“We Didn’t Sweat The Small Stuff!” Lauran Hibberd Interviewed

It’s probably fair to say that Lauran Hibberd has had an intense couple of years. She released her debut album ‘Garageband Superstar’ in August 2022, shortly after losing her father, and has also seen the end of a long-distance relationship, a move away from the Isle of Wight, where she grew up, and a support slot with one of her favourite bands across the world. 

On March 22nd, she’ll have a new album out, too. ‘Girlfriend Material’ is something of an evolution for the artist, who describes it as her “favourite thing” she’s made. And Clash got to catch up with Lauran in the run-up to to its release to discuss it, as well as everything she’s been up to recently. 

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How does it feel to be on your second album now, and bring it out into the world?

It feels really fun this time around. They always say that the second album is, like, a tricky thing to do, but I felt more like that about my first album. I’d put so much pressure on it being my debut and this being the thing that people remembered. And after I’d kind of shaken all of that off, I was just ready to have fun. 

And this second record just kind of fell out of me when I wasn’t even thinking about doing a second record at that point. So it just felt like more of a need rather than something I was actively doing. But I’m so excited about it. It’s my favourite thing I’ve ever made.

You recorded the album with Aaron Gillespie – how did that come about?

We were actually writing together in LA the year before last now, I think. We were just writing, and we clicked straight away. He has this infectious energy – he’s literally like Jack Black to me. I just love him so much. So that was so fun to meet him. And we just kept working together after that. 

I was struggling to find the right person to produce this next one. And we were in constant contact with each other – I was sending things I’d written. He was like, ‘I love this. You’re working on something so cool right now.’ And eventually, he was like, ‘Why don’t I just produce it?’ And I was like, ‘Do you want to do that?’

He was like, ‘Yeah, for you, I do.’ And I was like, ‘Well, count me in.’ I went to his studio in Nashville, and we did it in two weeks. We didn’t mess around, we didn’t sweat the small stuff. And I think it shows. It’s got so much energy, and it’s everything I wanted it to be.

You said before ‘Garageband Superstar’ came out that you wanted to change it last minute but your manager said to leave the new ideas for the second record. Did that music make the grade in the end?

Yeah, it did. It really started like a spin for me. I think before the debut album came out, so much in my life had changed, and I don’t regret anything, but I almost wish I’d just waited a second on that debut because so many things happened to me after I made it, and I was like, I feel like I have so much more to say now. Whereas before I was like, oh, I just want to be this fun rock artist. I want to do this. I want to make something like this. And I wasn’t really thinking like, oh, wait, what am I saying? What’s my thing?

And I think after losing my dad, going through a really big breakup, and some really massive life changes, I all of a sudden was, like, in this brand new place, like, living on my own, and I was like, I don’t know who I am. And that was really when I started writing stuff that kind of resonated so hard. So, yeah, I think this album was just kind of like my diary, to be honest.

How does it feel to write songs inspired by major life changes and emotional moments?

I guess it’s a form of therapy. I don’t know, sometimes it’s quite distressing, but I recently learned that I’m not very good at knowing how I feel. And I think that’s something that people don’t talk about a lot.

Everyone’s saying it’s really important to say how you feel, but sometimes you just don’t know. And when I sit and write a song about it, I can kind of get a little bit of clarity out of a situation, and it’s really nice for me to go, ‘Oh, I feel like that. Interesting. Love that for me.’ So I think it’s a way I’ve learned to deal with things.

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And when it comes to writing music, do the lyrics come first?

I’m always writing lyrics. I’m a big lyric person. I love to read. So I think when I’m just living my life, I’m forever writing things down thinking that would be a really cool song idea. It’s normally an idea first, and then I’ll pick up a guitar and try to piece it together somehow. But, yeah, it normally starts with a lyrical idea for me.

And have you got any favourite lyrics on ‘Girlfriend Material’ that you can share?

I definitely do! There’s a song called ‘Not the Girl You Hoped’, which closes the record. And it’s, ‘I have my best ideas in the bathroom,’ because I forever joke about having irritable bowel syndrome.

‘I have my best ideas in the bathroom/I spend a lot of time in there/You might want to pull up a chair.’ And I just love that. I love the idea of someone coming into the bathroom with me and hearing me out while I’m doing my business. It’s disgusting, but beautiful.

You’ve got a collaboration with Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low on the album – how did that come about?

