We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laurent Chavannes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laurent below.
Laurent, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I’m definitely happier as an artist. I feel most like myself when I’m being creative. The fact that there’s still so much to learn with my craft makes it even more exciting! I often wonder how my life would be if I quit music and focused solely on pursuing a regular job, but I know that I would feel lost.
A few months ago, I unexpectedly lost my job and was devastated. I had never been fired before and I felt like I had let myself down. After reflecting on the experience, I realized how much I disliked the job anyway, and that no matter what, I wasn’t going to be happy in a typical 9-5 job. In honesty, I just wanted to make money to keep making music. Losing that job made me realize just how passionate I was about music and that as long as I could keep making it, I’d feel some sense of purpose. The day after I got fired, I uploaded two tracks I had sitting around to all major streaming platforms, and a few months later, they have become my most successful releases to this date. Even in my lowest moment, I had art to make and share with the world.
Laurent, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I started learning how to play guitar when I was 12 years old. I started learning songs that my older cousin showed me and began making music when I was 13 years old.
I started this project in 2017 as an additional outlet to the band I was in at the time. After that group disbanded in 2019, I decided to put more time and effort into Moving in Slow. I started playing shows around my hometown Miami, Florida and was able to establish myself into the scene before relocating to Seattle. After playing multiple shows and talking to my audience, I realized how relatable my lyrics were and began to establish my brand as an emo-inspired, indie-pop musician with ever-changing soundscapes.
I think the thing that I’m the most proud of is my ability to craft simple, yet introspective lyrics that resonate with listeners. I enjoy bright and happy sounding music, so I believe that the juxtaposition makes the negative lyrical themes more palpable.
When the COVID-19 lockdown started in 2020, I started learning about music production and had extra time to improve my songwriting techniques. I think that the time I had to isolate myself from the world helped me refine my sound.
I think Moving in Slow is all about embracing the spectrum of human feeling.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect to me is being able to connect with listeners. It always warms my heart when people tell me that one of my songs made them feel something, or that my live performance was inspiring. It’s happened a few times that people tell me that they cried after listening to my music and that’s a bittersweet feeling. Sweet because I’m glad that they felt something from the songs, but bitter because I don’t like making people cry!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I don’t have a specific story because I think I’m currently living through that journey every day. I think being an artist and being resilient go hand in hand. It’s easy to overlook, but the amount of effort to create art and then share it with the world is monumental. You’ll get hundreds of “no’s” before you get a single “yes”, and you gotta ride that. It’s definitely disheartening when you feel like your art isn’t getting the recognition that you feel it deserves, but as long as you’re honest with yourself and believe in what you’re making, there’s sure to be an audience for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.movinginslow.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movinginslow/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXSmNBRG3WJ5GTWjcerSsg
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/laurent-chavannes
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2W9gOkZgtEgrnH8VQn72FU?si=ADdnUzUkROqVmsf5oaECZQ
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/moving-in-slow/1441419333
Image Credits
Hannah Villanueva