Posted on November 13, 2020
So today I posted a new video on YouTube, talking about the story behind ‘Honest,’ the long journey from idea to final song, and what it was like working on it with the amazing songwriters that are Lauren Aquilina, Richard Marc, and Jonathan Whiskerd. This is the title track and final single of the Honest EP and is a tribute to the honesty in the four songs that came before, as well as to being authentic and honest, even when it’s really hard.
If you haven’t listened to the song yet, you can find it here and the music video will be out soon! I hope you enjoy the song and I hope it’s interesting to hear some of the behind the scenes of the writing process.
As always, thank you for listening to my songs, watching my videos, and reading my posts. It means more than I can say.
Category: about me, anxiety, autism, bpd, depression, emotions, identity, life lessons, mental health, music, ocd, video Tagged: alt pop, artist, authenticity, behind the scenes, behind the song, cowriting, debut ep, ep, honest, honest ep, honesty, independent artist, indie pop, jonathan whiskerd, lauren alex hooper, lauren aquilina, new music, new single, pop, richard marc, singer, singer songwriter, singersongwriter, songwriting, songwriting process, unsigned artist, video, youtube video
Posted on October 30, 2020
My new single, ‘Honest,’ the title track and final single from my debut EP, Honest, is now available on all major music platforms!


‘Honest,’ the title track and final single from the Honest EP, is out! I’m so excited for you guys to finally hear it! It’s a celebration of the honesty of the previous four songs and of being honest and authentic about who you are, even and especially when it’s hard. It’s vulnerable and frightening and sometimes clumsy but it’s empowering too. There’s such a relief to leaning into who you really are.
This song was a real labour of love; it took a lot of hard work. It was born in a session with one of my songwriting inspirations, Lauren Aquilina. I worked on it with my beloved Richard Marc, and then it finally found its true shape in a session with the super inspiring Jonathan Whiskerd. Many people might’ve given up on it. At another moment in time, I might’ve been one of them, but I just knew there was something there. It was something I needed to express. And despite the frustrations along the way, I don’t think it could’ve become the song it is without them.
Please, please, please stream and/or buy it if you can. It would mean so much to me and everyone who has worked so hard on this song and this whole EP. The link to the song is in my bio (x)
Click here to listen to the song!
Posting this feels strange and really quite emotional since this EP has been a major part of my life for the last few years and right now, I don’t know when I’ll next be releasing new music. But I also really love this song and I’m so excited for everyone to hear it. And it feels particularly special that this final song was written with three people who mean a lot to me and have had a big impact on my life: Lauren was one of the few songwriter/artists that I really felt connected to and whose music I felt truly invested in as a teenager and writing with her was a big moment for me; Richard is one of my best friends and one of the most important people in my life; Jonathan was one of my tutors at university who not only taught me an incredible amount about songwriting, but gave me confidence in myself and always inspired me, both things he continues to do. I’m so grateful to have these wonderful people involved in this project that has been so important in my life.
I hope you enjoy the song. Please let me know – here or on social media – what you think, of the song and the whole EP now that it’s complete! I’d love to hear from you! Otherwise, keep an eye on my social media accounts for news about the music video and other content…
Category: mental health, music Tagged: alt pop, honest, honest ep, honest single, indie artist, indie pop, indie release, jonathan whiskerd, lauren alex hooper, lauren aquilina, laurenalexhooper, new music, new music release, new music uk, richard marc, richard marc music, singersongwriter, songwriter, songwriters, songwriting
Posted on September 4, 2020
And the music video for ‘Back To Life’ is out and available for you guys to watch on YouTube! When I originally envisioned a video for ‘Back To Life,’ life was very different. This was pre-pandemic, pre-lockdown. The hope was that lockdown would be over and it would be safe to continue with the original plan before releasing the song but clearly that didn’t happen so I had to come up with a new plan. Considering how set I was on the original plan, that was a struggle but I’m really proud of what Richard and I managed to create under such limitations. Plus we had a blast making it. I hope you enjoy!
Due to the lockdown, it was obviously a challenging video to make, something I definitely want to talk more about. I intend to make another Behind The Video post soon because I think that an experience like this is worth recording, one that I’ve certainly never gone through and one that the industry is having to go to drastic measures to manage. Not only is it interesting to see how everyone is navigating these challenges, it will also be fascinating to look back in a few years time and see how we’ve adapted and what’s changed.
Category: covid-19 pandemic, mental health, music, video Tagged: back to life, back to life music video, coronavirus, covid-19, debut ep, depression, ep, honest, honest ep, hope, indie artist, indie pop, indie pop music, indie release, lauren alex hooper, laurenalexhooper, letting go, lockdown, mental health, mental health awareness, mental illness, moving on, music video, official music video, pandemic, pop, pop music, recovery, rediscovering yourself, richard sanderson, singersongwriter, singersongwriter life, social distancing, unsigned artist, upward turn

Hi! I’m Lauren Alex Hooper. Welcome to my little blog! I write about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD (Inattentive Type), and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), as well as several mental health issues.
I’m a singer-songwriter (it’s my biggest special interest and I have both a BA and MA in songwriting) so I’ll probably write a bit about that too.
My first single, ‘Invisible,’ is on all platforms, with all proceeds going to Young Minds.
My debut EP, Honest, is available on all platforms, with a limited physical run at Resident Music in Brighton.
I’m currently working on an album about my experiences as an autistic woman.
Hi! I’m Lauren Alex Hooper. Welcome to my little blog! I write about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD (Inattentive Type), and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), as well as several mental health issues.
I’m a singer-songwriter (it’s my biggest special interest and I have both a BA and MA in songwriting) so I’ll probably write a bit about that too.
My first single, ‘Invisible,’ is on all platforms, with all proceeds going to Young Minds.
My debut EP, Honest, is available on all platforms, with a limited physical run at Resident Music in Brighton.
I’m currently working on an album about my experiences as an autistic woman.
Finding Hope