Photography and interview by Christopher Brown

We sat down with the talented Los Angeles-based Lauren Mia. She is a classical pianist and composer-turned-DJ, songwriter, vocalist, and music producer.

And while I write these lines, the music of the gifted producer pulls me into another (better) world. The progressive, melodic sound comes with perfect timing and nudges gently along with brilliant depth. There is probably her whole profound being in her creations and in our interview she talks to us about the strength of femininity, her journey of healing, self-love and spirituality.

What life experiences have brought you to this point as an artist?

My spiritual journey has been the catalyst to who I am and where I am today. My journey led to self discovery, self-healing and self love. Music found me during that time. Creating and composing acoustic piano pieces was where it started. I was committed to classical piano training from a very young age, but later abandoned my musical talents age of 12. I realized later in on life, my separating from music, creating it and playing it, stemmed from fear and lack of confidence. Years later, I had hit a low point of life, my mental health was a disaster and I was really lost trying to find myself. Something was always missing. I was constantly trying to fill a void. While trying to find myself, I eventually had what some may call a “Spiritual Awakening” and I found myself bonded with playing and creating music once again. It fueled my spirit, my soul, and I realized that was all I was missing. My long lost love. Diving back into playing and creating music, I know now that it saved me. It provided me my life purpose. It was what I was searching for. After that, my life was never the same. I eventually quit my job after University, went back to school to study music production and audio engineering and began pursuing my professional career as an artist. It was a risk…a big risk. But it all felt so right. My heart self kept screaming for me to dive down this path and I listened. I thank myself everyday for trusting in myself to take the steps to do what I did. The perseverance, courage and strength it took to where I am today, and I know I am really just getting started.

How does your femininity impact your artistic identity?

I honor the divine feminine and intend to channel my femininity through all my work. My intention and hope is to encourage people to get back in touch with their own feminine energy as well as the divine feminine energy of our planet and universe. Femininity means creation, love and nurture. I feel our world needs that more than ever. You see, it is a time for women to rise again…and we are. It’s really beautiful to witness and be a part of. Humanity is beginning to remember that women are not “less strong” or “less capable,” rather, one of the strongest life forces on this planet. The reason for this is because women legitimately have the power and gift to create create life. Women are life. Without women, there would be no LIFE.
The sacral chakra is where we hold our sexual energy and it is also where we hold our creative energy. They coincide. So if one truly knows how to harness this, it is nothing short of a gift. A power source where we can channel the ability to create another life, to creating more life within our life. This is where the concept of manifestation comes in. Creation. It is is all relevant. Women have an incredible limitless power within them to create. Many people do not realize this but women are at an advantage. The divine feminine energy flows through us all. I intend to help people tap into that. In love and compassion, create, celebrate, unite in love. It is so important for us to do this now, more than ever.

How do you channel your journey of healing into your artistry?

I intend to channel my journey of healing by bringing awareness around self healing and self love. I also really do my best to share my journey through vulnerability and authenticity on platforms like social media, to really connect with my fans and supporters around the globe. I think its so important to have open-dialogue around the challenges many of us face, whether its mental health, loss, substance abuse, loneliness. The list goes on. So it is a priority to me to be a guide and voice for the many who are still uncomfortable to talk about these matters and speak up. I try to make everyone feel seen, and know that they are equally as important. We are all connected and I see everyone has family. I really try to get rid of the socially constructed separation that I see around our world. With that said, the way that I channel a lot of my ideologies, healing and energy into my work is by setting the space and setting intentions.

“The power of thought and intentions create reality.”

Setting the space before producing and creating music and sound is a top priority. Like any sacred time or space, whether a birthday, a wedding, a holiday, a service, a mediation, the space is set. So the same goes for making music. I also make sure I am in the right head-space with the right energy and intention, when going into producing and composing music that I know will be shared with people on a vast scale. I set intentions to be a pure channel, and to anchor in higher states of sacred wisdom and consciousness into my work. I have acquired a lot of ancient wisdom and deeper understandings over the last 5 years while working with sacred and anxiety mentions, meditation and other tools that have helped me heal, evolve, and have my spiritual death and rebirth. I try invoke healing in others, even if it’s just through their subconscious mind. Frequencies heal. Music can move energy around, clear energy and lift ones vibration.

The power of thought and intentions create reality. I once wrote some lyrics and recorded vocals for a track called “The Artery of Life” on Somatic Records a few years ago, and wrote ‘Frequencies have the power to heal…they have the power to heal us. Sound gives us power, and we all have the power to heal.” These words are like mantras that I truly live by. So, I then take this, and channel it through my work. I treat making music like ceremony….a sacred space. I always shower, dress and set the space before working. Intention is everything, if one puts love, positivity and intention of healing into something…anything really, it will show and be received. It will resonate. People will feel it and understand it, even if they do not really know why. That is why I feel people connect to my music. Its a deeper connection and a deeper knowing to maybe just liking what it sounds like. Perhaps its because of what it makes them feel. For me. This is also why quality of music is imperative to what I create, more important than quantity. I do not rush myself to just pop out a bunch of records. Everything has a lot of intention and takes a lot of time to get the song to be in a place where it feels right to share with others for others.

