Laura Oakes (UK)

• Discography: Laura Oakes EP (2015), Nashville Stole Your Girl EP (2017)

• Contact

• Website: http://lauraoakesmusic.com

Liverpool may not be the usual breeding ground for burgeoning Country Pop superstars, but Laura Oakes is – as always – an exception to the rule. A two-time winner of Best Female Vocalist at the British Country Music Awards and a Top 5 artist on the iTunes UK Country Music Chart, Laura has the room-silencing voice and songwriting chops to rival her heroes Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride. Support slots have include performances for The Shires, Ward Thomas, The Sisterhood, Catherine McGrath, Devin Dawson, The Wandering Hearts, Andrew Combs, James Dupre, Jenn Bostic and Hudson Taylor.

Live is where her music really take a hold of people. She’s played across the UK’s vibrant festival scene including main stage slots at the likes of Cornbury Music Festival, Camp Bestival, The Long Road, Black Deer, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Buckle and Boots, C2C, Cottingham Folk Festival, Secret Garden Party and various gigs for Bob Harris’ Under The Apple Tree.

Music was in Laura’s blood since a young age and coming from a musical family where it was normal for mealtime conversations to be conducted in three-part harmony, it was inevitable that a visit to Grand Ole Opry in Nashville at the age of 18 would prove to be an overwhelming and life-defining experience, driving her to realise her dream of writing and singing country music.

She recorded and self-released her first single ‘Don’t Let It Hit Ya’ in September 2013 which featured in the top 20 iTunes Country Chart. Her second single ‘Snakes and Ladders’ followed in 2014 with similar success.

Laura released her debut Self-Titled EP to iTunes in the summer of 2015 receiving great support from BBC radio across the UK, and similarly from Digital Radio (Chris Country and Amazing Radio). Bob Harris included it in his Best of 2015 retrospective on BBC Radio 2. As the year came to an end, Laura was also awarded the prize of The British Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year and followed up again in 2016 winning the prize for a second year running.

2017 saw Laura release her acoustic EP “Nashville Stole Your Girl” which reached no.3 in the iTunes UK Country Chart and was toured across the UK. Following in the success of the tour and the EP, Bob Harris invited Laura in to his BBC Radio 2 Country show for an interview and session.

Within the same year, Laura began to run her own night ‘Laura Oakes Hosts…’, at The Green Note, Camden to much success. The night showcases talent in the song writing world across the genres of americana, country, singer/songwriter and pop which to date has hosted talent including Holloway Road, Robbie Cavanagh, Lisa Wright, Twinnie, Tim De Graaw and Kerri Watt.

Itching to get back to Nashville, Laura flew back in 2018, to co-write with some of the world’s greatest songwriters including Jeff Cohen, Beth Nielson Chapman, Leslie Satcher, Ray Kennedy, Jenn Bostic, James Slater, Philip White, Mike Fiorentino, Chris Lindsey, Ketelyn Clampett, Jason Lehning and Palmer Green. She returned to the UK armed with a bundle of fabulous songs ready to perform. Stay tuned across Laura’s socials to hear when the tracks will be ready for release.

Nashville Stole Your Girl EP (2017)