Laura Brehm, a multi-genre musician, recently participated in our “Play for the Planet” series and will be releasing a new album soon, called “The Dawn Is Still Dark.” Take a listen to the first two singles, “For No One” and “Until the Sun”. Brehm’s beautiful vocals and atmospheric arrangements are a perfect antidote to the chaos of this year. They are somber and contemplative, with a glimmer of hope woven within.
We caught up with Laura Brehm to talk about the upcoming album, her passion for climate action, and her dreams for our future.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your music?
I’m a vocalist, songwriter, musician and producer from Colorado, USA. I’m mainly known for my work in the EDM (electronic dance music) scene, but I also make folk/alternative solo music and I have a new album coming out soon! Outside of music, I love reading, fitness, psychology, and I’m passionate about creating awareness surrounding all the climate change issues we face in our world today.
You re-released your 2017 EP “Breathe” in a partnership with One Tree Planted, with a goal to plant at least 10,000 trees across the country. What first inspired you to do so, and what has the impact of the campaign been so far?
I was introduced to One Tree Planted when I was working with a PR agent in London who specializes in bringing the music and environmental industries together to promote the betterment of the planet. I realized that with the title of the EP, “Breathe”, it made sense to connect it to raising funds to plant trees because after all, we couldn’t breathe without them. So far we’ve raised hundreds of dollars with the EP, and that could be considered a small forest!
A lot of your lyrics seem to have a theme of imagining new, brighter futures. Does your concern for the environment influence your music?
Yes, absolutely! My upcoming solo album has a lot of these ideas, and makes the connection to the concern for the environment using metaphors in the lyrics. I wrote most of the album while I was living in London, which is my favorite city but nonetheless is obviously a polluted area. A lot of melodies and lyrics came to me while I was wandering the streets, thinking about how it could be cleaner in the future. It’s quite a dark album for more personal reasons too, and I think it’s all connected; our personal matters and our concerns as a collective. If the world has a brighter future, so do all of our lives.
What advice would you give a musician (or anyone else) looking to get involved in fighting climate change?
Use your platform to speak up about the issues, talk to your inner circle about it, and research and get involved with activists and organizations that are fighting the good fight. You should also make lifestyle changes so that you are responsible for your individual impact. The more people that get on board with creating these positive changes, the faster we can make it happen. As I read in a Los Angeles Times piece called ‘How to live with the climate crisis without becoming a nihilist,’ “we need a billion climate activists.”
Do you ever experience the feeling of “climate grief”? If so, how do you stay motivated to create art and continue to engage with the climate crisis?
Yes, the title track of my upcoming album is about just that actually, “The Dawn Is Still Dark”. It’s a feeling of despair, disappointment, uncertainty, and fear. It’s overwhelming to consider how intense the consequences of ignoring the signs of the climate crisis could be in the near future. It’s important that we take that time to grieve, but then we must get up and take action swiftly. I stay motivated because it’s really up to us. I think about what future generations will be grateful for.
On your upcoming album “The Dawn is Still Dark”, you talk a lot about mental health, including the uncertainty of climate change and the future. What do you hope listeners will take away from this album?
My hope is that after listening through the album, people will feel increased strength; mentally and emotionally. That they will understand you cannot have the light without the dark, but that you can and must ascend through that darkness to get to where you aspire to be, and to become the person you are meant to be.
We thank you for all of the wonderful work you are doing!
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