Q&A: Lauren Babic Breaks Boundaries with Her Solo EP “Too Much and Never Enough”

MusicQ&A

Mar 28

INTERVIEW

NO COMPROMISES, NO LIMITS — For over a decade, Lauren Babic has been a tour de force in the metalcore and heavy rock scene. From her roles in bands like Red Handed Denial, CrazyEightyEight, and the international supergroup SKYLIMIT, to her viral covers that reimagine pop songs as heavy metal anthems, Babic has amassed millions of fans worldwide. But now, she’s stepping into a new chapter of her career: her debut solo EP, Too Much and Never Enough.

Known for her raw vocal prowess and genre-defying artistry, Babic is no stranger to pushing boundaries. With Too Much and Never Enough, she delves into raw, emotional terrain that is uniquely her own. The EP is a culmination of years spent navigating the complex and often tumultuous journey of being an independent artist—a journey defined by moments of self-doubt, imposter syndrome and the relentless pressure to conform. Babic’s deeply personal lyrics and unfiltered approach showcase her growth as an artist and as a person.

“I pride myself in always staying true to myself,” Babic says. “Even saying no a lot of the time to bigger industry people trying to steer my ship and telling me what to wear and how I should carry myself. There's so much to unpack with that, but the EP is my experience over time of never being enough. I think a lot of artists feel like they're not enough a lot of the time because we have this looming imposter syndrome all the time… It's this little package of what I've experienced over the past 15 years of being an independent artist in a very scary and very taxing industry.”

Too Much and Never Enough is an exploration of the challenges artists face when the world is constantly demanding more while still making them feel as if they are not enough. But instead of succumbing to these pressures, Babic uses them as fuel for an EP that is unapologetically her.

Musically, the EP blends genre-defying elements, weaving in heavy metal and rock with unique twists that are signature to Babic’s artistic identity. Known for her expert ability to reinterpret pop songs with a metal edge, Babic applies that same reimagining spirit to her own original compositions. The result is an EP that pushes the envelope in both sound and storytelling, with each track taking listeners on an emotional and sonic rollercoaster.

“I think it'll be a really nice sample platter to show people my versatility and what the big spectrum of what my voice can do,” Babic says. “I think people will get a very good idea of the versatility and no genre boundaries in the EP, even though it's only four songs, I think there's a lot of different tastes to be had on the four songs.”

Too Much and Never Enough marks the beginning of a new era for Lauren Babic, one that celebrates the complexity of her artistry while embracing the highs and lows of being unapologetically herself.

LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?

LAUREN: I am a musician, originally from Toronto, Canada, and now I relocated to Nashville, and I have come up with heavy metal, metal core and rock. I'm a rock and heavy metal singer, and I want to draw all my inspiration and all my creativity from everywhere, like I try and seek things from different genres, but in the end, doing what I love and applying it to heavy music. I want to gain many different perspectives from many different genres. But at the end of the day, I love to make heavy music.

LUNA: You have released your debut solo EP Too Much and Never Enough and huge congratulations! How does this EP reflect where you are now as an artist and as a person?

LAUREN: I think it'll be a really nice sample platter to show people my versatility and what the big spectrum of what my voice can do. I think people will get a very good idea of the versatility and no genre boundaries in the EP, even though it's only four songs, I think there's a lot of different tastes to be had on the four songs. So just showing people that there are really no boundaries. And at the end of the day, I'll make music that I feel like making and not staying within a box.

LUNA: What is the inspiration behind the EP and what themes and emotions do you explore?

LAUREN: I'm an independent artist, and I've been an independent artist for over 15 years, and I pride myself in being very self made and trying to be very true to myself in what can be a very scary and draining industry. I think selling your soul, quote, unquote, to rock n’ roll is very, very common, and too often we see people come out the other side, either different people or or doing things that they didn't necessarily want to do, and people telling them what to do.

I pride myself in always staying true to myself, even saying no a lot of the time to bigger industry people trying to steer my ship and telling me what to wear and telling me how I should carry myself. There's so much to unpack with that, but the EP is my experience over time of never being enough. I think a lot of artists feel like they're not enough a lot of the time because we have this looming imposter syndrome all the time. Because I've done so much over the past 15 years that I've had to wear many hats, and I've done so many different genres, I've done too much, but it's still never enough. It's this little package of what I've experienced over the past 15 years of being an independent artist in a very scary and very taxing industry.

LUNA: Can you walk us through the creative process for Too Much and Never Enough? How did the songs evolve from the initial idea to the final version?

