Strong Bestie Energy is the best way to describe the actress-turned-singer-songwriter, Laura Marano. Known for the role of Ally on Disney Channel’s Austin and Ally, Laura Marano has always been known as the best friend, the girl next door, and overall, a down to earth star. All of these qualities are manifested in Laura’s EP You. This past month, Laura released the Deluxe EP of You, featuring duets “Honest With You” with Alextbh and “Can’t Help Myself” with Poe Leos and Jean Deaux. Jejune got the opportunity to sit down with Laura in a live listening session of the album from Laura’s cozy home (via Zoom of course) and learn all about the album’s new sound.

Amidst her thriving plants and string lights, Laura excitedly chatted through each song from You and introduced the album as directly related to her first EP, Me. “I wanted to explore the theme of ‘there’s two sides to every story’… There’s different perspectives of what we view as the truth. So exploring that thought, I released the You EP and I just wasn’t done with that thought; I wasn’t finished with that exploration. I thought, ‘How cool would it be if I could get other artists do their version perspectives of the truth?’ So I invited several different artists to come on the songs with me and do their own versions of the songs and give them complete freedom of what they want to do.”

The storytelling aspect of You in the Deluxe EP is definitely still noticeable. The approachable and honest lyrics create a personal listening experience much like the original. Laura related, “A lot of these songs came from journaling. Journaling is helpful to get emotions and thoughts outside of my head.”

Laura’s enthusiasm for the new versions of her songs is palpable, as she is quick to dive into what makes her collaborators’ expressions of her songs so exciting to her. Laura wanted new sounds and new takes on her versions and that’s exactly what she got. In “When You Wake Up” featuring Mark Diamond, Laura and Mark sing a lilting duet, hinting at the “there’s always two sides of a story” theme of the album. In the remix version, Laura shares that Mark completely reworked the song. “He’s a folk artist. So the song is originally a mood pop song and he changed it to, like, this acoustic folk song.”

In the remix of “Can’t Hold on Forever,” she explains that her collab with PLTO also offered a different sound. “I got connected with this artist PLTO, who is amazing and I’m convinced could be The Weeknd because he sounds like him. He’s not though! He has this awesome voice and I was really excited. He gave the song a R&B edge. The song is all about basically wanting to spend a moment with somebody and not knowing what the future holds, but in this moment you both could have everything… so why not live in this moment knowing the idea you can’t hold onto forever?”

“Can’t Help Myself” is one of Laura’s favorite songs on the album because she was able to partner with fellow women creatives, Poe Leos and Jean Deaux. “I needed some badass female energy!” Working with Jean Deaux was an important part of the album. She explains further, “In music it’s hard to find female producers… it’s not common. So for me it was really important to actually get a female producer to rework it. I personally love this song; I was so over writing moody pop songs. Can we just write a fun, flirty, sexy song so I don’t have to worry about crying in a session for once? So that was really nice.”

It is easy to see that Laura’s fans are devoted and for good reason. With 9.7 million followers on Instagram, it is amazing how Laura is continuously able to connect with her fan base in personal ways, like a friend you can always rely on to celebrate your wins and come to your side to bash your ex after a breakup. Something we love about the Deluxe EP is that Laura not only collaborated with fellow artists, but also with her fans. Laura asked for fans to submit recordings of themselves singing their favorite songs and she chose seven lucky fans to be included in the remix of “Something to Believe In.” Reminiscent of Kristin Wiig’s “Surprise Lady” on SNL, Laura was ecstatic to surprise one of the fans, Duda, with the announcement of her inclusion in the song in the live listening session. “She just thinks that she was chosen to talk about the new Delux EP… she has no idea that I’m about to tell her that she’s actually in the song!” Listening to their song together, Laura and Duda shared what excited them about the song with Laura sweetly complimenting Duda on her voice and how she mixed her version of the song before submitting it to the contest.

Outside of making music, Laura is passionate about giving back to her local community in Los Angeles, especially in aiding the homeless population. “Like so many people in Los Angeles, I am constantly trying to figure out how I can help our homeless population. There are some awesome organizations I’ve volunteered for, including Food On Foot LA and Food Not Bombs, and I’ve gotten the chance to visit some incredible housing for people in need. The Star Apartments in Skid Row that the Skid Row Housing Trust provides are literally amazing!”

And her work in Los Angeles is not the end of her philanthropic efforts. As a young teen, Laura came into contact with Equality Now, an international network of lawyers, activists and supporters who have held governments responsible for ending legal inequality, sex trafficking, sexual violence & harmful practices. She got involved initially through doing a reading for one of the organization’s annual fundraising galas and then kept in touch due to to the impact of the event. She explains that her heart for the cause eventually aligned with her work. “When my mom, sister, and I produced Saving Zoë, a movie about online sexual exploitation, we knew we wanted to team up with an organization about this topic. Equality Now could not have been a more perfect fit. We actually went to the UN and got to show Saving Zoë as part of a panel about sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, which was such a surreal experience.”

As a true bestie, Laura also has advice for those who are looking to find ways to give back, even if you don’t know where to start. After all, it can be really overwhelming to consider what to do amidst the growing amount of issues around the world! “I think I just approach it with the mentality that every little bit helps, every dollar you can give, every hour you can spend, etc. If you are unable to commit a whole day to volunteering, that’s okay! You have to find the balance that works for you, and that balance might be constantly changing.” And we couldn’t agree more! Having a positive mindset is key and it's also important to be mindful of the impact that giving back has on your own mentality. Laura says, “To me, whenever I volunteer, I feel so much better than how I started the day, so it actually is selfishly really helpful for my mental health. Again, it really just comes down to how much you can give.”

Laura’s Deluxe EP of You is now available to listen on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, and Youtube.

If you want to connect with Laura on social media:
Instagram: Laura Marano
Twitter: Laura Marano

Laura Marano's New Deluxe EP Has Strong Bestie Energy