ICYMI: #MotivationalMonday IG Live featuring Lauren Monroe
BY LAURA HARPER/WWR Staff Writer
Music is a tool meant for so much more than just entertainment; it can also be a powerful instrument to aid in the healing process. Very few seem to be as in tune with that connection as Lauren Monroe.
Monroe said that she has always been very spiritual and started writing songs as a child. As she grew older, she learned that music can have very profound healing powers not just for herself, but for others as well. Through music, she strives to create an environment where everyone can gather and heal together.
“Trauma runs through all of us,” Monroe said. “We can all come together through music.”
In fact, Monroe cites helping people as her biggest overall motivation for making music in the first place. She has also dedicated her life to aiding people in other ways, having delved into massage therapy and oncology throughout her career, as well as offering phone healing and virtual guided meditation sessions to help people struggling with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, Monroe and her husband, Rick Allen of Def Leppard, started a nonprofit organization in 2001 called Raven Drum Foundation helping veterans struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and offering complimentary therapy sessions, drum circles, yoga, and other nontraditional healing methods.
“Psychotherapy and medication just don’t work for everyone,” Monroe said.
Recently, Monroe has been involved in the organization of the Big Love Benefit, a virtual event in partnership with Sound Image, in which all proceeds will be donated to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a charity that is helping music industry workers who have been met with unprecedented financial and emotional issues as a result of COVID-19. Monroe is hoping to raise awareness of the event through the Big Love Army Facebook page, a place for people to “present and offer messages of love in the world.” Ultimately, her goal is to one day turn the benefit into a tour that would help local communities.
The name of the event comes from Monroe’s song “Big Love,” which was recently released on an EP under the same name and that will be part of her full-length album to be released in November. Monroe wrote the song in 2016, during a time when there was a lot of unrest prevalent throughout the country.
“The focus needed to be on compassion and helping one another,” Monroe said of writing the song.
Monroe said that women in particular can play a crucial role in accomplishing this, as women are naturally emphatic beings who bring people together.
As a woman in the industry, Monroe considers herself lucky to have not encountered too much negativity, but there is always the idea that people may not take her seriously. However, she believes in letting her performances speak for themselves and embracing her vulnerability.
“The more vulnerability you have, the more power you have,” Monroe said.
For more on Lauren Monroe, as well as to see her perform her song “Lie” with husband Allen, check out the entire livestream on Instagram @OfficialWomenWhoRock.