Scotland native Lauren Mayberry is well known for being the lead singer in the synth pop trio, Chvrches. Aside from her musical talent, she proves an inspiration through her strength, intelligence and activism for issues in both the U.S. and her hometown of Glasgow.
1. She has degrees in both law and journalism
Before pursuing her musical career, Lauren earned an undergraduate law degree from the University of Strathclyde, later completing a masters in journalism. In a Paste Magazine interview, she describes her interest in multimedia journalism and documentary film, and she said "I used to be quite hopeful that journalism could be a force for good in the world—and oftentimes it is, you know, a place to discover things and learn things. But I don’t know if I would have been a really great long-term journalist, either. So maybe I lucked out with the whole band thing.” Although Lauren focuses on her work with Chvrches now, it’s not often someone can say they hold two degrees and are the lead singer in a band.
2. She has incredible taste in books
Lauren Mayberry often keeps social media fans updated on her latest reads. Her list includes many different genres and authors including James Baldwin, Aziz Ansari, Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou; Lauren’s social media is a good source to look at when you want to find something new to read.
3. She’s part of the feminist collective TYCI
Lauren is one of the founders of TYCI, a collective presented through podcasts, blogs and zines. TYCI also hosts events in Glasgow, which often are put on to raise money for charity. Lauren is a feminist, and presents herself and her views in ways that empower women; being in the spotlight through the rise of Chvrches, she has been subject to harsh, aggressive and misogynistic comments. In an article for the guardian, Lauren addresses this issue and shows some of the comments directed towards her, saying that women, whether in the public eye or not, should not have to “deal” with the misogynistic comments or actions, as one Facebook commenter suggested.
4. She’s a patron for the Rape Crisis Glasgow
Lauren Mayberry supports the Rape Crisis Center in Glasgow, which is a support service for women who have been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused. Lauren also helped launch a fundraising drive for Rape Crisis Glasgow.
Lauren opened up about her own personal experience with an abusive relationship in Jenni Konner and Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter. She stated that she does not normally discuss her personal life in the media, but she felt that this experience “played a very important part in how [she] grew as a person and how [she] live[s] [her] life now.”
5. She supports the Ally Coalition
In December, Lauren participated in Jack Antonoff’s Ally Coalition Talent Show which raised money in support of homeless LGBTQ youth. This performance— which included artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Lorde and Andrew Dost of Fun.— raised $100,000 for the Ally Coalition.
6. She handwrites fan letters
With their release of their sophomore album, Every Open Eye, in 2015, Chvrches also started a “fanclvb” and left a box out at each concert venue for fans to place letters into. While on tour, Lauren Mayberry personally wrote a letter back to each fan who wrote to the band. Chvrches also does a lot for their fans; through the fanclvb, fans got the chance to attend a free meet and greet with the band before each show.
I attended a Chvrches concert soon after the release of Every Open Eye, but I was not able to meet the band because there was a limited number for the meet and greet. However, later that month, Chvrches put on a free meet and greet at a record store in Chicago. I was able to meet the band, and I can attest that they are all sweethearts. Their kindness makes their music that much more enjoyable.
