Lauren Watkins

Singer/songwriter Lauren Watkins blends earthy grit with pop-inflected country hooks to create smart, relatable songs. After signing with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Big+Loud+Records%22">Big Loud Records</a> in 2023, the Nashville native released a pair EPs leading up to her full-length debut, 2024's The Heartbroken Record.

Born and raised in Music City, Watkins sang and played in local honky tonks as a teenager, though it wasn't until her college years at University of Mississippi that she began to focus on songwriting. She returned to Nashville with a clutch of songs inspired by forebears like <a href="spotify:artist:5W5bDNCqJ1jbCgTxDD0Cb3">Willie Nelson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4TKTii6gnOnUXQHyuo9JaD">Sheryl Crow</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:66lH4jAE7pqPlOlzUKbwA0">Miranda Lambert</a> and managed to land label and publishing deals with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Big+Loud%22">Big Loud</a> and Songs & Daughters, respectively. Delivered in her smooth husky voice, songs like "Anybody But You" and "Shirley Temple" blended playful barroom imagery with heartache and twang, both appearing on her 2023 debut EP, Introducing: Lauren Watkins. Later that same year Watkins followed up with a second EP, Introducing: The Heartbreak.

Her debut full-length, The Heartbroken Record, was released in June 2024 and boasted guests like <a href="spotify:artist:4TKTii6gnOnUXQHyuo9JaD">Sheryl Crow</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:40v31oiMOaz7dorFhevJRp">Jake Worthington</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:37BiX28I6pF104F92U1hDP">Ashley Monroe</a>. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi