Who I am
I am a vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, live looper, writer, voice coach and producer born and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. As a singer, I’ve been involved in many styles: from baroque to deep house music and from contemporary classical to my own pop songs. For years, I have studied the spoken and unspoken rules of various music genres. But currently my focus is the authentic, intuitive voice, independent towards acknowledged traditions.
My incentives
I would like to express an opposing view against the idea that singing and music is mostly about excellence, competition and entertainment. Instead, it’s a way of making contact with yourself and others, and a means to explore and express your own creativity. To me there’s no other art form, which can affect emotion and trigger memories straight away. Almost every one understands the universal language of music, and we’ve all experienced that sense of interconnectedness during a shared, musical experience. Genuinely connecting with others gives me a lot of energy. As an artist, the most wonderful thing I can achieve while performing is interconnectedness, that sense of unity among all those present. As a coach, I experience working with people from this same principle as creative and meaningful. That is why it is my mission to create awareness and connection through the voice.
What I’ve done
At age 9 I debuted as a piano talent at the renowned Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and I started writing my first songs as a teenager. I entered the conservatoire at 17, but was sent away just a year later: “We don’t consider you a real singer,” they said. I decided instead to go for an academic music degree at the University of Bristol (UK) and later in Amsterdam. This was followed by a career behind the musical scenes at Dutch national Radio 4, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and elsewhere. But I decided I’d rather be onstage after all. As a result I’ve been developing performances incorporating classical music, like The Floating Diva. For a period of seven years I was singing opera arias, floating on water wearing a huge dress made of umbrellas. The act has appeared at many festivals and events in The Netherlands and abroad, including Gergiev Festival, Lowlands and Musikfestspiele Potsdam.
What I’m doing now
Currently I’m writing and composing new music and I often contribute to pioneering music (theatre) productions. Occasionally I also like to collaborate with deejays/producers. So far, I’ve released five EP’s: Sweet Life (2012), Looping Patterns (2015), From This World (2016), Empty Space (2017) and Merge (2019). For Empty Space I tourned California and Mexico. Furthermore, I work as a voice and speech coach and organise workshop through my company use your voice. In 2022, I published a book about personal development and vocal empowerment: VOICE
Live looping
Being one of the first vocal looping artists in The Netherlands, I use song based live looping: Making music by sampling my own voice with a loop station. By doing so, I want to point out that a loop station isn’t just a funny sound effect or a ‘trick’. It’s a full-fledged instrument that you have to learn to play. Moreover, live looping challenges you to keep on being very meticulous and resourceful as a musician.
“Like hot soup for the soul. Makes my soul feel happy and in peace.”
(Eliud Ernandes, México Y2K International Live Looping Festival)
“Laura Stavinoha made a debut EP which can match the work of the greater ones.”
(LiveXS about Sweet Life)
“The female vocals remind of Tiesto tracks from late 90s as well as of modern classics.”
(House music with love about Solaris from the Nebula EP, a collab with Mjutah).
“Stavinoha has a unique sound that isn’t like anything out there right now.”
(Amped Sounds about Sweet Life)
“Indeed, the music is very similar to Kate Bush and Tori Amos. But it’s way more than that.
We also hear an unmistakable, authentic and original sound”.
(The jury about Laura, winner of the ‘Vlaanderen Bokaal’ in 2013)