Set against the backdrop of the mighty Pacific, Lauren Monroe's latest song "Sparrow" teaches us to grieve. Monroe is both a singer-songwriter, a mental health advocate, and a healing artist who uses music to help us all reach greater understandings of ourselves and our loved ones. Monroe's upcoming album, Messages From Aphrodite, focuses on love in all of its forms.
In addition to her music, Monroe and her husband, drummer Rick Allen of Def Leppard, founded the Raven Drum Foundation, which supports veterans coping with PTSD and others living through trauma. "Sparrow" reflects those themes of healing and wanting to support others going through tough times — Monroe said she was inspired to write it out of empathy for others who have lost loved ones in tragedies.

"My grandfather taught me everything about nature," Monroe reflects. "The variety of trees we had on our land, the birds, the animals, the flowers. He taught me how to listen so I could know what bird was singing, He taught me how to feel so the wind could tell me if the rain was coming."

Her time with in nature is about more than a connection to the natural world, though. "My childhood awareness was expansive and in this place, I could feel the presence of others who have left our world," she says. "Nature is a gateway, a window into consciousness where we can connect to our loved ones and people who have crossed over. Their bodies have gone but their consciousness exists and yes, they can reach us, guide us, comfort us, we just need to expand our awareness and trust. 'Sparrow' is a song about that."

Listen to "Sparrow," which is exclusively premiering on The Boot today, below:

Messages From Aphrodite features production from Monroe and acclaimed producer Jim Scott, and includes performances from some truly incredible musicians — Greg Leisz (k.d. lang, Matthew Sweet, Bill Frisell), Tyler Bryant (Larkin Poe, Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown), Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam), Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams) and David Garza (Fiona Apple, Watkins Family Hour), who also plays vibes on one track; bassists Bob Glaub (Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon), Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple) and Mai Leisz (David Crosby), keyboardist John Ginty (Neal Casal, the Allman Betts Band); and backing vocalist Tammi Brown (Bobby McFerrin, Quincy Jones). Def Leppard’s Rick Allen, the Heartbreakers’ Steve Ferrone and young dynamo Beth Goodfellow (Iron and Wine, Allison Russell) anchor the proceedings from behind their drumkits.

You can catch Lauren Monroe out on the road later this year, with multiple dates scheduled across the West Coast in September. For more information on ticketing, visit Monroe's official website.

Lauren Monroe's 2022 Tour Dates:

Sept. 7 - Seattle, Wash. @  The Triple Door
Sept. 10 - Portland, Ore. @ The Old Church Concert Hall (TOC Moon Series)
Sept. 19 - Mill Valley, Calif. @ Sweetwater Music Hall
Sept. 22 - LaJolla, Calif. @ Gala performance benefiting GenerateHope at Birch Aquarium
Sept. 25 - Venice, Calif. @ The Venice West (with Rick Allen)

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