“I feel like, over the last few centuries, humanity’s connection to the divine feminine has been lost…”

What has inspired the new music you have coming out, and what is coming up for you this year?

The new music I have coming out has all been inspired by my journey with spirituality as well as my connection to the divine feminine. When I say divine feminine, I am referring to the feminine energies of our earth, planet, and universe. An example of this is “Mother Nature,” the divine feminine energy of our earth and soil that has been perceived for thousands of years by numerous indigenous groups, religious groups and more as a feminine life force. Women are the creators of the planet. Women co-create, re-produce, and have the power of creation within them which lies in their womb and sacral chakra. With that said, most energies that are of creation, like our Earth, our Sky, our Moon, are divine feminine energies. I feel like, over the last few centuries, humanity’s connection to the divine feminine has been lost, and many have forgotten how sacred the feminine is; how much of our reality is in fact connected to divine feminine energy. So I guess I put a lot of intention into my work to start bringing people back to that inner knowing and truth. I am starting to evolve immensely with my work and productions and have a lot of music coming out this year as well as several collaborative projects I am working on, which I am very excited for. Additionally, I am playing some of the biggest shows of my career to date, including festivals like Insomniacs Beyond Wonderland and Tomorrowland in Belgium. Really looking forward to this year and all that’s to come. 2022 hits different.

How was it growing up in LA?

Growing up in LA was a blessing but also in many ways, a curse. It was not all that easy, in fact in so many ways, it was extremely challenging…tough on a young and sensitive soul. I think people look at Los Angeles and see the glamour, music, modeling, movies, parties… but they don’t truly understand how it can be hard for a young child or teenager to group up around all of this. To be exposed to so much at such a young age. The pressure, the corruption, the competition, the money. It is a very intense, wild, adventurous, aggressive city. So many big personalities and so many people coming in from all over the world, hungry to chase their dreams. The chase for fame brings a lot of selfish people to one condensed place. It causes a lot of people to be focused on their personal gain. I guess you can say it was hard to find real friends, good friends…friends you can rely on. I cannot put into words how many groups of friends I have cycled through since being born in this city, and how long it took me to find my tribe…my good-vibe tribe that I am eternally grateful for.

“My goal is to one day open my own Animal Sanctuary and spend the remainder of my life looking after these animals and giving hundreds of animals a second chance. They deserve that.”

I am a first-generation American woman. My parents are both immigrants and came to America to create a better life for themselves and for their children…which ended up being only me. I admire them for the sacrifices they made to come here and provide better opportunities for themselves and for me. We had a really fortunate and comfortable life here, the 3 of us. My parents both worked so hard, and still do even at 68 years old – 5 am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday. I have the utmost respect for them and they really taught me how to earn what I want in life. Work ethic.

They gave me the opportunity to be exposed to the arts and learn them. But around my teenage, my confidence began to diminish, which was the catalyst to why I abandoned my musical talents as a teen, developed a number of mental health challenges that led to both physical and emotional issues. Today, I understand it was all part of my journey. I wouldn’t change a thing if I could. It made me exactly who I am supposed to be, who I always was at heart, and led me to be a light within this city, a guide and an inspiration for many to spread love, inspire others, and heal themselves.

What is your perfect vibe or setting?

The perfect vibe or setting for me has to have dimmed lighting, candles, and yummy scents or fragrances. Gosh, I am a sucker for candles and fragrances…honestly. My partner will tell you, I can’t go a night without sparking some candles around the house or in my studio. Light is a powerful frequency, similar to sound. I think lighting can really affect people’s moods and create an entire experience and atmosphere. For example, just like at a show, a romantic dinner will be candlelit with dim lighting, or a crazy party will have strobes and lasers. I feel intentional lighting, candles, and colors of lighting really help me tap into a higher state of consciousness. If you agree, I highly encourage you to look into flame mediation if you are not already familiar with this practice. Overall, I have found that lighting influences the experience and mood of the participants, so I take this into my home and sacred space… especially when creating.

Besides music, what do you love to do most with your free time?

There are a lot of things I love love to do. First, I also am a sucker for film —love a good movie night. I love to read self-empowerment books. I find so much joy in expanding my knowledge around self-love and spirituality. I have a number of books I am currently working through right now. Additionally. I am an extremely active person and love to move my body and break a sweat in a good yoga or pilates class. I am extremely passionate about animals and have two beautiful Pitt Bull rescues at home, Milo and Penelope. Outside of those two. I devote a lot of time to animal rights activism. I work with different organizations like IFAW, HMI, HMS, CUDDLY, PETA, ASPCA and more. I am deeply passionate about animal rights and hoping to devote a big part of my life to saving as many animals as I possibly can. For now, I do my part to raise funds, spread awareness. But the goal is to one day open my own Animal Sanctuary and spend the remainder of my life looking after these animals and giving hundreds of animals a second chance. A chance at having a good life. They deserve that.