Lauren Eve Mayberry

Lauren Eve Mayberry (born 7 October 1987) is a Scottish musician who is the vocalist and percussionist of the pop band Chvrches. Mayberry is the lead vocalist of the band, and co-writes and co-produces its songs alongside Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. She is a soprano and also plays drums and keyboards. Outside of music, she is an active feminist and philanthropist. "The Mother We Share", won the Popjustice £20 Music Prize for Best Pop Song in 2013. In 2019, the band collaborated with Marshmello on the song "Here with Me", which was certified two-times platinum in the United States by the RIAA.

Chvrches began a hiatus in 2024, with Mayberry releasing her debut solo album Vicious Creature in December of that year through EMI and Island Records. On release, it reached number three on the Scottish Albums Chart.

Early life and education Mayberry was born on 7 October 1987 in the rural village of Thornhill in Perthshire, Scotland; where she would spend her childhood. She has played the piano since she was a child and drums since she was a teenager.

Mayberry attended Beaconhurst School (now known as Fairview International School), a private school in Bridge of Allan. She also lived for six months in Gladstone, Illinois, as a foreign-exchange student. After completing a four-year undergraduate law degree at the University of Strathclyde, she earned a master's degree in journalism in 2010, and won the Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland Journalism Award. This led her into a career in freelance journalism and production running. From 2009 to 2010 she was a contributor to the UK music website The Line of Best Fit.

Career Early career

From age 15 until 22, Mayberry played drums in various bands. As a member of Blue Sky Archives, Mayberry also covered the Rage Against the Machine song "Killing in the Name" which was released as a single.

CHVRCHES (2011–present)

In September 2011, Iain Cook of Aereogramme and The Unwinding Hours produced Blue Sky Archives' Triple A-Side EP.

In 2013, the band signed to Glassnote Records after releasing the tracks "Lies" and "The Mother We Share" in 2012. Their debut EP, Recover, was released in 2013. The band released their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, on 20 September 2013.

The band's 2021 album Screen Violence was made remotely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Death Cab For Cutie, Bleachers, The National, the lead singer of Paramore, Hayley Williams, and The Cure's frontman, Robert Smith.

In 2018, Mayberry was featured on the cover of Vestal Magazine, and in October 2023 she was on the cover of DIY magazine. That same year Chvrches performed at BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend in Swansea.

Vicious Creature (2023–present)

In 2023, it was announced that Mayberry would be releasing solo material for the first time, which would be accompanied by a US and European/UK tour later in the year. She released her debut solo single, "Are You Awake?", on 1 September 2023. She co-wrote the song with award-winning Canadian songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. "Something in the Air" and "Crocodile Tears" over the next year.

Her debut album Vicious Creature was released on 6 December 2024, described as "more directly 'pop'" and "an eclectic set that ranges from acoustic guitar and piano ballads to 1980s- and 1990s-inspired dance anthems." The lyrics on album track "Oh, Mother" documents Mayberry's shifting relationship with her mother, whilst "Crocodile Tears" criticises emotionally manipulative men, Her ongoing work with the organisation includes written contributions to the online magazine and blog, and she can be heard regularly on TYCI podcasts. The group also holds live events, raising money for charities like Glasgow Women's Aid, and produced a radio show. She wrote:

She discussed the issue again in a Talks at Google session in 2014 and on Channel 4 News, following aggressive responses to the band's video for "Leave a Trace". In 2024, she explored the impact that online abuse has on artists in a 15-minute BBC Radio 6 Music documentary, titled Lauren Mayberry: I Change Shapes, which was released on BBC iPlayer as part of the Change The Tune initiative.

Mayberry is a patron of Rape Crisis Glasgow and has been involved with other organisations such as WaterAid, Yellow Bird Project, Wild Aid and Plus 1, donating a portion of Chvrches' ticket sales to Amnesty International. She has also been involved with Glasgow's Rock School For Girls and Amy Poehler's Smart Girls.

In 2015, Mayberry wrote about an abusive personal relationship for Jenni Konner and Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter. In December 2016, Mayberry took part in a fundraiser show with Carly Rae Jepsen, Lorde and Charli XCX for the Ally Coalition, an organisation started by Jack Antonoff to raise money for homeless LGBT youth.

In 2018, Mayberry discussed the #MeToo movement during a BBC interview and explained how she was sceptical that much had changed: Mayberry wrote on Instagram that "working with people who are predators and abusers enables, excuses and ultimately tacitly endorses that behaviour."

Accolades

In 2024, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Strathclyde. Referring to the mixed reaction by the crowd to a Trump joke she told at a concert, Mayberry said "you can't say you don't think he's a racist. You can't say you don't think he's a sexist. You can't say you don't think he's transphobic and homophobic, 'cause he has shown us who he is."

Mayberry is a staunch advocate for gun control in the United States. Following the Sutherland Springs church shooting, Mayberry released a video recounting her memory of the Dunblane massacre in which 16 children and one teacher were murdered with handguns, resulting in sweeping gun control legislation in the UK. Mayberry credits these efforts with substantially decreasing the number of mass shootings in the UK.

Personal life As of 2020, Mayberry lived in Los Angeles.

Lauren Mayberry has two cats named Cactus and Poppy.

Mayberry and actor Justin Long have engaged in multiple philanthropic activities together, including hosting a holiday variety show charity fundraiser at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and travelling together to Nicaragua to visit a women's shelter. In May 2018, The Guardian identified Long as Mayberry's boyfriend. Mayberry subsequently suggested that these claims were false. In September 2018, People reported that Long had split from Mayberry, "whom he began dating in 2016". During an interview with Rolling Stone in October 2018, Mayberry indicated that she was single.

In 2019, Mayberry met her current boyfriend, Sam Stewart, when his band Lo Moon were opening for Chvrches. Sam is the son of Eurythmics member Dave Stewart.

Discography

Solo Vicious Creature (2024)

With Boyfriend/Girlfriend Kill Music EP (2007) Optimism EP (2008)

With Blue Sky Archives Blue Sky Archives EP (2010) Plural EP (2011) "Killing in the Name" (2011) Triple A-Side EP (2012)

With Chvrches

The Bones of What You Believe (2013) Every Open Eye (2015) Love Is Dead (2018) Screen Violence (2021) As a featured artist

"Northern Lights" by Death Cab For Cutie (2018) "Ashamed ft/ Lauren Mayberry" by HEALTH (2024)