Laura Izibor born in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland in May 1987, is an Irish R&B Singer who won the Jacob's/RTÉ 2fm song contest while still in secondary school. She went on to win a Hope for 2006 Award at the 2006 Meteor Music Awards.[1] She went on to perform at that year's Electric Picnic music festival and Music Ireland '07. Laura has opened for Aretha Franklin, Estelle and John Legend on tour. Her debut album "Let The Truth Be Told" is to be released in April, 2009.
The foundation begins with soul," explains 20-year-old singer/songwriter/producer Laura Izibor of her passionate, piano-guided songs. On her forthcoming debut album, Izibor continues the lineage set out by artists like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott; artists who combine a reverence for the traditions of early R&B with a thoroughly modern sensibility. After one listen to the powerful, honey-tinged vocals on Let The Truth Be Told, one thing is for sure. For Laura Izibor, it's got to be real.
Born to a working class family in Dublin, Ireland, Izibor admits she didn't grow up in a musical household. "My mother raised five kids on her own, so there wasn't much time to buy records - it wasn't that kind of home. I found myself fancying music at about 13." Once the love for musicians like Stevie Wonder, Candi Stanton, and Roberta Flack took hold, she was smitten for good. "One door opened to the next - first I discovered Marvin Gaye, and then Otis Redding, and I just fell in love with soul music."
At the age of 15, Izibor won a prestigious national performance competition, the "2FM Song Contest." At 17, she started work on her debut album, taking the time to really hone her songs. "Let The Truth Be Told" was recorded over the course of four years in a diverse range of cities: New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dublin among them. Laura also performed live constantly during this period, finding her true home onstage. Having performed several sold-out shows in Ireland, and opened for acts including James Brown, Angie Stone, and The Roots, she's earned the affectionate moniker "The Soul of Ireland" from the folks back home.
Early 2009 will reveal the fruits of this process, when Izibor releases the fully self-penned and co-produced Let The Truth Be Told. "The title felt like a strong, almost biblical statement," she explains. "I've written this album because it's my truth. It's a sincere record and it has a feel of survival in it as well." Izibor resisted the urge to feature established artists on various tracks, instead creating a revealing, and very personal, document of this moment in her life. "I didn't want to be anybody's protégé," she says. "It's very tempting to put in the reinforcements, but for my debut album I wanted it to be 100% from me."
The songs are ripe with authenticity, from the sassy, soulful album opener, "Shine," to the magnificent and deeply personal "If Tonight Is My Last," to the anthemic and inspirational "Mmm," which colored the soundtrack of Step Up 2: The Streets. With her tracks also featured on Grey's Anatomy and The Nanny Diaries, Izibor has found that airing her heartfelt take on life and love has translated to the hopes and struggles of various characters, as well as to the people at home watching them. "I hope people take away a sense of honesty and realness in the record. They're just songs written from a really sincere place, and hopefully people can connect to it on some level and relate their own lives to it as well."
For Izibor, the process of bringing her Truth to light has had a long gestation period, taking her around the world and back. She's poised and ready for her moment. "Life is good. Music is amazing. It's just a great, unusual thing to be doing what I love, and I'm genuinely grateful. I come from a working class family, so my bothers and sisters and my mother worked so many jobs their whole life, just trying to provide for us. That's why I'm extremely humbled and grateful to be able to do something that is not only what I love, but pretty unbelievable."
Laura Izibor's style and way of approaching music is the style I like. Got the new melodies and catchy pop infectious beats with soulful vocals. That's the kind of music that I like. None of that Rhianna, Lil Wayne, or any kind of mainstream rap music. Laura Izibor's music is the kind of music that would make the ancestors of Soul/Jazz/Gospel/Hip-Hop happy.
In Esthero's song, "We R In Need Of A Music Revolution" this music is the music she was talking about. Styles, Lyrics and Melodies made with the heart in mind. Keeping the music real. Many artists like Laura Izibor are making the music revolution but are not getting recognized. It sucks. I'd love to hear music besides the mainstream music that's out now. Ugh! I Never even pay attention to it anymore. I find out about artists my own way.
I'm so glad that, I've been exposed to more than just mainstream music. Cause if I wasn't exposed to such great music, I probably would have given up on music.
**Laura Izibor's Free Downloads**
Laura Izibor-Carousel(P.S. I Love You Album Version)
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5601069804d9a1e0/
Laura Izibor-Can't Be Love[Live]
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5601091551aa8cad/
Laura Izibor-It Ain't Over[Cos I Need You]
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5601105602ccbcf2/
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