Suffolk soprano Laura Wright has set out her musical stall with a daring new sound and a racy new image.
The 24-year-old singer, who studied at Framlingham College, has released a new video which she describes as her musical manifesto.
“It’s a statement of who I am and the sort of music I want to make,” she said.
“I wanted it to turn classical music on its head and create a new type of music.”
The video, shot in a south London car park, was released this week to accompany her recording of Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei which forms part of her latest EP The Sound of Strength, which has been recorded as a tribute to the wonders of the human body.
Sport and fitness play a huge part in the former All Angels star’s life – she plays rugby as well as taking part in cross-fit training – and the recording of Barber’s classic work has been given a gritty ‘street’ feel to offer audiences a contemporary way into classical repertoire.
“It’s my way of saying that your body is an instrument. I look after my body as I look after my voice. It’s a way of inspiring people to enjoy exercise – to say you too can be a superhero. You can do amazing things.”
The racy video, shot in classy black and white, emphasising her toned physique, cuts between Laura exercising in a gym and performing in a shadow-filled urban space.
“I want to create as wide an audience for my music as possible. I believe that people love classical music already but they are not really aware of it.
“For me, that’s where rapport is so important. When I sing at the rugby internationals the crowd aren’t worried whether what I sing is classical repertoire or not.
“They are just concerned that it brings them together, it empowers them and gives them strength.
“That’s the sort of feel I want from my own music. I want to break down barriers.
“I don’t mind if they don’t see it as classical music but just as something that is incredibly exciting, that gives you that fire and makes you feel like you are invincible – the sort of feeling you get from sports training.
“It’s creating a new type of music. It’s not classical. It’s not pop. It a new music that offers you a sense of liberation – a sense of freedom and excitement.” She said that the look of the video came very much from herself and was conceived to be an important element of the song.
“The video was always going to be an important element of the track. I wanted the visuals to be as powerful as the audio and for me, as a performer, I find it important that the visuals enhance the music.
“I feel the music on this EP is incredibly empowering and I wanted to show that power and strength as well as the beauty that comes from classical music along with the strength, energy, grit and determination that comes from exercise and sport.
“For me there were so many similarities between the two that this video and audio work as one.
“It’s not pictures to illustrate a song; the audio and video are essential components of the same experience.”
She said that music was the soundtrack to our lives and she wanted to create relevant contemporary music that was a product of her classical training but also fitted into a 21st Century lifestyle.
The Sound of Strength EP and accompanying video is available from itunes.
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