Lauren Babic moves between clean, melodic singing and much heavier techniques with the same control. We spoke with her about where her curiosity for the human voice began, how she paces herself between the studio and the stage, and the Sennheiser gear that has stayed with her for more than fifteen years.
What was the first vocal performance that made you curious about what the human voice could actually do?
When I was 16 years old, I started experimenting with my voice. I would try and imitate vocalists like Chester Bennington and Spencer Chamberlain. It fascinated me how they could execute screaming and singing.
When did you begin developing a vocal sound that felt distinctly like your own?
When I joined my first band, Red Handed Denial, I started coming into my own when I realized what my voice was good at and leaned into that, instead of trying to sound like other vocalists. My biggest thing is owning and commanding the strong parts of your voice and not trying to unnaturally make it do things that aren’t comfortable or natural.
How do you pace your voice between the studio and the stage?
Studio and live performances are very different, and I approach both very differently. I see the studio as a sprint, and I see a live performance as a marathon. Especially when I have a very versatile voice, I want to make sure I have as many parts of my arsenal accessible at all times. So there is always this push and pull of when to give more and when to pull back to make sure parts of my voice don’t get fatigued. Long tours and playing shows back to back add a whole other challenging element with environmental factors, sleep deprivation, and dehydration. All of these things affect singing and screaming.
Has performing so often for a camera changed the way you approach singing in front of a live audience?
Of course, when you’re recording music videos you can focus more on the visual aesthetic. But I always say you’ll never give the best live vocal performance if you’re trying to be cute, hahaha. You have to commit and get a little bit ugly.
What Sennheiser equipment are you currently using for recording or performing?
I use the Sennheiser G4 in-ear monitor units and the G4 wireless microphone unit. If I’m going wired, I use the e 835 and e 935 dynamic mics. These have been my go-to pieces of gear for over 15 years.
With the Sennheiser e 935 microphone, what do you look for in the way it handles the transition between your cleaner vocals and much heavier techniques?
That mic picks up the brighter and exciting frequencies of my voice. Other microphones just seem flat, and I have to do a lot of EQing to make them sound comparable. It’s also able to pleasingly pick up the quieter tones of my voice.
When you’re not recording, creating content, or on stage, what music, artists, or creative projects are currently keeping you inspired?
Lately I’ve been listening to the new song “Ravage” by Novelists. It’s very inspiring to hear a female vocalist execute unique prog music. Whenever I need a break from music, I like to sew! No one really knows that, but it takes my mind off of life and lets me do something a little more mindless.
To wrap things up, what’s getting you most excited these days, whether that’s an upcoming tour or release, new gear, or just some well-earned time off?
As I enter this new era for my solo music, it’s been inspiring to hear the stories from listeners about how they’ve connected to the new songs. I just want to keep reminding people that you can do whatever you want in your life, and you should never feel like you need to do something for someone else. But as my music has reached all ends of the earth, I’m reminded that it’s become bigger than anything I could have imagined. Bigger than just me in a room. My favourite part about all this is human connection. It’s beautiful how music brings people together. This is all why I’ll never give up.