I met Alex the year before last and we wrote that song together – that was the first time we met. I met him just writing and we wrote that song and he put some backing vocals on it. It was never supposed to really be a collaboration, and then we did this crazy tour with [All Time Low].

We did UK, Europe, America, Australia. And that song just stuck with me and it felt like the perfect kind of soundtrack to the year I had with them. And I was like, it’s so silly for me to not have Alex on that song because that’s how we met, how this thing started.

And it was such a massive thing for me. When I asked him, I did not expect him to say yes. So when he did say yes, I was so happy because I’ve grown up listening to All Time Low. To have one of your heroes not only take you on a world tour and be the nicest person you’ve ever met, but also be supportive and want to be on a track you wrote together is just mind-blowing.

Was it a conscious decision to have fewer collaborations on this album, or would you have liked to have had more?

I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, someone could jump on this first,’ because everything felt too personal. Everything had happened to me, so I was like, ‘Who would jump on this?’ It didn’t feel right. It was all so personal. So that’s why it made sense. 

The only collaboration was one of the only songs on the album that isn’t about anything so personal. It’s just about literally having the worst day of your life. And were listening to Alanis Morissette, ironically, thinking about those songs that list off these awful things.

That was the only thing that felt right, especially having been on tour with them so extensively. But, yeah, I think it was just all too personal to even consider collaborations this time around.

Are there any dream collaborations you’d love for the future?

rYou know, I love to collaborate with other artists. I think it’s the most fun thing. I would love to do something with Phoebe Bridgers, – that would be so fun. I’d love Rivers Cuomo from Weezer to knock on the door and say, hey, I’ve got a second verse for you, that would make me so happy. There are loads of artists I’d love to work with, for sure.

Are you still based in the Isle of Wight?

I very recently moved to London, so I’m not an Isle of Wight girl anymore, but it’s always in my heart. I love it.

Did you feel that you kind of had to move to London for your career, or was it more of like a personal thing?

I feel like it’s a bit of both. Like, it’s gone hand in hand. I was always like, ‘Oh, I don’t need to live in London.’ And after all these big things happened to me, I felt like I needed to make a personal change. And I really wanted this sense of starting a bit of a fresh life for myself and leaving things behind that made me unhappy. So I think it was definitely a personal decision, but I’d say it’s only really elevated everything kind of career-wise as well.

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How did your stylistic transition from more folk-inspired music happen?

I think it just kind of felt like a natural evolution, really. I mean, when I first started, way back when, you pick up an acoustic guitar and start writing songs, and you naturally are pigeonholed as a folk artist.

But I’m really thankful I had that start because lyrics, like I said before, have always been so important to me and that’s something that I’ve definitely carried across. But I discovered my favourite bands later in my life. I didn’t grow up listening to Weezer and Green Day. I wasn’t that cool. I wish I was, but I’ve had to do that later on, which now isn’t cool because it’s not cool to listen to Green Day when you’re 26, I don’t think. I’m not sure! 

I think I was quite late to the scene, but I’m thankful that I’ve had those kind of folk-inspired starting points. So I can carry that over and cross-blend between genres.

You’re now on your second album – how does it feel to look back on your career to date?

It’s really crazy, to be honest. And I think about it a lot because it’s so easy right now, in this current climate, to be so hard on yourself and think like, ‘Oh, why aren’t I this? Why aren’t I doing this? Why am I not?’

So, sometimes, I look back and I tell my ten-year-old self that I’ve toured in America, I’m on Radio One, I’m doing headline shows all across the world. I wouldn’t believe it. I really wouldn’t believe it that I’d met some of my heroes and done all of this, and there are people out there who give a shit about what I make and that’s amazing. So it’s crazy to me.

When I look back, I have to remind myself sometimes because it’s so easy to get carried away with the kind of negatives and the comparisons and social media, but, for sure, I’m very happy.

Have you got anything else in the pipeline?

I mean, there’s always stuff in the pipeline! My issue is that I can’t stop writing – it’s not an issue, it’s a great thing – I love to write songs. That’s the reason I do this. I love to write songs and I love to play live. 

So, for me, I’m on this constant cycle. I’m excited for this album to come out. I’m excited to tour this album. There’s so much touring that hasn’t been announced yet and I just can’t wait to get into that, which is going to be so fun as well as I’ll still be releasing. I can’t stop it. I can’t stop writing. So there’s always too much to put out, in the best way.

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‘Girlfriend Material’ will be released on March 22nd.

Words: Adam England
Photo Credit: Emily Marcovecchio

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