And the Welcome everyone to Soda Jaker on songwriting. This is Brian, joined as always by Simon and

our guest for this episode is an Ivanovelo winning British singer and

songwriter known for her inventive blend of R&B, Jazz and Pop.

She's collaborated with the likes of Nyle Rogers,

Naughty Boy, Snarky Puppy, Tom O'Dell, Jacob Collier, John Schofield and the

Metropolitan Orchestra and she recently released an exhilarating new album, Pink Noise, we are delighted to welcome the brilliant

Laura and Vula to the show. Our guest was born in 1987 in Birmingham and grew up in the

Selie Oak and King's Heath areas of the city.

Her parents were very much into jazz and traditional gospel and keen for their kids to learn

musical instruments.

There was a piano in the family home and Laura took lessons from the age of eight. She also sang and played in church and youth orchestras

as well as in a string trio with her younger brother and sister. Laura began listening more to

R&B and gospel music in her teens and had a particular affinity for the girl group Eternal.

She also developed a love for jazz and at one point aspired to be a film composer, influenced

by her love of Disney films.

She attended the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where she studied composition

and also sang in her aunt Acapella Gospel Group, Black Voices.

After graduating from the Conservatoire in 2008, she took part-time jobs first as a music teacher, then a receptionist for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, during which time she began writing songs on her laptop.

A couple of those songs, She and Green Garden, were posted on her sound cloud and came to the attention of manager Kwame Quarton and composer, and arranger Steve Brown, who had become something of a mentor to Laura.

Steve's come up on the podcast before actually

isn't he on our rumor episode? He has yet he's a very talented chap and he also

played Glen Ponder in knowing me knowing you with Alan Partridge which I think is

...