After years on the scene singing blues, soul, jazz and R&B to receptive audiences throughout the Chicago area, Lauren Dukes is ready to release her debut EP with the launch of her first single “Hectic Love Week,” out July 2, 2021. Lauren Dukes’ self-titled EP drops in September and is a welcome calling card to an artist ready to breakthrough.  
 
“Hectic Love Week” is a song with a very relatable topic. Lauren explains, “The song is about one of those couples that repeatedly break up, then make up. It’s almost a weekly pattern. Everyone knows a couple like this or is in a relationship like this. It was inspired by a friend from a former band who was constantly breaking up with his girlfriend and then getting right back together. With his permission, I wrote about it at Andy Sutton’s studio; Sutton Music Co, and recorded it with A. Latavius Mulzac from Nashville on keys, Kirk Garrison from the Lieutenant Dan Band on Trumpet, and Shawn Maxwell from Chicago on Sax.”
 
With the upcoming release of Lauren’s 5-song EP, out in September, she keeps a common thread of story-telling. “Hectic Love Week” is no different by telling the story about an unstable relationship, but not straight glorifying toxicity. We all have been in a relationship that made reasonable minds around us question it. The song fits in Lauren’s body of work because of that human connection that we can all relate to. It’s about seeing up close what a friend was dealing with. She expresses, “We were a band family, so we all experienced it with him.”
 
Lauren worked on finishing up her EP during COVID-19’s quarantine and reflects, “I think this horrible pandemic did give time for the creative types out there to hone their crafts. I couldn’t help but think if I come out of quarantine being better than I went into it, then shame on me. I didn’t know each of the 2 million people who lost their lives from COVID, but I somehow feel like it’s our duty to honor them by living better (whatever that means to you). For me, that meant not sitting on my songs anymore. Get them made. Get them out.”
 
The upcoming single and EP demonstrate Lauren Dukes commitment to her craft. She concludes, “Everything I do is with my whole heart. It is my passion. My ministry. I want everyone to walk away from listening feeling better than the way they came. Music has the power to do that, and I’m honored to get this opportunity to hopefully contribute.”
 
Tour Dates:
07/02 @ Highland Fourth of July Fest at Main Square Park – Highland, IN
07/09 @ PollyAnna Brewing – Lemont, IL
08/06 @ PollyAnna Brewing – Lemont, IL
08/13 @ Zorn Brew Works – Michigan City, IN
09/02 @ Official CD Release Party
09/17 @ Duffys – IN
09/24 @ Harvest Festival – Crown Point, IN
10/02 @ Bulldog Park
 
Connect:
https://www.misslaurendukes.com 
https://www.facebook.com/laurendukesofficial
https://www.instagram.com/ms.laurendukes/