Just Jaded

Jul 9

RENFORSHORT TALKS: MENTAL HEALTH & HER DEBUT ALBUM DEAR AMELIA

Written By: Vivienne Huynh

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Just Jaded! In today’s edition we will introduce you all to renforshort, a 20 year old singer from Toronto. We got the inside scoop during her °1824 press conference on her upcoming debut album Dear Amelia, dream collaborations, “Letters to Amelia” project, mental health, and much more! If you’re looking for new music or want to find a new girl boss to stan, then stay tuned & keep reading!

Lauren Isenberg, professionally known as renforshort, is a 20 year old Canadian singer- songwriter from Toronto who has been pursuing music since the age of 13. She started her music journey by posting covers on YouTube, singing songs by Amy Winehouse, Jessie Reyez, Labrinth, and many more artists. She currently has 5 singles, 2 EPs (Teenage Angst, and Off Saint Dominique), and an OST for the Disney movie Clouds. Her music feels nostalgic yet modern, the raw emotions you hear in both her lyrics and sound give off a sense of acceptance and empowerment. Her genre spans from hyper-pop, indie, soulful, to grunge, punk, and folk. The best way I’d describe her sound is a mix of Billie Eilish & PinkPanthress.

renforshort focuses on honesty in her music, she wants to show her vulnerability through her songs. “I write about my genuine emotions, not just relationships, but what I feel on a daily basis, and it’s a cathartic experience.” Through her music she aims to help others feel heard and that they aren’t alone, while at the same time help herself release those emotions. Her music is a form of release, an experience that hopefully someone can relate to and find comfort in. She has a strong passion for mental health, and wants to show others that it’s alright to feel the emotions they feel. “It’s okay for songs to not have a resolution because there's not always a solution to things we feel.”

With all that being said, her debut album Dear Amelia, which comes out July 8th, tackles the topics of mental health. She currently has 3 singles from the album out, I Miss Myself, We’ll Make This Okay, and Julian, King of Manhattan, each song is completely different, yet all equally amazing and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album!

I Miss Myself - This song has an acoustic, melancholy vibe. The lyrics tackle the feelings of isolation you feel as a of all the different people you try to be for others, losing who you truly are. “I’ve gone through way too many versions of me, which one will stay a while?”

We’ll Make This Okay- This song is a collaboration with Travis Barker, it has a heavy hyperpop synth sound, and is upbeat. It reflects on what happens after a break up; it’s a song that you can dance to, while going through the post break up anger.

Julian, King of Manhattan- This song is my favorite out of the 3 singles, it has an upbeat indie sound, with some pop elements. It reminds me of The Strokes, which isn’t surprising because the song is about Julian Casablancas, the lead singer of The Strokes. It’s a fun song that you’d blast in your headphones on a walk at sunset.

The album Dear Amelia contains the most emotional songs she’s written, they encapsulate all the feelings, and growth she has experienced throughout the last few years. From the start of her career till now, what’s changed the most about her is how quickly she has matured, and she felt that it helped her both creatively and professionally. She also mentioned that she got the collaboration of her dreams on this album, can we all take a guess on who it will be?

Many might wonder who Amelia is. renforshort said that Amelia is the personification of the parts of her brain that she puts so much stress on. Her new album represents all the things she wants to say to herself, and a message to her fans to be open about their feelings and to not keep everything bottled up inside. She encourages her fans to not be afraid to talk about their feelings, but she also understands that it’s hard to talk about everything, which is what led her to start the “Letters To Amelia” project. “Letters to Amelia” is a project where you can write down everything you are feeling or write things you’ve always wanted to say and mail it to Amelia. All the letters sent will be discarded for anonymity, and it provides a way for you to get everything off your chest. In doing this, she hopes for everyone to feel supported, and hopes that it helps them take that step to be able to talk about what they’re feeling. You can find more information about the project, and a letter template on renforshort’s website!

We’ll end with some words from renforshort that stood out during the press conference. As a young woman in the music industry she sometimes feels as if nobody listens to her, and mentioned how women in the music industry are often overlooked. Having a mostly women crew on tour with her, it gave her a sense of security and empowerment and she hopes to see a change for women in the industry as well as for women all over the world, and encourages all the ladies to “keep pushing, and BE LOUD!” because people should be listening to you.

WHAT’S NEXT:

Renforshort has briefly toured with the band CAMINO and talked about what a great time she had performing on their tour, but she’s looking forward to the most is her upcoming headline tour in North America. With her debut album coming out on July 8th, she is excited to have a tour of her own, from planning out the stage, to having a full setlist, being with her girls on tour (referring to an all woman crew), she’s looking forward to performing a show where she can speak to a crowd that is there to see her and to create a safe space for her fans.

Her debut album, Dear Amelia, is out now!

Renforshort Socials:

Website: https://www.renforshort.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renforshort/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/renforshort

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GYvf7puxwkr51EYoD9E7D?si=jz_dEEQ8SRq4REUU9j7ICw

Jade Zalevsky