Canton, MI-born, Nashville, TN-based classically trained pianist and singer/songwriter Lauren Straham, best known as Fleurie has developed a reputation for meshing a confessional and narrative songwriting approach with highly contemporary electronic production to create a a moody and atmospheric pop sound reminiscent of several contemporary acts you have likely come across on this site and across the blogosphere — Phoebe Ryan, CAPPA, Chelsea Lankes, Marie Dahlstrøm and a growing list of women pop artists.
Building on the buzz of her critically praised and commercially successful EP Arrows, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter release “Hurts Like Hell, ” last year, and the single was featured on MTV‘s Scream. Recently the folks at OurVinyl TV invited Straham in for an acoustic single and the first released bit of footage from that session is a gorgeous and stripped down rendition of “Hurts Like Hell” that features Straham accompanying herself on piano.
Lyrically, the song focuses on the conflicting feelings in the aftermath of a breakup — loss, longing, emptiness, heartache and self doubt, along with the sensations of self-reflection, of finality and of one’s life being altered in ways that are frequently beyond your own control and influence. And if you’ve been through a particularly messy and disastrous breakup the song should feel deeply familiar.