Lauren Nikohl wants you to find your Zen. With her latest single “Grateful for this Day,” the Los Angeles-based Indie-Pop singer and songwriter invites us to find gratitude for the little joys in life. Call it Zen, mindfulness or any other name that suits. In any case, the idea is the same. By removing our conscious mind from regrets of the past or from fear of the future, we are free to live in the now and appreciate the beauty of today.
Our world is pretty ugly right about now. Each day we are bombarded with disasters, scandals and discord. Minute-by-minute the media brings us news of hurricanes, riots, wildfires and of course that pesky pandemic. In normal times, any one of these events would dominate the news cycle. This year, each new disaster is buried by the next.
Recently, at the end of a hard day, that 2020 reality was weighing heavily on Lauren Nikohl. So she looked around and saw the abundance of love and joy in her life, and her dread turned to gratitude. She created a new reality by choosing her own state of mind. “Grateful for this Day” was born of that beautiful epiphany. The sentiment is made even more lovely by the fact that the song is funky as hell and Lauren can sing like nobody’s business.
“Grateful for this Day” rides on a big, fat bass guitar groove. The grungy funk of the four-string, paired with disco-ready four on the floor drums create an infectious lo-fi dance rhythm. Synths and piano chords give the tune a little atmosphere, and Lauren’s powerful, soulful voice takes over from there. Like a Rhythm & Blues self-help guru, she guides us through a seriously funky meditation. This is hippie wisdom at its best, served up by a skilled singer with a whole lotta soul.
Check out “Grateful for this Day” on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. Connect with Lauren Nikohl via the links below. She has some great content on her socials, like this killer cover of Sia’s “Chandelier.” Follow her everywhere and stay up to date on all of her current and future projects.
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Lauren Nikohl on the Deep Indie Dive playlist
