This week we connected with a NYC-based country artist who has a special kind of talent. Singer-songwriter, Lauren Craig from Derry, Ireland impressed us with her artistry and her unique story. Keep reading to learn more about how she landed in New York City, as well as, all about her music.

“I’m originally from Derry in Ireland. I moved over to New York a couple of years ago just to pursue music, and music has always been a thing,” she shard. “Irish background is you are just brought up to sing and play an instrument or something, so I guess I couldn’t really see a career without that being involved.” From an early age, Craig recalls being enamored with music, often listening to both Irish country music and American country music.

“We actually have Irish country which is kinda a little different, but I think from then, it’s people either like Irish country, American country or both. I’ve always had it in my heart growing up. All our CDs have been country music. […] Whenever Zach Bryan took off, he did a tour in Ireland, and everybody was obsessed,” she shared, adding, “Artists now like Ella Langley, I feel like everybody is just obsessed with her, especially for women, she’s such a good artist to follow, and her journey has been pretty cool, so I’m manifesting that for myself.”

Throughout her upbringing, Craig channeled some of her favorite artists, all while creating her own thing. She played shows through her home country before finding herself landing in America.

The Turning Point:

Like many people do, the songstress took a vacation to New York City, and ended up wanting to stay. “I came out here on a holiday first, and I just fell in love with it. The music scene is so big in New York. It just drew me I guess. I came over and there’s definitely some similarities with Irish music scene in New York, and I wanted to play here. […] After I came out on the holiday, I had to get my paperwork figured out and come over here.”

A bit before the pandemic, the singer finally made the move to NYC. She pursued her degree in psychology degree while simultaneously making connections both in the big apple and in Nashville. “I was so nervous to start writing songs, but now I kinda see it as a way of journaling. If something goes wrong in my life, I just put it down on a page. I never really wrote songs with other people until I came to Nashville and New York. Now I love writing with other people, so it definitely helped that way,” shared Craig.

In 2022 she released her first single, marking the moment she truly fell in love with songwriting and the industry.

I’ve been lucky to have a lot of opportunities since I moved to New York between here and Nashville. I’ve met a lot of friends who have really helped boost my career to be honest,” she explained, adding, “I reached out to a guy, John, who plays drums for Parker McCollum. I just reached out and asked if he knew any producers in Nashville that would be interested in working with a little Irish girl like me. […] He sent me a list of a few different producers, and I went with Jacob Gardner, he also plays guitar with Riley Green, and I reached out to him. […] Honestly, he saw my vision, and we got into the studio right away, and I loved how he brought my lyrics to life.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Craig is releasing songs, including ones that was produced by Gardner, “Tracks” and “Call Me Back.”

“Call Me Back” is Craig’s newest single, and it truly speaks to her grit as a singer-songwriter. Throughout the song, she evokes emotions that are hard to admit outlaid. It is a true embodiment of using music as therapy.

“”Call Me Back” is definitely more of an emotional song than the other ones I have brought out. It’s kinda about identifying the feelings that you go through whenever you go through a breakup,” shared the singer. “Honestly, I was just sitting and the tears were falling, and I was just writing everything I was feeling down on the page. It’s probably one of my favorite songs I brought out because it’s so raw. It was literally what I was feeling in the moment. There’s definitely a little bit of a poppier-country vibe to it to pull away from how sad it can be if it was stripped back. […] I think most people can relate to it, I know I can relate to it.”

It’s just the beginning for Craig. She already has more music that’s she’s planning to released throughout 2026, and she remains focused on creating and getting her music out there for fans. “I’m actually playing a bunch of shows and going back home to play in Ireland for the first time in two years. […] Hopefully in the next month and half, I’ll have a new single out. My goal this year is to release at least four songs this.”

Stay tuned!

Connect:

To keep up with Lauren Craig, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Lauren Craig’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.