Despite having lost last semester’s ASCAP Writers Showcase, senior Lauren McLamb is excited to step back onstage and let her original songs be heard as she concludes her last few months at Belmont.
“It was kind of an ‘everything happens for a reason’ moment because if I had won it, I wouldn’t have been able to apply for the showcase,” she said.
McLamb, a corporate communications and music business major, has been singing all her life, but she didn’t start writing songs until her freshman year at Belmont. After being surrounded by fellow students who write their own songs, she found her true passion.
When growing up in Erwin, North Carolina, McLamb would visit Nashville and enjoyed going to writers rounds, something that also sparked her interest in songwriting.
“I play a lot of writers rounds in Nashville,” McLamb said. “I am a part of a group called Song Suffragettes that puts on a weekly showcase of up-and-coming female writers in Nashville on Monday nights at The Listening Room. Those are always some of my favorite shows to play here in Nashville.”
While also a part of Song Suffragettes, McLamb is involved with Bear House Writer Management.
“Being a Bear House writer has been an awesome opportunity to gain friendships, meet wonderful co-writers and play some great shows around town. Bear House is an awesome representation of the talent that Belmont students have, both creatively and on the business side,” she said.
McLamb is amazed by how much talent Belmont students have and the many opportunities available for songwriters.
“Everyone you meet is a musician of some sort. There’s so many people to collaborate with and so many connections to make. Even the convocations they offer are great ways to meet people in the industry and make a first impression,” she said.
The other contestants in the showcase all have individual strengths, but what separates her are the actual songs she writes, McLamb said.
“I like to write songs about real people and real stories,” she said.
Her biggest influences have been Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert.
After graduation, McLamb plans on staying in Nashville and hopes to write as much as possible.
The 2017 Country Showcase will be will be held on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. Admission is free.
This article was written by Caroline Baugher. Photo courtesy of Hannah Drake Photography.