Lauren Desberg’s songs are not the dated sounds of speakeasies and flappers, nor are they the type to be tucked into small lounges or clubs. Lauren’s voice and music fuse together the past and the present, combining classic jazz standards and measures with today’s popular music and lyrics. It’s meant for iPhone’s- morning train commutes and cocktail party playlists. The Harlem-based vocalist simultaneously pays homage to traditional jazz while adding her own contemporary feel—she embodies the spirit of her generation yet defies expectations all the same.
Lauren grew up in Los Angeles, CA—born to a musical family who had her singing from day one. Her younger years were filled with choirs and musicals, while her radio played jazz and 90’s teen groups alike. Lauren attended the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), where she decided to pursue Jazz wholeheartedly. There she sang with LACHSA’s jazz ensembles along with the Gibson-Baldwin Grammy Ensembles, the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony and performed at the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals.
Lauren attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she formed her own musical convictions. As she told Complex UK, “It was a different attitude and vibe and I really liked it…It opened me up to other worlds." There, she won the ASCAP Foundation’s Leiber and Stoller Music Award and sang with the Beantown Swing Orchestra. Lauren recorded her first EP, Sideways, produced by Gretchen Parlato. Sideways and her single “I Wanna Be Like You” were reviewed by NPR and receive airplay on jazz stations worldwide.
Lauren bridges the gap between the jazz of yesterday and the popular music of today. Her modern favorites, such as Frank Ocean and Kimbra, influence her sound as much as the past jazz greats which result in an album that reflects her diverse musical journey. Welcome to millennial jazz.
On her new album, Out for Delivery, Vocalist Lauren Desberg flirts boldly with today's pop sound while remaining informed by Jazz. Join Lauren and me as she talks about Japan, interludes, restaurant gigs, New Orleans, and other randomly connected inspirations. Out for Delivery features saxophonist Braxton Cook, pianist Kris Bowers, drummer Jonathan Barber, guitarist Andrew Renfroe and electric/acoustic bassists, Ben Shepherd and Russell Hall. Playlist Lauren Desberg “The Way You Feel Inside" from Out for Delivery ...
"The last time you heard this song, it's likely the singer was an animated dancing orangutan. The great Louis Prima
voiced the character King Louie for Walt Disney's The Jungle Book: "Now, I'm the king of the swingers," he intones, as
a talking monkey might. This version of the song is from the young singer Lauren Desberg: She's only got one EP
out, plus this single, but there's certainly something really pleasing about her take on it. Gretchen Parlato, one of
Desberg's mentors, produced this session, and it sounds not unlike her own music: not much for vocal acrobatics, but
full of serious musicianship from all quarters. It's got bass bounce and brushwork and buoyancy; you'd be an ape not
to smile at it." NPR
"The last time you heard this song, it's likely the singer was an animated dancing orangutan. The great Louis Prima
voiced the character King Louie for Walt Disney's The Jungle Book: "Now, I'm the king of the swingers," he intones, as
a talking monkey might. This version of the song is from the young singer Lauren Desberg: She's only got one EP
out, plus this single, but there's certainly something really pleasing about her take on it. Gretchen Parlato, one of
Desberg's mentors, produced this session, and it sounds not unlike her own music: not much for vocal acrobatics, but
full of serious musicianship from all quarters. It's got bass bounce and brushwork and buoyancy; you'd be an ape not
to smile at it." NPR
"Motown founder Berry Gordy has been credited with the famous quotation, “Don’t bore us—get to the chorus.” It’s a
slogan that applies to jazz-pop singer Lauren Desberg’s fat-free, 31-minute release, Out For Delivery. The album,
which includes 10 Desberg compositions and two standards, is peppered with four flavorful nuggets that are each
fewer than 85 seconds in duration. The listener never has time to get complacent or sated, because the program’s
pace is brisk and the hooks are strong." Bobby Reed, Downbeat (Editors Pick)
""Her delivery blurs the boundaries between old and new, and on this extremely likable collection, Desberg
expresses a genuine love for traditional jazz while also showing a natural connection to contemporary styles."
Textura
"Lauren Desberg is a quintessential traditional jazz vocalist. She has the correct tone, phrasing and ideology of a jazz
singer, but with a slightly modern edge to her vocals which could move Lauren into a more mainstream position." UK
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