Feel legit.
Laura Briard He talks about making music as a team, why France turns its back on its own artists and how, after more than 10 years, he learned to trust his own place in the world.
Laura Briard She has been building a musical career for more than a decade from the margins of the French industry which, by her own admission, is not exactly known for its openness. Composer, singer and drummer, her work is an exercise in constant collaboration: each album is born from meetings with musician friends, from conversations that become songs, from a collective trust that makes up for what budgets and bookers they don't offer. He has toured Brazil and Australia without having set foot on stage in his own country. And he has a new album about to come out.
Weeks before the launch, without dates in France and with Mexico on the list of pending dreams. She spoke without a filter about TikTok, about feeling illegitimate, about what she would say to someone who is starting out, and about why two words — her life — are enough to describe her music.
Indie Rocks!: First of all, you're about to release a new album in about a month. A few days ago a single came out. What was the process of making this album like? What can we expect from him?
Lauren Briard: The first thing I can say is that this album is a team effort. I co-composed and wrote with musician friends. It's really a family job, something very important to me. I've always liked collaborating — I think it's the best. That's how I always work: I meet people who I feel like we can share something with, I ask them if they're okay working with me on this song, and that's how I ended up working with five or six people. We created a kind of team and recorded together. I love that part, working with people. I think the ideas multiply. Sometimes it's better than just a mind.
GO!: And how are you going to translate that teamwork into the live shows?
LB: That's the thing. All my previous albums have a lot of arrangements. But in France — and I suppose in other countries as well — it is very difficult to play live and get paid well as a musician. We have no choice: we can't be so many on stage. So I chose to work in a trio: a guitarist, a person on keyboards and me on the drums. There are three of us and we change the arrangements. The songs sound different live.
It is an obligation, not a choice. On disk it is impossible to do it like this. But there's something interesting about it, even if it's sometimes frustrating — when you hear certain songs with a lot of instruments, you want to have them live: a cello, whatever. It's complicated. But we found a good way to do it.
GO!: I spoke about a month and a half ago with a French artist and she told me the same thing, that it is very difficult to be an independent artist there. How do you experience the music industry in France? What would you change?
LB: I don't have a good opinion of the music industry in France, unfortunately. I think it's the complete opposite of openness. It's always the same people who are on tour, who play at festivals, who play on the radio. It is very difficult to enter that closed circle.
And as I said, it's difficult to play live and get paid well. Honestly it's difficult. I don't even have concerts because I couldn't find a booker. So for now I don't have any dates. I am very frustrated because it is very, very difficult.
GO!: No concerts only in France or in general?
LB: Only in France, for the moment. For my last album I didn't have concerts there either. But I was lucky because I have connections in Brazil and in Australia. So I went on tour to Brazil and Australia, but not France. It's something very strange.
GO!: And continuing with that theme, we were talking about the position of the musician in 2026. You are a musician 1% of the time and 99% you are making TikToks or doing other things.
LB: I don't want to have TikTok. Can't. It's too much.
It's very difficult, right? If you are not on those platforms, you are at a disadvantage. I think it's unfair and I don't understand this way of doing things, but that's how it is today. It's very difficult for me because I don't like it. I don't like it… I know I have to do it, but at a minimum. TikTok and all that… I'm out of it. Not out of touch, I'm just not in the game. And that's fine.
GO!: You have been a musician for more than 10 years. If you could start your career over, what would you tell yourself? And what would you recommend to someone who is starting out?
LB: (laughs) I would say: no. Don't do it.
Well, seriously I would say: feel legit. Because it took me a long time to feel legitimate and that was very complicated. And dare. If you want to work with this or that musician — even in other countries — write to them directly. And trust yourself.
It's not easy, but that's it.
GO!: Do you have plans to come to Mexico?
LB: It's my dream. But I don't have plans yet. If you can help me, with pleasure. I hope someone listens to this. I've played in Mexico twice and it was incredible.
GO!: We hope to see you soon. For someone who doesn't know you yet, what song would you recommend to start with?
LB: I would recommend Marin Solitairefrom the album Un peu plus d'amour, s'il vous plaît. It's my album before the new one, and that song is one of my favorites. I think you can connect with people from anywhere in the world. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel that way.
GO!: And in what state of mind would you recommend arriving at one of your shows to someone who is going for the first time?
LB: Calm, relaxed and ready to be silent sometimes, and to dance hard on other songs. It's very like that, like waves. Calm moments and more intense moments. But come calmly and with a good disposition.
GO!: And in closing, if you could describe yourself in just three words, what would they be?
LB: My music. Describe my music? That would take me an hour to answer.
My life. Two words: my life.
GO!: You don't need three, two is enough. Thank you very much for your time. I hope the release of the new album goes very well and I hope to see you soon here in Mexico.
LB: Thanks to you.
