In the dim lighting of the Events Barn, filled with buzzing students, Laura Elliott took the stage with her guitar in hand and a small smile on her face. The twenty-two year old singer-songwriter exhibited poise, making herself comfortable on the stool, adjusting to the bright stage lights, and taking a deep breath. Once she was settled, Elliott was one with the audience. Any nerves or fears she had were channeled into her dialogue with the crowd. She expressed her concerns about her outfit choice for the night, a pair of camouflage pants matched with a pair of camouflage crocs. “I put a poll on my Instagram earlier asking my friends if it was okay to wear camo pants with camo crocs,” she said. “But then I was like, who cares what I wear — I like camo.” The venue united in laughter, and before you knew it, it was as though Elliott had known the crowd for years.

Elliott launched into the first two songs of her set, both originals. Her guitar and her sound radiated throughout the barn, the notes and the chords flowing smoothly into one another. Her body and her guitar appeared to move as one. When Elliott kept her sound reserved, her fingers would gently pluck the strings and her body would come to a standstill, but when she added more force to her voice, Elliott would strum with more aggression; her head thumping with every downwards movement. You could feel the sheer emotion of her passion for music within her voice and actions. It was as though Elliott was trusting her life and her past experiences with the crowd.

Of the songs that Elliott performed, there was a common theme of navigating relationships and finding one’s identity that is pertinent to the various interpersonal struggles that an individual goes through. Each of Elliott’s songs took on the form of a singular emotion that fed into her collective themes. For example, Elliott’s song “Stages” represents the feeling of insecurity, where she sings about going through the cycle of a relationship. As she travels through the beginning stages of meeting someone through grappling with the end of a relationship, she puts the thoughts of her character into the words of the song. In the beginning of the song, she asks what her partner sees in her, as though she is not worthy of their attention. Then, as it transitions to the end of the song, she puts the blame on herself for her inability to fix what was broken in their relationship. Her song “Grinding My Teeth” focuses on the anger of watching someone you love move on. There is power in the way she mentions the pain of knowing someone so well and watching them try to fall in love again through the lyric “you’ve been waiting on someone who might never show up,” implying that their idea of love is unreasonable after losing someone who truly is the love of their life. Elliott also focuses on the feeling of pining for love in one of her most popular songs “Blue,” which takes on the perspective of a hopeless romantic praying that the person they like will notice them. The infectious nature of the song’s structure distracts from the hope that the individual is slowly losing, coming to believe that they will always love the person “from afar,” unrequited and unnoticed.

Upon the first time listening to Laura Elliott, it is incredible to feel how her sound travels with you and how the lyrics resonate with the audience. She opens her heart to those that she doesn’t even know, showing them how it is alright to feel the way you feel — and that you are not alone in it. In fact, she invites them to voice their feelings because her connection to the audience is what fuels her passion on stage. She invited the audience to sing along with her to an acoustic performance of “Mr. Brightside,” where in the dim lighting of the barn, she strummed her guitar, took in the sound of the audience and sang along with the audience from the top of her lungs with a proud smile on her face. It was as though in only an hour, Laura Elliott had touched their souls and their hearts, forging a sense of closeness and acceptance. Leaving the Barn after the show, it was evident that everyone wished that they had known Laura Elliot sooner.

Laura Elliott’s music, including her new album

People Pleaser

, can be found across various streaming platforms.