Lauren Dillen

Lauren Dillen is a Toronto-based multi-disciplinary artist who moves deftly between mediums to uncover meaning in the quiet, complicated corners of being alive. Also known for her work as a tattoo artist and as a member of psych-folk band Burs, her creative life is guided by an instinct to follow feeling first and let understanding arrive later.At the center of her solo music is a simple idea: songs are teachers. Dillen often writes before she fully has language for what she is experiencing, allowing melody and imagery to hold emotions that have not yet settled into clarity. With time, the lesson reveals itself. Each song becomes both a record of that process and a place to return to it. In performance, she revisits these pieces as a way of practicing the feelings they contain, moving through memory, tenderness, and discomfort with a gentle steadiness that invites listeners to do the same.