Brooklyn-based indie folk singer-songwriter Gemma Laurence established herself from the beginning of her musical career as a talented artist who writes romantic, poetic lyrics and puts her heart into her work. Her storytelling and vulnerability can easily be compared to Joni Mitchell, Haley Heynderickx, or Adrianne Lenker. Today, Laurence puts her heart out again in her first single in two years, “Adrienne.”
All it takes is a simply-plucked guitar melody and the vibrating cadence of her vocals to make a lovely and comforting track. Inspired by her home in Maine, Laurence creates a mix of Americana and English folk. The track is atmospheric with wind and bird chirps, a soft, wailing pedal steel guitar, and lightly-layered background vocals. “Adrienne” feels like sitting at your kitchen table in the morning, when you’re in no rush to do anything, just sitting and enjoying both the warmth of the coffee in your hands and the sunrise breaking through the window.
This song also holds a special place in Laurence’s heart as it is the first song in which she opens her queerness. She even shared, “There’s something so magical about the moment when you realize that you like somebody but you don’t really know how or when to tell them. That’s kind of what “Adrienne” is about. Looking back on a first date with somebody from your past and thinking back on that feeling and all of its awkward little moments and sweet shared moments of intimacy that lead up to it […] I stumbled upon Adrienne Rich’s Dream of a Common Language and thought back to the person who showed it to me in the first place. So I suppose the song is about that person, but also more widely about the vulnerability of opening up to someone for the first time.”
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