Above all else, Lauren Oxford wants to let you in. An award-winning songwriter and folksinger, her lyricism pushes the boundaries of what it means to be open, pulling universal revelations from personal excavations and weaving them alongside imagery that unfolds like a painting, tangible and real, into the room. She uses alternate tunings to create unexpected chords and colors in her music that feel like their own kind of imagery, and she isn’t afraid to stretch the limits of a voice that sounds like the earth after rain. Lauren’s trademark strength, however, is the ease with which she throws open every door and window of her soul, wielding arresting vulnerability like a beacon of light. Her goal is always to create a space for listeners to feel seen, known, loved, and safe enough to step in alongside her. For those who do, the result is a powerfully cathartic experience that feels like group therapy.

Lauren’s self-titled debut album was released in 2022 and features instrumental contributions from many of her dearest friends, which give her songs the lush, orchestral backdrop that allows them to truly shine. As a solo performer, she has played shows from Seattle to Atlanta, from the Bay Area to Chicago, and in & around her home in East Tennessee.

Lauren is also one fourth of folk “queertet” The Starlight Darlins, along with Siena Christie, Gray Buchanan, and Emily Johnson-Erday. The strength of their first EP, recorded at the Walnut Valley Festival and released in 2022, has led to two separate tours in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest.

UPCOMING APPEARANCES INCLUDE:
Triple Time (Buxton, Derbyshire, UK) 2024: International Guest of Honor


PAST APPEARANCES INCLUDE:
Ohio Valley Filk Festival (Columbus, OH) 2023: Toastmaster
Folk Alliance International (Kansas City, MO) 2023: privately showcasing artist
WindyCon (Chicago, IL) 2022: Music Guest of Honor
Consonance (Milpitas, CA) 2022: Toastmaster
GAFilk (Atlanta, GA) 2020: Toastmaster
Conflikt (Seattle, WA) 2019: Interfilk Guest

reviews:

“From the off, the beauty of the melodies never drops, not one iota; the arrangements remain consistently elegant, and Lauren’s pure voice enunciates every word with crystal clarity. Believe me, this is an entrancing listen, and that it was laid down in 12 days as a debut from an artist who appears to have arrived fully formed in her mid-20s makes it all the more remarkable.”

– David Morrison, Folk Radio UK

“…a gorgeous, stark folk affair that hits all the right notes. In particular, ‘Paint Myself Trying’ is perhaps the most brutally honest song about mental health struggles I’ve heard in a decade.”

– Jeff Raymond, If It’s Too Loud

“…a masterpiece in gentle Chamber Folk.”

– Eamonn MacNeill, Real Music Net

accolades (for excellence in filking):

PEGASUS AWARDS:
2023: Best Writer/Composer

PEGASUS NOMINATIONS:
2021: Best Performer
2020: Best Performer
2019: Best Writer/Composer
2018: Best Writer/Composer