Lauren Frihauf

With artistry and lyrical depth that belie her twenty years, Lauren Frihauf, who first made waves on NBC's The Voice at sixteen, will release, "Fragments of a Stranger", January 26th. It will be the first single from her forthcoming debut solo 8-track album, "Shadows in the Soul Machine", set for release later this summer.  

Her promising neo-soul duo project ended before its debut album, The Latona EP, was released. Frihauf found her calendar clear at a time when most musicians were getting back to touring. She was alone and experiencing the emotional turmoil of entering adulthood. As she began her quest to identify who she is as a solo artist, Frihauf shifted her focus from keys to guitar, which was liberating, and her finger picking took on a Bossa Nova flavor. Simultaneously, learning Joni Mitchell's, "Cactus Tree," proved to be pivotal, as she became obsessed with the open D tuning favored by her hero.

"Fragments of a Stranger", was the very first song Frihauf wrote on guitar. "I don't think it even took me an hour to write; the song was all there and ready to be made.”  Her first live recording of it caught the attention of Bobby Carter, producer and contest judge for NPR Music's Tiny Desk contest, in 2022. Carter was stunned by her submission, saying, "Every time I watch this video, it just wrecks me". 

Not surprisingly, Frihauf’s accoustic solo performances have moved unprepared listeners to tears at songwriting festivals in Montana, Florida, and Texas. “Fragments of a Stranger”, marked the beginning of an outpouring of unique lyrics and melodies, which together as, "Shadows in the Soul Machine", provided catharsis for the struggling young artist, and will leave listeners pining for more.