Lauren Lucille is a London-based Australian singer-songwriter and jazz performer, born in 1983 and originally from Brisbane and Toowoomba. She develops a career as both a composer and performer, with a background shaped by early exposure to music at home and through her mother’s work as jazz vocalist Sharny Russell.

Early life and influences

Lucille grows up in a musical family and spends time at her mother’s performances from a young age, where she learns about swing and jazz performance before fully understanding the style itself. She begins songwriting at the age of ten and, during her teenage years, writes folk and pop songs on guitar and piano. Her later writing and performance are influenced by artists including Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, Tierny Sutton, Gian Slater, Sara Serpa and Ani DiFranco.

Career in jazz

She performs professionally in and around Brisbane from 2006, with some national appearances in Melbourne and Sydney. Her work receives recognition in the jazz scene: she is a finalist in the 2012 QMusic Awards for one of her jazz compositions, and James Morrison includes one of her compositions on a jazz selection for Qantas in-flight entertainment.

Lucille is described as having a strong voice, a good grasp of harmony and a sophisticated rhythmic sense. Her debut album, Hidden Here, is an all-original release that appears in 2012. She launches the album in July 2012 at the Powerhouse in Brisbane, followed by an encore launch. The album receives radio play across Australia, including on ABC, and she aims to bring it to festivals and venues more widely.

Performances and teaching

Her festival appearances include the Melbourne International Women’s Jazz Festival, Noosa Jazz Festival, Valley Jazz Festival in Brisbane and Yeppoon Village Festival. She also appears at the Paris Cat in Melbourne with Steve Sedergreen.

Alongside performing, Lucille works as a singing teacher in Brisbane, teaching singers of different ages and experience levels. Her teaching covers vocal technique for healthy, strong voice production, and also includes basic piano, guitar, theory and songwriting.

Style and artistic outlook

Lucille’s work centres on jazz, but her background in folk and pop songwriting and her emphasis on composition shape her approach. She expresses a desire to travel and sing, and to make listeners feel something through her music.