Lauren Mia is a Los Angeles-based classical pianist and composer-turned-DJ, songwriter, vocalist, and music producer. She artfully navigates between spaces of melodic techno and progressive house to curate a signature sound that’s ethereal and dynamic.

Coming off of a milestone year in her career, Lauren delved feet first into the 2021 event landscape post-peak pandemic. She has been on the road on the Anjunadeep On Rotation Tour, opened recently for Testpilot, Mind Against, and played the recent Pollen event Day of the Deadmau5 in Miami.

In interview with When We Dip, Lauren shares on her recent rise as well as how she’s grown musically since When We Dip first premiered her release ‘Colours’ in late 2020.

WWD: How has your sound evolved in the past year since we premiered ‘Colours’?

My sound has evolved immensely over the last year. Since I released Colours, I moved into my new studio, my dream studio! I upgraded my work flow and set-up, now using a 16in/out patch bay, and a MIDI interface with my audio interface, which is different than my synthesizers going directly into the audio interface, like I had before. This has taken my workflow to a whole other level, enabling me to record and send or receive MIDI to all my analog synthesizers simultaneously, with all of their internal clocks synced. It’s pretty brilliant. I can also patch other external instruments through the patch bay taking over one of the synths live channels that is already connected, which allows for me to temporarily use to record with this new synth, say if a friend comes by and brings one over for a session. It’s very, very cool. As a result I’ve been working deeply with analog synths and my hardware, and have really aimed to keep most of my main and lead sounds in my projects to be primarily analog. Most of the music I’ve been making out of this new studio has yet to see the light of day, but once it does, I think it will properly exemplify how my sound has evolved, and how I have evolved.

WWD: In a few sentences, could you describe your identity as an artist and what you hope to achieve through your music?

I hope to achieve spreading love, inspiring, healing, and assisting with the shift of the collective consciousness. I want to help and evoke healing in as many beings as I can, not just through my music, but also my story – how I got here, and the courage it took. I went through a lot of transformations, spiritual rebirths and I know my experiences and knowledge can help so many personally but also on a global level. I feel called to help with the ascension of the collective consciences within humanity. As my platform grows, my voice becomes of more importance and I can use it to implement and bring awareness around important matters while also healing others and inspiring them through sound.

WWD: What are some of your personal favorite emerging artists and labels in dance music?

Oh this is a tough one, but to name a few, I will say Iberian Muse, Rinzen, Aalson, Made in Paris, Fresen, Mark Hoffen, Paraleven, 8kays, Qrion, Mark Tarmonea, the list goes on. SO many incredible emerging artists and this vocalist named Fractures…outstanding. As for record labels…definitely Somatic Records, Oddity, Rose Avenue, New Tab, Petit Matin, Sinners and The Recovery Collective.

WWD: Tell us about a specific experience that has influenced your current direction in your artistry.

I would say the key experience was what made me decide to pursue music. That moment of epiphany. I stumbled upon Stephan Bodzin at Lightning In A Bottle in 2016 back before pursuing my artistic career professionally. As I watched him work his analog hardware, deeply passionate, present, and emotionally vulnerable, I instantly fell in love and knew that I too, was meant to be doing just that. It was a pure moment of alignment. I told my girlfriend Gabi instantly that I finally figured out what I wanted to do in life, what I felt my purpose was. I called my mom, told her I was going to quit my job and go back to school for music (she was livid) and literally the day I came home, I immediately got started and was unstoppable.

WWD: Tell us about your touring this year, and what made some of your favorite performances so special.

This is the first year I’ve truly had the pleasure of experiencing proper tour-life. I’m very grateful for it all! A ton of amazing memories over the last few months. I’d say one of the most memorable was at the Brooklyn Mirage for Anjunadeep Open Air. Thousands of people danced to my set, nothing compares to that feeling. Another recent show that was unforgettable was Day of the Deadmau5 in Miami a few weeks ago. This stage was huge! Proper festival staging, sound was crispy & loud, crowd was amazing. Finally, the Fluffy Cloud Experience in Los Angeles. I’ve been burning for about 5 years now and our community is just special. Being able to play for our community again after a few years apart was extremely memorable. Jorge who created the Fluffy Cloud is a friend who really put on a spectacular event alongside SET Underground. The Burning Man community is one of the best, most open-minded and open-hearted crowds in my opinion and it shined through in this performance! Also playing in my hometown, with close friends in the audience made this one extra special.

