She was pouring froths at a brewery, shortly after ending a long term relationship and closing down 2 businesses which she’d run for the better part of a decade. Laura Frank’s entire life had been turned on its head. Heartache and anxiety began to take hold. Yet, she found a way to weather the storm – she wrote songs about both.
The QLD based singer-songwriter draws from her love of rock poets like Bruce Springsteen and Brandi Carlile, as well as contemporary trailblazers, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga, to influence her edgy Country sound. She’s a firecracker on stage with a rare gift for storytelling – she’s been through enough to share real heartbreak and joy.
Raised in Charlwood, QLD, Frank attended dance classes 4 to 5 times a week, where she discovered her future passion – singing. “We were rehearsing for a ‘Song & Dance’ number in one of our dance classes when my teacher said to me … ‘Frank… I think you can actually sing’.”
After teaching herself to play her brother’s seldom used, left-handed guitar (as a right-hander) she started writing her own songs. Pretty soon she was bound for the big smoke, Brisbane.
She formed a duo, ‘Bamford Cook’, which saw her travel to LA to record their debut EP with Trapt’s Rob Torres. The pair later travelled with Sarah McLeod (Superjesus) as the support act for her solo shows.
At only 21 years old, Frank opened a Mixed Martial Arts, Strength & Conditioning Facility and then a café in Newstead. The thriving entrepreneur also found time to volunteer for the theatre company, ‘indelabilityarts’, who provide employment for people with disabilities. A company of which she continued to work in for almost 10 years.
She’s also had continued involvement with ‘Muso Magic’ and ‘Outback Tracks’; programs run by Chocolate Starfish lead singer, Adam Thompson, that provide songwriting opportunities to rural indigenous communities as well as remote and corporate groups around Australia and Internationally.
Soon everything changed. The breakdown of her long term relationship meant the collapse of her businesses and a whirlwind of change. Whilst she sat alone one night in her one-bedroom Ascot apartment, watching ‘Tiny House Nation’ on Netflix, she had a life changing idea.
After deciding to move back to her family property in the Scenic Rim and build a home from recycled materials (with help from her Dad and her now partner Nick), Frank is more inspired than ever. “This 100% changed my life,” exclaims the singer-songwriter. “Because we were passionate about sustainability and being considered custodians of the planet it was important to us to lessen our impact on the environment whilst we were building. We completed everything ourselves aside from the things we weren’t legally allowed to do.”
Since her return to the country Frank has written and recorded a swag of charting singles, all of which have made it into the top 10 in the Australian Country Music Charts.
Frank’s energetic live show – known for its costume changes and ability to make you laugh and cry – has been heard on stages across the country. She’s supported James Blundell on multiple occasions as well as Brad Cox, Lime Cordiale, Chocolate Starfish and Sarah McLeod. She also appeared as a special guest for Daryl Braithwaite in March 2023.
In 2023 Frank took home the award for Most Promising Future Star at the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards and in 2024 was nominated for ‘Best Female Vocal’ and ‘Best Song’ for her single ‘Hey Cowboy’ at those same awards.
Frank and her partner in life and music, Nick Morrissey, have recently returned from a 6 month, 60+ gig Tour of Regional Australia with Golden Guitar winning artist, Tom Curtain. The tour saw them play to over 30,000 people across 4 states between October 2023 and April 2024. And would you believe they’re planning on doing it again in 2024/2025?
Frank is set to release a string of new music in 2024 and it starts with the single, ‘I Ain’t No Politician’, on May 17, 2024. The ballsy track was recorded by ARIA and Golden Guitar winning producer, Jordan Power, at Bernard Fanning’s studio in Northern NSW and is the first of a few tunes that may well have you second guessing what genre she ‘belongs’ to.
Laura Frank draws on a wealth of experience when crafting her songs, which range from heartfelt ballads to raucous toe tappers, with one common thread – authenticity. Her voice, irresistibly fierce, possesses a vulnerability that lets you know she’s truly lived the words she sings.