The Art of Losing Control: Lauren Ruth Ward’s ‘Did I Offend You’

Coming up on the release of her first full length album, Well, Hell, Baltimore-turned-LA sweetheart Lauren Ruth Ward is going strong. After a spring and summer full of local shows and residencies, most of which took place in her Echo Park neighborhood, Ward is gearing up for a September release date, complete with an East LA release party. And if that’s not enough exciting news, she recently proposed to her girlfriend and fellow Los Angeles musician Laura Pergolizzi aka LP, and – spoiler alert – she said yes. One might say things are going well for this soulful firecracker of a singer-songwriter.

As a follow up to her early April release of her most newest single, “Did I Offend You,” Ward recently released an accompanying music video. The video begins with a dejected looking Ward looking slowly up towards the camera, the classic sad jester archetype in glittery clown makeup with a cartoonish red rose pinned to a ribbon around her neck. She begins to dance and spasm with all the energy of one rapidly spiraling into insanity, not shying away from outrageous facial expressions. As faceless people walk past and disregard her, she gesturing toward them with the fervor of a street-corner preacher, trying desperately to make contact. Intercut with this scene are artistic shots of Ward posing on a stool wearing pointed shoes and gazing into a mirror on the floor like a demented Narcissus. All of this imagery is a fitting metaphor for the secret, out-of-control feeling that plagues many of our innermost selves at times, matching perfectly with lyrics that proclaim “Is this the part where it comes to an end? / You’re only breaking down again.”

With no shows scheduled for the month of August, besides Echo Park Rising on the 19th at The Echo, it seems Lauren Ruth Ward will be taking the rest of the summer off from performing in preparation for her big release. She’ll be back with a bang, though, at her album release party, which takes place at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles on September 29th.