Rule-breaking and genre-bending artist, Lauren Sanderson is back with her first new single of 2024, “THEY WONT LIKE THIS” today. Produced by KThrash (Avril Lavigne, Blink 182, Machine Gun Kelly), Lauren’s anthem on self-awareness acknowledges that sometimes being authentically yourself means you won’t be understood – or liked – by everyone. Whether they’re judgmental, small-minded or they just ‘don’t get it,’ there will be plenty of people who will tell you who to be and quite frankly, you don’t have to listen.
Discussing the song, Lauren says, “Sometimes we don’t realize how many people we are trying to be in life. Wanting to be liked and understood all the time will have you living in 100 different brains and bodies at once. I can’t be the only one who feels like I have to fight to find my most authentic self – but the truth is it’s not my responsibility to adapt to other people’s judgments. All I can do is be myself & trust the universe will do the rest.”
“THEY WONT LIKE THIS” takes the listener on a journey exploring self-confidence while navigating the feeling of being misunderstood. This 2 minute track reintroduces Lauren Sanderson in the new year in anticipation of her 3rd studio album, coming this summer. As a callback to day one listeners, this tracks ends with the infamous Lauren Sanderson inspirational outro where she states, “Whoever’s out there, stop f*cking doubting yourself and be the star that you are.” Lauren wants her music to be a space for people to believe in themselves, whoever that may be.
Known for cultivating a space for fans to be their most authentic selves, this single focuses on reminding listeners to be exactly who they are, whomever that may be. She has always been outspoken about her point of view — from doing a Ted Talk at age 19 to being a fierce representative of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m not supposed to be myself but I just might,” she sings on the biting track “THEY WONT LIKE THIS*”, serving simultaneously as a slap in the face, as well as a reminder to stay true to who you are. “I’ve spent my entire life feeling this pressure to be what other people want me to be. There’s nothing more fulfilling than being totally yourself but inevitably it comes with pushback. I got so tired of explaining myself, then I realized I don’t have to. I can be sweet, and have 100 tattoos, and wear baggy clothes, and make music that I love – all at the same time. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
In a seemingly short four years following her 2020 debut album Midwest Kids Can Make It Big — a nod to her Indiana roots — Sanderson has never failed to reinvent herself time and time again. Having opened for both FINNEAS and Chase Atlantic on tour in 2019, she recently embarked on her first international headline tour, hitting 33 cities around the world, including Europe & the UK. Sanderson has built a loyal cult following thanks to her DIY mentality, relentless work ethic and electric persona. She has accumulated over 200 million streams, half of which coming from her own music and the other half as a songwriter for musicians like platinum-selling artist, JOJI (Smithereens). MTV, Billboard, PAPER, Zane Lowe’s Beats 1, Alt Press, NPR, Cosmopolitan & Spotify’s New Music Friday have all signed on in support of her swirling, intoxicating blend of rock, pop, hip-hop and R&B.
Sanderson attributes her sound to complete creative control; “I spent the last couple years experimenting with different sounds, different genres and different looks. I finally feel like I’m arriving at my most authentic self. My new album will be a direct reflection of that.”