Lauren Sanderson doesn’t introduce herself so much as she kicks the door in and expects you to keep up. With her new album LAUREN arriving May 29 via Pack Records, she’s turning that energy into a full-scale statement of identity—loud, chaotic, intentional, and entirely self-defined.
At its core, LAUREN started as something deceptively simple. As she puts it, “LAUREN was made as a time capsule in my life, to celebrate self expression, discovery and acceptance!!” That framing matters—because what unfolds across the record isn’t just a collection of songs, but a document of someone actively figuring themselves out in real time, and refusing to smooth the edges in the process.
Those edges, unsurprisingly, weren’t easy to hold.
“The biggest personal challenge was simply allowing myself to not overthink and just create freely, whatever came to mind that day,” she explains. But even more difficult than the making was the waiting: “Another personal challenge was not releasing it as I made it—there’s nothing harder than holding onto a song you just want to release into the world so badly.”
If restraint was the struggle, abandon was the solution. The result is a record that thrives on contradiction and collision—something Sanderson leaned into rather than ironed out. “The biggest creative challenge was genre blending and making all the genres I love so much make sense together,” she says. “Resulting in honestly making my own kind of rock rap pop genre blend. I wanted this album to be cohesive while still making sure they all had their own moments. Not easy!!”
It shows. LAUREN doesn’t behave like a neatly categorized pop record; it behaves like someone flipping through identities in real time, daring them all to coexist in the same room without apologizing for it.
And apparently, that chaos was the point.
“There were constant surprises in the studio,” she says. “This was the most fun I’ve ever had making music in my life. I think because the main goal was to just have fun, embrace imperfections and all different energies, and focus on songwriting and solid fucking concepts!!”
That emphasis on “fun” might sound light, but here it reads more like liberation—less a mood, more a methodology. The album’s sonic palette reflects it: a maximalist collision of nü-metal atmosphere, bratty pop irreverence, and sharp lyrical instinct, filtered through a sensibility that feels equally rooted in late-'90s/early-00s genre chaos and contemporary pop shapeshifting.
Sanderson is explicit about the emotional intent, too. “I just want people to walk away after listening to this album and feel a renewed sense of self and feel like the baddest bitch in the world,” she says. “Like no matter what, everything’s gonna be just fine. Keep it pushing and take no shit.”
That philosophy threads through moments both defiant and disarmingly playful—especially on tracks like “POSSESSIVE,” “MYSPACE GIRLS,” and “ARE YOU REALLY HERE?”, which she singles out as particularly exciting reactions from listeners. Though she adds, “I was really excited for fans to hear the whole body of work as a whole for the most part,” reinforcing the idea that LAUREN is meant to be experienced as a full, unruly arc rather than a playlist of highlights.
Still, the record isn’t happening in isolation. It arrives in the wake of singles like “COME SAY SUM,” inspired by Limp Bizkit’s infamous Woodstock ‘99 performance, and “SPELL IT OUT,” a cheeky, charged anthem built on sexual tension and confidence without hesitation. Together, they’ve already made one thing clear: Lauren Sanderson is not easing into this era—she’s detonating into it.
And she’s not slowing down after it lands, either. When asked about what comes next, she keeps it direct: “COME SAY SUM TOUR THIS FALLLL BE THERE OR BE SQUAREEEEEE”
If LAUREN is a time capsule, it’s not sealed. It’s been cracked open mid-flight—bleeding noise, confidence, contradiction, and clarity all at once. And Sanderson wouldn’t have it any other way (nor would we).
LAUREN is out now, listen here.
Photos by Nas Bogado and Jenna Houchin
