One of Nashville’s next up-and-comers hails from the UK. Since catching a taste of Music City, Liverpudlian Laura Oakes has dedicated her artistic heart to infectious country-pop. In recent years, Oakes has gained a reputation for her matter-of-fact, straight-shooting songwriting and delivery, having shared the stage with the likes of the Shires, Ward Thomas, and Sarah Darling along the way. Her latest single, “Welcome to the Family”, is another welcome addition to her growing portfolio, as well as an all-too-familiar view into family dysfunction. Musically, the song shimmers with looming backing synth and heady, banjo-led instrumentation at the forefront.
Oakes remarks, “You can choose everything in life, but your family and this song is a manual for surviving that first meeting with the in-laws. Nothing says commitment like letting someone see the weird and wonderful universe that is your crazy, strange, loyal, and loving, while still entirely dysfunctional family.”