On The Rise: renforshort
Melding pop, grunge and punk, rising singer-songwriter Lauren Isenberg has been putting a voice to Gen Z anxiety and teenage angst with her renforshort project: an outlet for her most candid thoughts and struggles. Whether it’s wannabe friends or mental health, nothing is off-limits and this authenticity seems to paying off: already with millions of streams under her belt, Isenberg has been tapped to support Yungblud on tour and a cosign from Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda.
Below, HUNGER talks to Isenberg about her return to the road and forthcoming album.
To begin, what’s it been like touring with Yungblud?
It’s absolutely insane, Dom’s fanbase is unlike any fanbase I’ve seen before. It’s always such amazing energy at the shows and everyone’s just there to have a good time!
Tell us, what’s your relationship with him like?
He’s like a mentor to me and just a really fun person to be around, he’s always got amazing energy that really helps me when i get nervous before a show.
How do you look after your mental health while touring?
I just need to spend some time walking around, looking at art, having a good meal and listening to music. Honestly, those things I could do for the rest of my life and feel balanced.
What did you miss most about live shows?
I missed crowds and the energy they give you. One thing about lockdown that was so weird was doing those livestream shows to no crowd. It’s hard to give an amazing show if you don’t have energy to feed off from the crowd. I really missed meeting people as well [since returning from lockdown] I feel like I’ve seen so many faces of usernames [who have tuned into livestreams] which has been sick.
Is there anything important you’ve learnt in your career so far?
To stay motivated, sometimes it feels like you’re doing so much but not seeing a difference which is really hard, but everything ends up coming together in time.
Who is another musician you admire?
There are so many musicians I admire. I would say the top two are probably Bon Iver and Jake Bugg. there the first musicians I really found on my own that helped shape my songwriting and style.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m on my fall playlist which is my favourite playlist of the year. It includes The Radio Dept, George Harrison, Wilco, The Macabees, and Joni Mitchell, as well as a lot more. It makes me think of fall.
What’s a fact about you that people might be surprised to hear?
I hate ice cream, I think it’s nauseating. People hate when I say that too!
Do you have an album on the horizon? What can we expect?
I do! it’s basically done and I’m so fucking proud of it. I think it’s the best body of work I’ve ever put together. it feels really special and timeless and I’m really excited about it.
