Lauren Dillen - "Blue Star" EP Release Show

Lauren Dillen’s songs are arborescent, ever-growing outward with tender determination. This suits the Toronto singer-songwriter, whose love of plants extends from the metaphors in her songs to the plant cyanotypes she crafts as album artwork to her work as a tattoo artist specializing in vintage botanical designs. With a mindful approach, Dillen’s folk songs uncover the understory by keenly observing what’s on the surface. As she sings, ‘we watch the leaves shoot up as the roots shoot down.’

While Dillen’s soothing voice and deft musicianship can be heard through her work with folk-rock quartet Burs, her solo project is all about self-work and following her instincts. In recent years, she has brought this work to stages across Canada, opening for artists such as Charlotte Cornfield, Bahamas, and Great Lake Swimmers, as well as performing at festivals and touring extensively across the country, steadily building a reputation for intimate but expansive live performances.

Blue Star, her debut EP, sees Dillen emerging from a “very passionate and difficult” time in her life. “My early twenties were all about working hard and striving for perfection despite what my body wanted, acting on obligation rather than joy,” Dillen explains. “I’m learning that it’s my job to advocate for my body as if it were my small child.” The result of this growth can be heard throughout Blue Star, with Dillen feeling more confident than ever to articulate just what she means: “My channels are clear, and I can be honest.”