LAUREN: I've wanted to explore a lot of genre bending, like I come from a metal world, but I love pop music, and I love all the pop divas and pop girlies like Ariana Grande, Amy Winehouse and Adele. I love listening to those beautiful voices, and I've always wanted to apply those pop and R&B elements to heavy music. Going into songs like “Breathe You In,” which I would say is the most palatable and the most pop inspired song on the EP, I wanted to bring in that influence, but still not alienate my existing audience. I told Lee Albrecht who helped me produce that song, and we went into it with that in mind, just making sure we didn't alienate people, and I still wanted to bring the heavy element and very down tuned guitars, very rhythmic guitars, but inspiring from a lot of pop music like Michael Jackson and a lot of the R&B elements in that song specifically. Songs like “Let It Die,” which is the first song on the EP, Adam Bentley produced with me, and it has more of a 90s girl band vibe in the pre-choruses. It was finding that balancing act between how we are going to make this heavy hitting, but also pay homage to those nostalgic sounds that we all know and love.

LUNA: The EP was produced by Adam Bentley and Lee Albrecht—how did they help shape the sound and overall vision of the EP?

LAUREN: I've been working with both of them for a really, really long time. Lee Albrecht is a producer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he has worked with me on a lot of my covers and also some of my band's music as well. We know he knows a lot of what I like and the types of sonic qualities of a song that I really like. It was really easy to go into it with him, and he has always been a liaison for the sounds that I like. When I brought Adam in, I really appreciated and loved his ability to mix instrumentals and still keep it very real and warm sounding. Because especially in modern rock today, I've found it a little bit of a challenge to really connect with a lot of the newer stuff coming out, because it feels very much like it's almost too polished, it's almost too perfect. I just wanted to bring a little bit of that warmth back. Adam is really good at keeping that authenticity and the real sounding qualities to the song. Having both of them was like this super team that we work together, because Lee always knows what I like in my overall vision, and then Adam was able to bring that warmth and that like authenticity into it.

LUNA: What is your favorite song from Too Much and Never Enough and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?

LAUREN: That's a really tough one. It's hard to say because each of the songs are so different. I think “Sanctuary” is the perfect culmination of all the songs put together. It's like the perfect summary of everything. I would have to say my favorite is “Breathe You In” only because I never really had a chance to record and release a song like that. I think people are so used to me singing and screaming in a song, but to introduce my listeners to a cute, y2k pop song was really refreshing for me, and it felt really good. I think from the beginning of writing it to the final product, it was exactly what I envisioned, so having that become real was really amazing for me to see. I still think “Breathe You In” is my personal favorite.

LUNA: Your vocal range is incredible. How did you challenge yourself vocally on this EP?

LAUREN: Thank you so much. I was able to bring in some more deathcore inspired vocals for the first time I ever did an original piece of work. I think a lot of people were surprised and shocked that I came out with “Breathe You In,” and then immediately followed with, “I'm Bored” to give people a little bit of whiplash. I don't know if I'll ever do a song like “I'm Bored” ever again, but it was a hold my beer moment, like I want to have this moment, I might not do it again, but I had fun. I really challenged myself with “I'm Bored” because I've really never done that before on an original track, and I hope I made all the deathcore fans proud.

LUNA: What excites you most about this new chapter in your career and what are you hoping listeners can take away from this new era?

LAUREN: I'm so excited about this new era because I'm going full steam ahead on, like my solo originals, which feels really good. I'm finally in a place to be able to do that, because I've come from a long time in the traditional band world, and also doing my covers, which has been so fun, but moving forward with my originals, I finally want to do the thing. I'm going to bring this to the live stage, and I'm in the process of building my live show so that I can take it out on the road and do a couple of temp check shows in the fall. So in select cities in the U.S., I'm going to do some trial shows, and work on building and elevating my solo stuff even further so that I can go toe-to-toe with those big festivals.

LUNA: What is the ideal environment to experience your music? Is there a particular setting, mood, or time of day that enhances the listening experience?

LAUREN: I think however you love to consume music, whether you're alone in your room with a pair of really good headphones, or if you're jamming in your car, I think if you're able to connect to any music while you're in an emotional state–I think that's at least my way of connecting– the songs feel that much more weighty and that much more meaningful if you're feeling something and you want to put that feeling into something else. If you're feeling fierce, I think “Breathe You In” is the vibe. If you're feeling really angry, or in a space where you're just fed up and tired, “I'm Bored” is the vibe. You can be really in any emotional state and find something to connect with because this EP is everywhere and it covers a wide spectrum of emotions. I was feeling so many different things at so many different points in the writing process. So just let your emotions take over and see what happens.

LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?

LAUREN: I am continuously writing, so this EP is just the beginning. I am already getting back into the writing process to hopefully do an album and shop it around and see if I can get actual label support for the first time for myself as a solo artist, and to just continuously trying to elevate the opportunities so that as many people can can see me and listen to me as possible. I am seeing if any labels want to help the LB train push forward, and I am working on the live shows so you will see me a couple times in the fall. Hopefully in 2026, we can get on some tours and festivals, and just keep making music.