Lara Somogyi

Today we’re listening to Lara Somogyi, an American harpist based in Los Angeles. We’ve included tracks of hers on many mixes, but this is our first time recommending her records. Born in Hawaii to Hungarian parents, she started playing piano at age four and then harp in elementary school.¹ She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London and was inspired – in part by chance encounters with Brian Eno – to shift from traditional performance to more modern and abstract modes.² She’s played as a session harpist with artists like Anderson. Paak and Ms. Lauryn Hill and on many film scores, but her own solo music began coming out in the early 2020s. Her first LP – titled simply ! – came out in 2022, and demonstrated the sonic extensibility of the harp when passed through the ordered chaos of effects pedals. But first we’re playing her latest LP, Désert, a collaboration with Joshua Tree-born pianist Jean-Michel Blais.³ Included in our daily playlist for paying subscribers is her unmissable covers of “Running Up That Hill” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” among other selections.

Désert - Lara Somogyi & Jean-Michel Blais (39m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

! - Lara Somogyi (27m, basically no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal

Have a great Wednesday.

1. 15Questions

2. Stationary Travels

3. A Closer Listen