Scottish singer and songwriter Lauren Mayberry is best known as the frontwoman for the pop band Chvrches. Mayberry co-writes and co-produces the songs with her band team, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, and sings as the lead vocalist. “I met Iain in 2011 when he was recording an EP for my old band. He and Martin had known each other since university, where they had both studied music, and they had worked on a few different projects together and were starting what would eventually become CHVRCHES. Iain asked me to come down and do some backing vocals on a couple of songs, and we felt like we gelled and had the same vision for the music, so we started all writing together. We put a song on Soundcloud in 2012, and everything just exploded.” She explains to Vestal. The trio decided to form a new band after the sessions proved successful. The band chose the name Chvrches, using a Roman “V” to distinguish themselves from actual churches on internet searches. Mayberry is also a vocal feminist and founder of TYCI, a feminist collective in Glasgow which holds live events to raise money for charities like Glasgow Woman’s Aid. It is evident that Lauren is a mastermind artist.

VM __What got you involved in music? 

Lauren Mayberry __ I learned piano as a kid and started playing drums as a teenager. I played drums in bands in high school and university, and I would always have played music in some form, even if I had yet to end up in a band that got signed. It's an integral part of my life, as well as how I express myself, communicate, and figure out feelings. 

VM __What are your musical icons/influences?

LM __ Between the three of us in the band, we have such a spread of influences, but that's why our music sounds the way it does. Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Eurythmics, Cyndi Lauper... I've been re-listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley recently and never get over how special his voice was. I've also been diving back into Madonna's Blonde Ambition / Truth Or Dare era and thinking about how important and boundary-pushing what she did was. 

VM __How long have you known each other in your band? How did you all meet? 

LM __ I met Iain in 2011 when he was recording an EP for my old band. He and Martin had known each other since university, where they studied music and worked on a few different projects together. They were starting what would eventually become CHVRCHES. Iain asked me to come down and do some backing vocals on a couple of songs, and we felt like we gelled and had the same vision for the music, so we started all writing together. We put a song on Soundcloud in 2012, and everything exploded. 

VM __When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together? 

LM __ We formed the band in 2011 and got signed the following year. I knew of Iain and Martin from bands they had been in previously and really admired their work, so it was fun and exciting to start writing together and see what we could make. They are great songwriters and producers; I have learned so much from them. Our music is a proper mix of everyone's talents and personalities. If one element were removed, none of it would work.

“I am proud that we really are what we say we are. We write the songs, produce the albums, and we don’t sacrifice the things we believe in because we think it will make people like us better. In the world we live in right now, I think that is important.”

VM __ Please briefly describe the music-making process. 

LM __ Usually, the guys will start messing around with a synth sound or a beat, and then we’ll work up a vocal melody simultaneously. Once we have that rough structure in place, I go away and write lyrics. We made the first two albums ourselves, so the writing and recording processes happened simultaneously, and we just developed the songs over time. Opening ourselves up and working with an external producer on the new record was enjoyable and exciting. Still, we needed to do those first two by ourselves to know exactly what we wanted the band to be before we started working with anyone else. 

VM __ What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week to practice, or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

LM __ We tour so much that rehearsals in a practice place aren’t necessary after a while. We’ll try things out during soundchecks, but most of the time, we just spend a couple of weeks at the start of an album cycle figuring out what the live set is going to be and then practicing it until we know it inside out. 

VM __ How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? 

LM __ Each of us has grown as musicians and writers, and we know each other’s “musical language” so well now that we almost speak in short-hand or code because we know what the other person means so well. I feel like I’ve become more comfortable as a lyricist and singer, and my favorite thing about the new album is that the music feels more aggressive and vulnerable. In some ways, it’s the most “pop” we’ve ever sounded, but in other ways, it is the most emotional and raw. 

VM __ What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how? 

LM __ For anyone who reaches any level of success in art, it is always a challenge to stay authentic to what you want to do when there is a whole world trying to tell you what to do and who to be. I have learned that everyone has an opinion, and they are most definitely entitled to it, but that shouldn’t change how or why we make music. The musicians I love the most are the ones who mean what they say rather than the ones who have the most impressive and cynical marketing campaigns.

VM __ What advice do you have for people who want to form their band? 

LM __ Practice, practice, practice. Don’t play any songs or shows to anyone until you feel ready and that it will be the best it can be. I learned so much from playing in so many different bands, but I also did a lot of music growing up in front of people, and my first impressions last. 

VM __ What do you most enjoy about your job? 

LM __ I am getting to communicate and connect with other people straightforwardly and honestly.

VM __ What are your best or proudest moments? 

LM __ I am proud that we are what we say we are. We write the songs, produce the albums, and don’t sacrifice what we believe in because we think it will make people like us better. I think that is important in the world we live in right now. 

VM __ Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones? 

LM __ Although my parents aren’t musicians, there was always a lot of music playing in our house so that we would listen to many Mamas and Papas, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin, and The Blue Nile. I was obsessed with Whitney Houston when I was a kid, which led me to look at her influences and discover singers like Nina Sim- one, Billie Holiday, and Etta James. I loved Alanis Morrisette too. I don’t like the idea that Jagged Little Pill is “old” now, but that record impacted me regarding the music I wanted to write and sing because I had never heard a woman write to. 

VM __ How do you handle mistakes during a performance? 

LM __ If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in trouble. Someone once told me that a live show doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to be authentic, and I’ve held onto that. For me, when I go see bands, I love it when you get to see a little humanity and character. None of us have been seriously injured during a gig, so we laugh when someone trips over a cable or tumbles off the back of a riser.