Local pop star and vet Laura Palumbo hits the London Music Club
Laura Palumbo will be performing
tracks from her debut EP What
Are You Thirsting For? on
Thursday, February 10 at the
London Music Club.
She's a mix of Pink and Madonna, with a catchy sound and a bit of attitude. But what does she have that most pop stars do not? She's a veterinarian.
When I spoke to Palumbo on the phone, she was sitting in her car just finishing a couple of house calls. According to the singer, "It's a really fulfilling career, just being able to help the animals. In a sense, they're so helpless; they can't talk to us. I like being able to figure out what's wrong." She treats dogs, cats, horses and even the occasional snake or goat.
Talk about high ambitions. I don't know if I'm just speaking for myself here, but doesn't every little girl dream about being a vet or a pop star at some point? Who would guess that it's possible to do both? Palumbo went to the University of Guelph, where she learned about animals and developed her skills as a musician at the same time. "For me, it helped me through school … kind of like a stress relief. I was actually in a couple of bands while I was in Guelph, and it just allowed me to get the balance." She even auditioned for a heavy metal band while in university, which she admitted was not her style, but allowed her to blow off some steam by singing and writing after hours of studying.
All of Palumbo's songs are original, and many of them were written and rehearsed in her own home, an old church. "It's got a really good energy about it. It's got really high ceilings and the acoustics are great!"
A lot of Palumbo's songs are written from personal experience. Her first single, U.R., is about a long-distance relationship she had while she was in school. Contrary to what most would expect from a song about an ex, it's happy and the two of them are still friends. Her ex-boyfriend was initially surprised about the song, she said, "But he's pretty fine about it now. Now that it's surfacing and getting him some recognition, we laugh about it."
Palumbo sings in English and Italian, and she has gained recognition from both audiences. She finished third in Canada in the Virgin Radio FM 99.9 National Songwriting contest, and first in the Original Song Category at the 2010 CHIN Italian Idol Competition. It's important to Palumbo, who grew up listening to old school Italian music, that she does for her Italian fans what Nelly Furtado has been able to do for her Portuguese listeners.
Palumbo has been focused on releasing a few singles at a time, but would eventually like to put together an acoustic album.
She's a mix of Pink and Madonna, with a catchy sound and a bit of attitude. But what does she have that most pop stars do not? She's a veterinarian.
When I spoke to Palumbo on the phone, she was sitting in her car just finishing a couple of house calls. According to the singer, "It's a really fulfilling career, just being able to help the animals. In a sense, they're so helpless; they can't talk to us. I like being able to figure out what's wrong." She treats dogs, cats, horses and even the occasional snake or goat.
Talk about high ambitions. I don't know if I'm just speaking for myself here, but doesn't every little girl dream about being a vet or a pop star at some point? Who would guess that it's possible to do both? Palumbo went to the University of Guelph, where she learned about animals and developed her skills as a musician at the same time. "For me, it helped me through school … kind of like a stress relief. I was actually in a couple of bands while I was in Guelph, and it just allowed me to get the balance." She even auditioned for a heavy metal band while in university, which she admitted was not her style, but allowed her to blow off some steam by singing and writing after hours of studying.
All of Palumbo's songs are original, and many of them were written and rehearsed in her own home, an old church. "It's got a really good energy about it. It's got really high ceilings and the acoustics are great!"
A lot of Palumbo's songs are written from personal experience. Her first single, U.R., is about a long-distance relationship she had while she was in school. Contrary to what most would expect from a song about an ex, it's happy and the two of them are still friends. Her ex-boyfriend was initially surprised about the song, she said, "But he's pretty fine about it now. Now that it's surfacing and getting him some recognition, we laugh about it."
Palumbo sings in English and Italian, and she has gained recognition from both audiences. She finished third in Canada in the Virgin Radio FM 99.9 National Songwriting contest, and first in the Original Song Category at the 2010 CHIN Italian Idol Competition. It's important to Palumbo, who grew up listening to old school Italian music, that she does for her Italian fans what Nelly Furtado has been able to do for her Portuguese listeners.
Palumbo has been focused on releasing a few singles at a time, but would eventually like to put together an acoustic album.
