James Laurent On the Making Of “Lipstick Stains”
What was the creative process like for this particular single?
I find my creative process to be similar albeit a little more methodical to others in a similar space considering the fact the I am my own recording, mixing, and mastering engineer. I feel the most creative in the during the process of writing the lyrics and melodies as well as finding vocal harmonies. I really can get encapsulated in my zone and be free during that aspect of the creative process. It feels like when I have the freedom to say and record anything and everything I want without anybody else hearing is when I feel most comfortable. I love throwing everything into the song in this initial process and then narrowing down what I will keep and what sonically makes the most sense as I transition deeper into the mixing process.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "Lipstick Stains?"
BonnieRogerr has been my go to collaborator for all of my dark rock and electronic aspects. He really understands the sounds and structures I like to enact to make my songs. As for recording I usually pour a drink or two, turn down the lights and set up my studio so I can record next to my computer. I rarely write my lyrics before I start recording, maybe I’ll have the first melody or line in my head to the chorus, but I like to really encapsulate my feelings by hearing the instrumentals and if it speaks to my I like to dive right into recording and speak back to it.
What impact do you hope this song will have on your audience?
I have spent the past three years writing hundreds of songs for my debut album and refining dozens of mix versions to whittle it down to my now 8 song Debut Album coming out later this year. In that time frame I really slacked on releasing consistent singles and posting regularly to my social medias. “Lipstick Stains” is my intro into this year where I made a promise to myself and my supporters that I will release a new single every 3 weeks until my album releases. I am really hoping this song sets the tone and lays a foundation for all of my following releases.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
A funny tidbit I like mentioning is that I was actually kicked out of both band and orchestra growing up because of how bad I was at music. I never even considered music as a career until I was around 17 years old. I was always An avid fan of music of all genres and found beauty in the melodies. I played soccer for 14 years growing up and had a tryout to play professionally in Sweden when I was 17, unfortunately I tore my ACL two weeks before and never played soccer again. During the period of recovery with my bad knee I stole the family laptop and a microphone from school and pirated FL studio and started watching YouTube tutorials on how to record and mix music. I remember getting home from school at 4 pm and everyday I would be writing & recording new songs until 5 or 6 in the morning. Eventually I fell in love with the mixing and mastering aspect and really dove head first into learning the technical side of the entertainment industry. I dropped out of college after a year and a half to go to the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences where I graduated a year later with a 4.0. I moved to LA and from there and started working my way up the music scene from a recording engineer to mixing engineer for various studios and labels, getting my foot in the door with major artists and connections. Years later I’ve landed an engineering job at Disney now and own my own studio continuing my passion.
Are there any particular skills or techniques that you have been working on lately?
I find like any new thing we as humans find ourselves doing, we really dive all in at first and sometimes can over do it, so lately I have really been working on refining all of my tricks I’ve learned over the years from different vocal layering to new mixing techniques and trying to work with a less is more approach. I want to truly focus on precision and refinement instead of crowding everything to just show that I can.
