I was born in Madrid, Spain and immigrated to Canada when I was a little girl. I was immediately thrown into school without knowing the language. I learned fast. In fact, I fell in love with the English language - its versatility and its economy of words, its wacky pronunciations... I remember feeling very frustrated by my inability to communicate. I think the desperate need to express myself and be accepted led me to turn to art - drawing and painting and later on music. From the time I started playing I wanted to write my own songs. I love music of all kinds - classical, pop, jazz, traditional Spanish music, opera, you name it, I took it in like oxygen. My father was a painter, architect and writer. I grew up with the smell of turpentine and the sound of music in my house. Often my father would read us poetry by famous Spanish poets such as Lorca. He would sit me down at a young age and play me pieces of symphonies so I could guess who the composer was and the work it came from. It was a game like Name That Tune. I must have been 3. I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday. My mother would do her housework while singing Aida and Nabuco and Carmen. This is where I come from. These influences are all over my life. I write in English and Spanish. I will always have a foot in both cultures. I am a painter like my father was. I paint with brushes amd pigments and now I also paint with words and sounds. I have illustrated many books and created many paintings that are used in ads and packages and posters... and I have songs... I express my ideas about life, about relationships, about searching for love and finding it, and mostly about searching for myself. Who am I? At the end of my life I hope I will know. I hope to have evidence through my art and my music. It is a journey that you are now part of and that I express everyday through my art and my music. I am learning a lot along the way and I hope to share what I find with you. Come and listen... Love Laura ------- Laura Fernandez is a Toronto-based singer/songwriter. She appears regularly at venues such as Hugh's Room, Healey's Roadhouse, The Liberty Bistro, and The Moonshine Cafe, and hosts a weekly jam at Loon's and a monthly open mic at the Free Times Cafe. Laura amd her band were awarded 'Best Soft-Rock act' when she performed recently at The New York International Independent Music Festival. Laura is currently focusing on solo performance, but she can sometimes be spotted in the company of guitarists Kevin Stock and Noah Zacharin.