Lauren Hicks
Lauren Hicks has known she’s wanted to be a musician since the days of writing and performing songs in her childhood home’s kitchen.
“For as long as I can remember, I always sang. I loved writing songs, and I loved singing them. When I turned 11, I got a guitar for my birthday and immediately started learning it. Everyone told me I had to learn how to play an instrument.
A native of Manchester, GA, Hicks started performing music in her church on Sunday mornings. She was in a three-part harmony with her mom and sister called “Three-Way Calling.” At age 13, she was offered a position to sing alongside the bandleader at her church.
“I loved it. Singing and performing at church gave me incredible experience on the stage. It planted the confidence in me that has grown to allow me to do the things I do now.”
Hicks was homeschooled and graduated high school at age 16. Following graduation, she took a gap year and traveled to Taiwan on a mission trip. Since graduating high school at a young age, she wanted to take some time before attending college and dreamed of experiencing the world in a way she previously hadn’t. At age 18, she began her college career at LaGrange College, and fast forward four years later, Hicks is months away from graduating with a degree in music and a minor in theater.
“My college experience has definitely been a weird one, to say the least, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the lessons I’ve learned. One of my college professors always preached about moving onward. Regardless of what happens, you gotta keep moving forward. Experiences were definitely taken away from me, but we must go onward no matter what. After hearing it drilled in my ears, it’s almost become a motto of mine. Yes, things are semi-back to normal, kind of. It’s a new normal. And that’s okay, because again, no matter what, we move onward.”
If you haven’t heard or noticed, the past two years have been slightly “unprecedented.” March of 2020 brought news and life changes no one could have predicted. It was hard for everyone, especially those who make their living in performance-based careers, like Hicks. In addition, students and teachers of all ages had to learn how to navigate teaching and learning through a camera lens. For students like Hicks, it was a time of self-reflection and digging deep to decide if music was something she wanted to continue pursuing. Two years full of changes and adaptations later, here we are.
“It was really hard. Having to record yourself singing alone, in your dorm room, was incredibly challenging. Choir was the hardest because it’s just you. You can’t hear the harmony of the other parts, and it really made me question everything: if I wanted to continue with music and even my ability to perform music. But my professors were awesome and tried to make the best of our situation. They thought of some pretty cool outside-of-the-box ideas to get us to connect and learn.”
Looking back on everything Hicks had to work through during COVID, she believes she’s a better musician because of it. Performing and practicing music while wearing masks made her more independent as an artist. It pushed her to work harder and forced her to grow her voice in ways she did not expect. It also taught her how to perform emotions and expressions differently. She found a way to continue to move onward.
“Having this covering block half of your face from your audience, you learn other ways of expressing emotions. I learned how to sing and speak through my eyes and body, which I wouldn’t normally have mastered and practiced, but COVID forced me to adapt.”
Every college degree program has its challenges and rigorous coursework, and Music and Theater are no strangers to it. While studying both, Hicks has learned two aspects of performing: singing and acting. They are not exclusive to one another, but performing each requires a well-rounded performer. Outside of the classroom, hundreds of hours are put in to learn and rehearse music, memorize lines, and immerse oneself into the characters we, as the audience, see on stage. In addition, even more hours are required to write and record songs for students like Hicks, who are trying to grow professionally. Needless to say, it’s a hobby, business, and job melded into one.
When I asked Hicks to describe her music, she responded that it’s “indie-folk-pop” and similar to popular artist Phoebe Bridgers. Hicks writes songs full of emotion and personal touches that make her music genuine. Her voice is real and raw; you feel every emotion she feels.
“Music is how I express myself and my feelings, so many of my songs reflect those strong emotions I’ve experienced. I love how music allows others to relate to those emotions. Listeners can interpret how they want and need at the moment, and I think that’s one of the coolest things about music.”
One of her songs, “Ghost in My Room,” is about feeling alone and the need for people and community. She writes about a ghost that keeps her company so she doesn’t feel alone. One lyric is, “Jesus Christ, are you the ghost,” and this small detail perfectly captures her relationship with music and faith. Her faith keeps her going and has continued to show up when she has least expected it.
“Being in the music business is hard. You have to have faith in something, and my faith is in God. Every time I have come across a closed door, God opened a window. I have lots of worries for the future with pursuing music, as everyone does, but I have the faith that God will continue to lead on. He will take me onward. He led me to LaGrange College, and look where I am now. I wouldn’t be who I am without my faith.”
When she has time, Hicks enjoys playing at local gigs around LaGrange. She’s played at Pure Life Studios and recently performed at the Azalea Storytelling Festival. She will be playing at Lewis and Broad’s first annual, “ListenLaGrange,” a music festival to fight poverty. You can find more information about this music festival on our social media and Pure Life Studio’s website, https://www.purelifelagrange.com.