Lara Tedesco is an up-and-coming artist you don't want to miss. Lara Katrina has recently released a new single titled “She’s My Only Fan” that combines elements of alternative rock with hints of punk. Having grown up in New York, and attended Pace University during her freshman year, Lara had recently moved to London in pursuit of her music career. Lara Katrina performs live with a band known as Lara Katrina and the Trash Rats. Lara (frontman and songwriter), Joey (bassist), Jenny (guitarist), Lucas (lead guitarist), and Simon (drummer) all go to school together. Lara met Joey and Simon through a friend while in search of a bassist and drummer. After beginning a relationship with bassist Joey, Lara was introduced to Jenny who happened to be Joey's flatmate. Lara then met Lucas through mutual friends and the Trash Rats were created.
Read below to find out what it’s like behind the scenes for Lara Katrina!
Were there any artists that had a strong influence on your music?
I like to think I’m an amalgamation of all the artists I listen to mixed with a Lara Katrina flair if you will. With this song [“She’s My Only Fan”] in particular, I feel like there’s quite a bit of influence from artists like Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and maybe some Amyl and The Sniffers. I think the playful insanity of Wet Legs' lyrics brought me this sense of really not taking myself too seriously with it. I remember writing the lyric “Daddy won’t call you back, He’s having a heart attack” and being like that’s sick but also - what. The rock and almost punk sound was brought in by Wolf Alice and Amyl and The Sniffers. Last October, not long before I wrote this song, I was writing indie music, which is strange to think about now. The new stuff I’ve been writing (wink wink) is more influenced by artists like Nirvana, The Pixies, Ethel Cain, and Paramore. So a similar rock vibe but also a little bit different to keep it fresh.
Recently, you moved to London to continue school there. Would you say there’s some newfound creativity from this move? Or is it relatively the same as New York?
Before moving to London I was not writing rock music. I can’t 100% say it was the energy of the city that did that but it was a pretty dramatic shift for me. I remember sending my family the first song I wrote when I moved here and my dad saying “I was not expecting this from you”. I think something else that has influenced me is just being around musicians all the time. You’re constantly being introduced to new music and new sounds. Sometimes I’ll be at a gig and hear something and think “That’s really cool I wanna play around with that”. I think play is a big thing about it too. My band and I will sometimes play around with my songs to see if we can find something new in them. That’s been really fun - getting to see a song you initially think is done evolving. It also gets my brain thinking differently, trying to see if I can rearrange things or maybe add a new ending. I think it’s less so the city and more the people I’m around but there’s absolutely a new air of creativity.
What has your experience been as a woman in the music industry?
Okay honestly... It's a mixed bag. There are some really amazing things and some really shitty things. Sometimes it’s watching a not-great guy succeed or listening to some really sexist lyrics. It’s being at a friend's gig and being called a groupie (probably just from the way you’re dressed), being the only woman in a meeting, and feeling like you’re in some boys club. But there are also some great things, from discovering small female-fronted rock bands to listening to some of your female classmates write really sick stuff. I personally try to keep a positive mindset to it. I experience sexism in almost every aspect of my life and I would in any job. It’s a scary thought but it’s something I don’t want to stop me. I wanna be someone that the younger me would find really cool and look up to. I know that’s far from an original thought but it keeps me going. There’s something really beautiful in the comradery you create with other women in your field. After my first gig, a girl came up to me to tell me how cool it was that I was really comfortable in my sexuality and writing the songs I was (I don’t remember exactly what she said as I had a lot of adrenaline going but that was the gist). So yes, I experience a lot of sexism but it makes succeeding feel even better.
“She’s My Only Fan" is the type of song that makes you wanna dance around in your room singing the lyrics at the top of your lungs. What inspired you to make this song?
When I first started writing I had no ideas in mind. It was just me messing around on my
guitar until I found some chords I liked and then I just started singing gibberish until some words found me. I realized a lot of personal stuff comes out through the writing process that I don’t even notice until I’m finished. This song is mainly about queer confusion and the whole question of “Do I wanna be her or be with her”. It’s about having a friend who you find really cool and slowly realizing “Oh I wanna kiss her”. It’s also about unrequited feelings, where yes, they want to be with you in a physical sense, but nothing beyond that.
What does the future of Lara Katrina and The Trash Rats look like?
Well, we had our first gig as a band on May 18th at Amersham Arms, which is really exciting! We have loose plans to record another single that will hopefully come out in the fall (fingers crossed). Honestly, to just keep working, they definitely make my music better. Collaboration is the key to success and having really talented band members is part of that. Besides that, we’ll hopefully be doing a world tour before you know it. I’m really excited about what’s to come and I feel like a lot of good things are on the way!
Written and Interviewed by Gabe Giberson
Photography by Isabella Nixon