection maps the trajectory of an uprooted soul, with dark, experimental folk instrumentation balanced by Balthrop’s bright, pure vocals. Produced by Josh Kaufman and released on Nashville’s Tone Tree Music label, the album features an all-star supporting cast, with Peter Lalish (Lucius, Uni Ika Ai) on guitar, Jason Lawrence on drums (Jesse Marchant, The Building), Josh Kaufman on bass, Karen Waltuch (Wilco) on strings, and backing vocalists Elizabeth Ziman (Elizabeth & the Catapult), Annie Nero (A. Nero), Lucas Madrazo (Inland Traveler), Maia Friedman (Coco, Uni Ika Ai, Dirty Projectors), and Tom Krueger.