WWD: What are some practices you apply to stay healthy on the road?

Sleeping. Sleeping is absolutely key. The beginning of my first official tour this Fall with 17 dates, I thought I could pull late night studio sessions while playing 5 shows in 10 days and I completely crashed. From that moment forward I realized how important it is for me to sleep. I try to drink as much water as I can. I take heaps of different vitamins and I work out about 4 days a week when I am home. Even on the days that I am absolutely exhausted, I push myself to my pilates or yoga studio to make sure that I move my body, followed by a nice power walk or jog with my two adopted Pitt Bulls. I strengthen my body and get those endorphins running.

For those that are interested, the vitamins that I take have been recommended to me by a healthcare professional who is also a holistic doctor. I take L-theanine, St John’s Wort, Vitamin C, Black Currant, GABA, Folic Acid, B12 and several other homeopathic supplements. This has been a big game changer for me. I highly recommend looking into what your body may need to further advance your over-all well being.

WWD: Describe your studio process and tell us about your next piece of work.

My studio process? There is no way to really describe this. I never know what I am going to get when I go in there and after having spoken to many colleagues and fellow producers, I know many feel the same way. Some days, sounds, ideas and progressions just flow, while others might be a day of writer’s block, in which case I just focus in on 3 specific elements in a track to write and record, or mix down. It depends. But I will say that I always set the space. I make sure it always smells phenomenal, turn on my colorful lights, sit down, turn on all my synths, drum machine, patch bay, midi interface, connect everything to my computer, turn on my monitors, sit down and get started. I keep very organized lists which entail projects that are ‘works in progress’ as well as label goals and collaborative/ep/remix requests. This year I feel it was a bit slow for original pieces for me. I took on a lot of amazing remix opportunities which took a lot of my time while also building a lot of foundational aspects for my project and my label, Ear Porn Music. However, currently I have 8-10 original works that I am sitting on, that I’m getting ready to share during the year of 2022 – I feel this will be a big year for my productions and artistic vision as a whole.

WWD: What have you learned about yourself, and your craft this year?

I learned that things are constantly in eb and flow. For example, some years you might only put out 14 tracks and maybe others, you’ll only put out just a few EP’s. I dealt with some very challenging mental health experiences this year that forced me to slow down with my productions and work, because I don’t think I would have ever slowed down. I love to work and I am addicted to the hustle. I thrive off of setting goals and achieving them. However, things can be out of your control sometimes, especially when it comes to health. I think I had to really learn how to accept that this year. Nothing else matter if your health is not on point, and your mind, body, and soul are out of alignment. I think everyone to some degree had a rough year during the pandemic, but 2021 was mine. I had a lot of parts about myself that I needed to heal, physically and emotionally all while moving back to the US, building my new studio and advancing my technological work flow, moving in and setting it all up, meeting the love of my life, losing an immediate family member, dealing with very serious hormonal imbalances, financial struggles, and a blossoming career that really took off, all while my whole team came together and touring took off. It was hard to get into the studio and put in the hours and work I am so used to doing and even when I could, there were days where I needed to be in bed and just heal. I feel really grateful to have the supportive family and partner that I have as well as some very close friends and a wonderful team of medical professionals who have been helping me address some of my health challenges. I feel very confident that I am making it to the other side and as a result, finding the balance. I have been finding myself in the studio again more and more, just like I used to be for the many years before.

WWD: In one sentence, how would you summarize your 2021?

2021 was the most beautiful, challenging, transformative, life changing, extraordinary year of my entire life.

WWD: What can fans expect of you going into the next year?

In 2022, I will be shifting direction with my productions to some of my more darker works, like in the previous years. I’ve got some beautiful labels I am working with, and some new label goals under my belt as well. As I mentioned earlier, I have about 8-10 of my new works ready to go, with lots of new projects and ideas underway. I’ve put a lot of intention and healing into my new works — bringing people back to their deep origins and connection to the divine feminine. Even with some more dark music, I’ll still be touching on my progressive and uplifting sides simultaneously. All my new works have primarily analog lead sounds and main elements across the board. This year will be full of original music as I have made the commitment to take some time away from remixes, to really focus on my own works. Last year I put out about 6 remixes, a few EP’s and 1 single. This year, I feel it is time to focus on my own original works. Like I said, several EPs and singles on the way and more to come. It’s going to be a big year, all while leading towards some of my future plans for live performance with more hardware. Really looking forward to it all!