Laura Barrett Listen Up

Content With Kalimba Coincidence

"The story is one of randomness," explains a perplexed Laura Barrett.

She's referring to her discovery of the kalimba (otherwise known as the thumb piano), the instrument that has become her trademark.

"I was actually writing a lot of electronic music," she recalls, "and I was searching eBay for midi controllers. Somehow, thumb pianos and thumb harps and little handheld things that weren't digital came up in my search."

Barrett's been busy as a full-time member of the Hidden Cameras and Henri Faberge And The Adorables, but in recent years, she's also found herself mesmerized by the lure of a solo career. With two EPs already finished — Earth Sciences and Ursula — she's now prepping for the mid-2008 release of her debut full-length.

Talent and creativity have played a part in Barrett's successes, but if it weren't for the fluke discovery of the kalimba, things may have turned out very differently for her.

"Coincidence is just so unexplainable," she muses.

"I think, after the fact, that I can say it's a really appropriate instrument; just for me as a solo performer... I feel like anyone who picks up a kalimba will write a song with it. It's that kind of an instrument."

The following Listen Up article is from the March 2008 issue of Chart Magazine. To purchase the issue, head on over to the Chart Shop.