Laura Barrett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laura Barrett
Barrett at the 2015 Canadian Film Centre Slaight Music Residency Showcase
Born	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Education	University of Toronto
Musical career
Genres	Indie pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals piano kalimba
Labels	Paper Bag

Laura Alexandra Barrett is a talented Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter. She is well-known for using a special instrument called the kalimba in her music. Besides her own songs, Laura has also played with several bands. These include The Hidden Cameras, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Woodhands, and Sheezer.

Laura was born in Toronto, Canada. She went to the University of Toronto and finished her studies in 2006. She studied English literature and linguistics. Later, she went back to school to get a master's degree in education. Today, she sometimes works as a teacher for the Toronto District School Board.

Laura's Musical Journey

Laura started playing the piano when she was 8 years old. She had classical training, which means she learned music in a traditional way. She found the kalimba, a unique musical instrument, on eBay and started playing it for fun.

Her first time performing alone was at a concert that honored "Weird Al" Yankovic. She sang a cover of his song "Smells Like Nirvana". Before this, she was part of a band called Lake Holiday. After her solo debut, Laura released two shorter music collections called EPs. She also worked as the music director for a play in New York City.

First Album and Awards

In 2008, Laura released her first full album, Victory Garden. It came out on Paper Bag Records. A producer named Paul Aucoin helped create the album. Other musicians like Basia Bulat also played on it. In December 2008, Laura Barrett received a special award from CBC Radio 3.

City Sonic and Tribute Bands

In 2009, Laura was part of a documentary series called City Sonic. This series showed 20 artists from Toronto. Laura talked about her very first rock concert. She was 12 years old when she saw the Rheostatics play at the Art Gallery of Ontario. They performed music inspired by a famous Canadian art group.

From 2010 to 2015, Laura played in a band called Sheezer. This was an all-female Weezer tribute band. They played songs from Weezer's first two albums, The Blue Album and Pinkerton.

Collaborations and Recent Work

In 2010, Laura joined The Magnetic Fields on their "Realism" tour. They traveled to 11 cities across North America. The next year, she worked on the National Parks Project. She teamed up with musicians Cadence Weapon and Mark Hamilton. They also worked with filmmaker Peter Lynch. Together, they made a short film about Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. Laura helped create the music for the film.

Laura released her most recent album, Who Is the Baker?, in 2019. This was her first album in eleven years. Don Kerr recorded the album, and musicians like Karen Ng played on it. Before this album, Laura also worked with Girls Rock Camp Toronto. She also composed music for films like Porch Stories (2015) and Birdland (2018).

Discography

• Who is the Baker? (2019)
• Victory Garden (2009)
• Earth Sciences (2008)