Usually joined by a party of 12 onstage, Lauren has held multiple residencies at the legendary Rockwood Music Hall. She is currently completing her debut full-length album after the 2016 release of her debut EP, Never Really Done With You, and also currently trying to figure out how the hell to add a string section into the stage plot of her next gig. On her new song “Skinny and Blonde,” Marcus brings those elements to bear in a playful ’60s pop-inspired critique of patriarchal beauty standards.
Well-known to theater audiences for recent performances in Broadway’s Be More Chill and Off Broadway’s White Girl in Danger as well as Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter, Lauren passionately leans into the celebration of self-expression and self-love while remaining unflinchingly honest about the stuff that gets her (and a lot of the world) down
In the spirit of the season, the video playfully delves into the theme of authenticity in identity by experimenting with different looks with wigs and wardrobe changes. The song’s core message is about staying true to oneself, and Marcus encourages listeners to celebrate their authentic selves rather than striving for a diluted version of someone else.
“You’re only screwing yourself over in the end. Whether that’s about your body, your art, your morals — you’ll pay a price for it,” says Marcus. “I wrote this song when I was actually at my skinniest and blondest, and I mean that just as much metaphorically as physically. The idea of ‘skinny and blonde’ to me doesn’t have to literally mean skinny and blonde. That was just sadly, at one point in my life, an ideal I strove for and a look I thought would absolutely change my career and, ultimately, my happiness. Surprise! It didn’t! And it actually made my life infinitely worse!”
ans can catch her live performance of the song at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, November 12th at 7pm. Tickets are available for purchase here.