Laura Dre

Laura Dre
Born
Laura-Beatrix Drezewski

(1982-06-27) 27 June 1982
Germany
EducationUniversity of West London
GenresSynthwave, Synth-pop
Years active2009–present
Websitelauradre.com Edit this at Wikidata

Laura-Beatrix Drezewski (born 27 June 1982),[1] better known as Laura Dre, is a German-Filipina[2] singer-songwriter and record producer. Her style covers various genres of electronic music, with lyrics mainly in English. Having previously been part of various bands, Dre is now active as a solo artist in the synthwave scene since 2021.[3]

Early life

Dre was born and raised in Germany. She grew up with the music of the 1980s, including Depeche Mode, Cyndi Lauper and New Order. At the age of 12 she got her first guitar. According to Dre's statements, she was particularly inspired to form her own band by Shirley Manson, frontwoman of the rock band Garbage.[4] From 2003 onwards, Dre's focus on electronic music was influenced by bands and artists such as Stereo Total, MiA., Peaches, Fischerspooner, Goldfrapp, Yppah and NYPC.[5]

After completing her Abitur, Dre moved to Los Angeles and became bass player in a metal and pop rock band for two and a half years.[4][6] In 2008, Dre moved to the United Kingdom, where she worked as a project manager and later as a police officer in London.

Career

In 2009, Dre began her musical career as front woman of the British electropunk band Vinyl Black Stilettos.[7] The band had international gigs, for example in 2012 at the L‑Beach festival with about 4,000 visitors.[8][9] After 2012, the band regrouped under the name Vinyl Blackk.[7] They had their last gig in 2015.[10]

From 2016 to 2019, Dre studied music production at the University of West London.[10] As a passionate Star Trek fan, Dre formed the synth-punk band Intergalactic Officers of Evil together with two other Trekkies she met during her studies.[11] After her degree, Dre concentrated on her solo career and contracted with the record label Outland Recordings. In 2021, Dre released her solo debut album Moving Spaces. Dre's work and album have been reviewed in Clash[12], Loud Women[13] and other independent online zines.

Later in 2021, Dre released her second album Kyoto Dreams. Conceived as a radio drama, the album combines instrumental city pop music with Japanese narratives. Dre designed an English-Japanese story booklet and immersive contents like a fictional map, postcards and bus tickets. The album was released digitally and on CD on 24 December 2021 in cooperation with Outland Recordings.[14] To release the album on tape and vinyl as well, Dre launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter which was successfully funded on 10 März 2022. Kyoto Dreams has been reviewed by ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK[14] and Velvet Rebel Music.[15]

With the completion of Kyoto Dreams, Dre decided to start working independently of music labels.[16] After another successful Kickstarter campaign, Dre released her third album AKARI LD-01 on 7 April 2023. The album consists of instrumental cyberpunk music. As with her previous album, Dre designed a story booklet and several immersive contents like fictional employee ID cards and access cards.[17] AKARI LD-01 has been reviewed by Velvet Rebel Music[18] and Future Sounds.[19]

In 2023, Dre started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to release a sequel for Moving Spaces. After the campaign was successfully funded on 26 October 2023, Dre released her latest album Moving Spaces II: Twilight. The third album of the Moving Spaces series is currently in the works.[20]

Personal life

Dre is now living in Germany again.[10]

Dre supports human rights, civil liberties and women's equality. Her song Resistance is dedicated to the women in Iran.[21]

Dre laments the low percentage of women in music production and that they are often reduced to their role as singers.[22] To share her experience as a record producer, Dre founded The Audio Arcade in 2025, a learning platform for independent artists. The courses are designed for both beginners and advanced learners and provide knowledge ranging from producing the first song through to mixing, mastering and release.[20]

Discography

Vinyl Black Stilettos

  • 2011: You Want Her, You Love Her
  • 2012: Electrical
  • 2025: Vinyl Black Stilettos – Anthology 2009-2013

Intergalactic Officers of Evil

  • 2018: Space Adventures of the Mirror Universe - Vol. 1
  • 2019: Space Adventures of the Mirror Universe - Vol. 2

Solo

  • 2021: Moving Spaces
  • 2021: Kyoto Dreams
  • 2023: AKARI LD-01
  • 2023: Moving Spaces II: Twilight

Reception

  • In 2012, the Vinyl Black Stilettos song The Game was played in the BBC TV series Lip Service.[8]
  • In 2021, the synthwave radio show ForeverSynth honoured Dre with the Best Newcomer community award.
  • In 2025, four songs from Dre's album Moving Spaces were played in several episodes of the German ARD TV series Schattenseite.[23]
  • In 2025, Jess Blaise Ward released the book Making Synthwave: How an Online Music Community Invented a Genre[3], which examines Dre's and other artists' work within the genre.

References

  1. ↑ "Laura D.'s Profile". lauradre.vox.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Lai, Chi Ming (6 July 2021). "LAURA DRE Moving Spaces". ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 Ward, Jess Blaise (2025). Making Synthwave – How an Online Music Community Invented a Genre. Routledge. pp. 106, 160–161, 215. ISBN 978-1-03-273203-9.
  4. 1 2 Matthews, Marc (20 July 2021). "Inside The Mix Podcast #13: How to Release a Debut Album | Laura Dre - Music Production and Mixing Tips for Beginner Producers". Spotify.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Lai, Chi Ming (1 August 2021). "LAURA DRE Interview". ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Mogg, Chloe (13 December 2021). "Interview with Laura Dre". MoggBlog. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 Dre, Laura (7 March 2025). "Vinyl Black Stilettos - Anthology 2009-2013". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 "LGBTQ+ Singer Songwriter Laura Dre Announces Debut Solo Single + Lyric Video Arriving 22 January - CURVE". Curve. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Knežević, Đurđa (5 May 2012). "L-Beach party – lezbijski festival koji će postati tradicija". CroL (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Last, Andy (15 February 2022). "Beyond Synth - 310 - Laura Dre | Podcast". Spotify.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Discovery Season 3 finale- THAT HOPE IS YOU, part 2 & Laura Dre, new single". Trek Talking. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  12. ↑ Murray, Robin (30 July 2021). "Laura Dre Shares Electronic Dazzler 'Moving Spaces'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Laura Dre: Moving Spaces – Album Review". LOUD WOMEN. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 Lai, Chi Ming (27 December 2021). "LAURA DRE Kyoto Dreams". ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  15. ↑ L., Jason (30 December 2021). "Review: Kyoto Dreams by Laura Dre". Velvet Rebel Music. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Lai, Chi Ming (22 July 2023). "A Short Conversation with LAURA DRE". ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Lee, Kaarin Zoe (14 March 2023). "Episode 236. Special Guests: Laura Dre & Freaky Deek". Nightride.FM. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  18. ↑ L., Jason (1 March 2023). "Review: AKARI LD-01 by Laura Dre". Velvet Rebel Music. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Fakeman, Patrick (3 March 2023). "The return of Laura Dre and the immersive World of PROJECT AD-01(Album Review)". Future Sounds. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 Dre, Laura. "LAURA DRE – Singer Songwriter | Producer | Synthpop | DJ". lauradre.com. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Dre, Laura (7 October 2022). "This song is dedicated to the brave women of Iran, their allies and my friends". YouTube. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Lee, Kaarin Zoe (8 July 2021). "Episode 109. Special Guest: Laura Dre". Nightride.FM. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Tittelbach, Rainer (19 October 2025). "Schattenseite". tittelbach.tv (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2026.

Interviews on style and career

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