Lauren Hoffman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 (age 47–48) |
| Origin | Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Acoustic Folk Alternative rock Lo-fi Pop Indie |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano,synth, bass,tambourine, guitar |
| Labels | Virgin Records Fargo Records [fr] Slow River Records PIAS Recordings Kill Rock Stars Free Union Records Dreamy Records Pitch-a-Tent Records |
| Website | www |
Lauren Hoffman (born 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut albumMegiddo throughVirgin Records in 1997[1] to critical praise.[2][3][4] In 1999 Hoffman independently issued her second LPFrom The Blue House and anEP,A Harmless Little Kiss.[5] Her third albumChoreography was released through French record label Fargo Records in 2006 and includes her single "Broken".
She released her next albumInterplanetary Traveler in 2010. Between 2015 and 2017, she performed and released music under a new moniker,The Secret Storm,[6] during which she released two EPs and a fourth full-length albumFamily Ghost. Hoffman's 2019 EPMercury Girls was positively reviewed byRolling Stone as a "stunner."[7]
Hoffman was born in Los Angeles, in 1977. She moved to Charlottesville, Virginia at the age of 2, and started writing songs and playing guitar at 12 years old.[8] She also played bass withShannon Worrell andKristin Asbury in a band called Monsoon, named after the Thai restaurant in which they played.[9] She later left the band to focus on her career. She released her first full-length albumMegiddo when she was 19.[10] She parted ways with Virgin Records while taking full rights of the album – as it was poorly promoted, though it was largely recognized in Europe, especially France.[11] Hoffman producedMegiddo with John Morand andCracker'sDavid Lowery; the album was mixed byEthan Johns[12] and recorded at the Sound of Music studio in Richmond. Hoffman andJeff Buckley were friends for four years prior to his death – she called him a "mentor" and a "muse."[13]
Hoffman produced her second albumFrom The Blue House, released in Europe throughPIAS in 1999. The album features "Song For A Boy," a tribute to her friendJeff Buckley.[14]
During 2003, Hoffman was in a band called The Lilas, based in Charlottesville. They worked up some of the songs that would appear on her next solo album.[15]
Her third album,Choreography, was co-produced with John Morand - who has worked with Hoffman throughout her career, from early demos toInterplanetary Traveller, and as noted aboveMegiddo. Choreography was released in 2006 through French label Fargo Records. The album contains Hoffman's most successful single, "Broken".[16]
Throughout her travel experiences she eventually recordedThe Lucknow Demos, which partly inspirited her 2006 album Choreography. Her fourth album Interplanetary Traveler — which she recorded in Israel, was released in 2010.[17] She released several of her EPs and albums in both Europe and America on 7" and 12" vinyl and CD. 2019 saw the release of her latest albumMercury Girls.
After her albumMegiddowas released in 1997, Hoffman spent some time traveling India, Europe and Israel to tour and forego her musical endeavour. She later studied the art of dance and choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University.[18] In 2002 she decided to move forward from the study of dance to pursue her passion of music, while also incorporating her talent as a dancer. With her fellow peers, Hoffman went on to produce several musical and dance video productions for some of her songs, includingSolipsist andAnother Song About the Darkness —Choreography (2006).
The album cover for her EPThe Chemist Said It Would Be Alright But I’ve Never Been The Same, was designed byoutsider artistWes Freed.Another Song About the Darkness, from her albumChoreography, is included onThe Sound the Hare Heard album.
Five of Hoffman's songs fromChoreography were played throughout the groundbreaking LGBT seriesSouth of Nowhere:Ghost You Know,Magic Stick,Hope You Don't Mind,Reasons to Fall, andBroken. Her songRock Star appears on the soundtrack of the 1998 motion picture,Palmetto.
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