Malibu resident Lauren Monroe releases her latest album, which reflects her multifaceted life as a musician and as a healer.
By Olivia Damavandi / Special to the Malibu Times
Singer/songwriter/musician Lauren Monroe, wife of Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, has just released her spellbinding album “The Freedom Sessions,” whose overall message she describes as “the realization that freedom is just a perception away.”
In a telephone interview between Malibu and London, Monroe articulated that her inspiration for song writing comes from a longing for “oneness” and from a desire to “connect with love,” two common themes that align nearly everything she does.
Comprised of 10 evocative songs, the album is a reflection of Monroe’s multifaceted life, not only as a musician, but also as a healer. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in education, advanced certifications in massage therapy and a master’s degree in dance choreography, she has studied and apprenticed with Christian Benedictine Monks, tribal healers of Brazil, Mexico, North America and New Zealand, and is an initiated minister of healing from the Oneness University of Southern India.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Monroe’s interest in the healing arts stemmed from an early age.
“My parents started meditating with me when I was about five and I think I had a really natural awareness of spirituality, as many children do,” she said. “My parents gave me the tools and, through nature and having a sense of wonderment, I was able to perceive that great love around me at a very young age, and I went into a place of meditating and doing art in another way. I felt a very strong presence of something else.”
Monroe, who as a child wanted to become both a nun and a musician when she grew up, said jokingly, “The nun thing disappeared pretty quickly as soon as I turned 13 and boys came into the picture.”
At the age of six, Monroe received her first guitar from her grandfather. It became a catalyst for her expressions of connectivity that she experienced through healing and meditation, and has since remained such a conduit. Monroe recalled her first day of kindergarten when her mother brought her to the classroom.
“When she [my mother] said she was leaving, I began to cry. But when I turned around and saw my cousin [who was also in my class] sitting at her desk crying by herself, I put my arms around her and waved goodbye to my mom,” she said. “The minute I saw someone else suffering, I created hope. Whenever I write a song, I think about being bigger for someone else. As soon as I start creating music, the hope that it will benefit someone else makes me stronger.”
Monroe’s remedial nature is what also propelled her to co-find the Raven Drum Foundation with husband Allen, an organization for survivors of traumatic events from natural disasters to human rights abuse, such as war and torture. The foundation primarily focuses on war veterans, many of who are returning home with emotional, physical and psychological wounds.
“We’ve worked with very different walks of life, through very difficult challenges,” Monroe said of the foundation’s work. “It’s really taught me the basic elements of humanity: love, fear and longing to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. I just wish that those who experience it reach out to others. Kind of like a ‘pay it forward.’ Have a healing experience and pass it on to somebody else.”
Monroe believes that the combination of her early start at song writing and lack of professional voice training allowed her to remain true to herself, and prevented her from becoming burdened by the feeling that she had to be something she wasn’t. In an industry where vocal and musical talent is often replaced and infiltrated by computer-generated sound, Monroe’s talent is raw, unprocessed and emotionally stirring. Yet, she notices a new challenge that surfaces with age.
“Whatever [music] I made [as a child] was natural. I didn’t have to be anything but myself,” she said. “Now that I’m older, I try to craft that form of expression that I have always had to keep myself free and make music from my heart. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes not to care what others think.”
Allen, who produced “The Freedom Sessions,” said Monroe musically inspires him by her ability to “be open enough to trust the gift of music she receives, and intuitive enough to trust her interpretation of that gift.”
Though her music and style are purely self-reflective, Monroe divulged the ways in which Allen has influenced her on musical and personal levels.
“He’s influenced my music by supporting the honesty of how I sing,” she said. “There are times when I was in the recording process and thought I felt too exposed, too vulnerable, but he said, ‘no it’s great, that’s you.’ He helped me sit back, and [he] took over listening as a producer.
“He listens with his heart and says that imperfection is perfect,” she continued. “I really appreciate him saying that, it means a lot coming from someone you love. He’s so knowledgeable about music and sounds. His ear is very meticulous about every sound in the room. He is very determined, and he listens to the point of obsession. I learned a lot from him and I look forward to working with him again.”
Allen, who validates Monroe’s assessment of his meticulous musical temperament, said, “She [Monroe] actually fired me on more than one occasion. But I got back into the band by blending Lauren’s ideas with mine, and by really embracing the masculine and feminine points of view. My obsession with perfection sometimes got in the way, but it was a learning curve, growing into the new role of being a producer.”
The quintessence of “The Freedom Sessions” is best articulated by Monroe, who illustrated it as “a journey to take in every moment of being free. There’s no catch phrase or experience that defines freedom,” she said. “Freedom lies in every moment, you choose to have it or to not have it. I hope when people listen to ‘The Freedom Sessions’ they get the feeling of being free from the energy and peace inside of themselves. I say that as a healer, not just as a musician.”
More information about the Raven Drum Foundation can be found online at www.ravendrumfoundation.org