Laura Shay
Laura Shay is an independent singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. She released her first album, "To a Place" in 2005 and released her fourth album, "Love & Other Things" in November 2011. History. Laura was born on November 7, 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the youngest child of Eleanor and Gerard Shay and has three older siblings. Laura started singing in her elementary school choir when she was 8 years old and had one year of piano lessons at age 9. She began writing her own songs at the age of 13. On September 11, 1999, when she was  16, Laura performed her own music for the first time publicly at a local open mic. The coffee house that hosted the open mic offered Laura her first paying gig and she has been performing her original music locally and independently ever since. Over the past few years, her music has gained popularity through various regional and international licensing opportunities. Laura has a master's degree in both Communication Studies and Communicative Disorders. She works part-time as an Adjunct Professor of Interpersonal Communication and full-time as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Discography. Note: In 2001, Laura recorded a collection  of songs entitled "Stories of My Life" in a friend's home studio. It was released in limited units as a rough compilation of early demos that were written during her teenage years and is not available for purchase at this time. Influences. Tori Amos, Stevie Nicks, and Joni Mitchell were her biggest influences and had a profound effect on the type of performer she is. Some of her favorite contemporary songwriters including Brandi Carlile, Kathleen Edwards, Fiona Apple, and Patty Griffin. Featured Musicians. The following musicians perform regularly with Laura: