dear amelia by renforshort: An Open Invitation to Self-Reflection
Photo by Nathalie Benshmuel / Words by Dannon Johnson
Toronto based alt singer-songwriter Lauren Isenberg, aka renforshort, came out swinging with her debut LP and did not miss. The record, titled dear amelia, catalogs the struggles of being a young female in a male-dominant industry and the transition to adulthood amidst rising fame. Being in the public eye at such an influential age (seventeen to be exact) led Lauren, now turning twenty, to personify the part of her brain she put so much stress on through the character of Amelia.
“Instead of speaking out, I’m speaking to myself and complaining to myself,” renforshort notes in regards to who Amelia is and how her story is reflected throughout the twelve track album. “While she is a character, she’s also me.”
The album’s opener, “i miss myself,” was the last song written for dear amelia and was done so intentionally. Written for the purpose of being the opener, renforshort was able to prepare her “in conclusion” statement and tack it on as the first thing listeners experience. This aligns seamlessly as the record comes full circle with the final track “amelia.”
“You lose that part of yourself, and that kind of goes back to ‘i miss myself,’” said renforshort. “It’s like you put so much stress on yourself that inevitably something goes wrong and you lose elements of who you once were.” renforshort then comically goes on to compare the feelings of dear amelia to Disney’s “Inside Out,” particularly when the character of Joy decides to leave the storyline.
dear amelia puts renforshort right on track to achieve those goals she’s long aspired to reach. She’s made it clear that her intention with this record, and subsequent records, is to help as many people as possible and to, in turn, help herself. With the dear amelia letter writing campaign, in which fans can address a letter to Amelia containing whatever it is they’d like to get off of their chests without fear since each letter will remain unopened and will be destroyed, renforshort has effectively lessened the burden on weary souls. This is said not to underscore but to highlight how Lauren was able to simultaneously change her own life forever in the process. Nothing is more beautifully vulnerable than having your debut LP tell your story in its rawest form.
You can stream dear amelia now on all major streaming services, and be sure to not miss renforshort on her upcoming fall 2022 headlining tour. While the stages may be small now, stadiums are soon to sellout for this awe inspiring artist.
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Upcoming Fall 2022 Headline Dates
North America
9/15 - Toronto, ON
9/17 - Ferndale, MI
9/18 - Chicago, IL
9/20 - Pittsburgh, PA
9/22 - Nashville, TN
9/23 - Atlanta, GA
9/27 - Washington, DC
9/28 - Brooklyn, NY
10/1 - Allston, MA
10/2 - Montreal, QC
10/5 - Los Angeles, CA
UK/Europe
11/7 - Paris, France
11/9 - Leeds, UK
11/10 - London, UK
11/12 - Glasgow, UK
11/13 - Manchester, UK
11/15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
11/16 - Berlin, Germany
11/17 - Koln, Germany
