Laura played classical 'cello and piano from an early age in her home town of Cardiff and studied singing as a choral exhibitioner at Cambridge University. Feeling the constraints of High Church music, she found solace in Nina Simone and Charlie Parker:

'I saw the light, threw off my cassock, and began to take the path of jazz understanding.'

Then followed an adventurous year in Rome, singing in backstreet clubs and gorging on fabulous Italian wine. On returning to the UK she continued her apprenticeship in working mens' clubs and any place she could shove a microphone.

Keen to receive formal training, Laura moved to London in 2003 to study on the highly competitive jazz performance course at the Guildhall School of Music. There she was awarded scholarships from the Ryan Davies Memorial Fund and the Atlantic Foundation. Fortunate to learn from some of the most prominent figures in jazz, she performed with the Swedish piano whizz Jakob Karlzon, studied singing with Lee Gibson, Anita Wardell and Tina May and explored lyric-writing with Norma Winstone.

Laura also met her main collaborator in crime there, the super-talented guitartist, Sam Dunn:

'We knew we would be big pals when we kept getting fits of giggles in composition class.' It's this sense of fun combined with a serious attitude towards music that characterizes the group.

Since graduation, in addition to working as a versatile session musician, Laura has performed around Britain with her own band and also as a solo singer-pianist. Most recently she apperared on the Rocstar Recordings label for Parker's album and has been recording for rising star Jason Soudah with Grammy-award winning Produer Sylvia Massey in USA. The Laura Collins Band has appeared at the National Theatre, the Bull’s Head, the Bedford in Balham, the Spice of Life, Quaglino’s, Smollensky’s, Oxford University, the Wales Millennium Centre and the Edinburgh and Brecon Festivals.

Laura's sound has been likened to the Norwegian singer Radka Toneff [she does in fact have Norwegian in her genes.] Her main singing influences include Annie Ross and Norma Winstone but she also admires contemporary pop/folk artists like Regina Spektor. What results is a unique blend of old and new.

Since Laura's first demo provoked a great response, even receiving radio airplay on BBC Essex and BBC's 'Jazz Connection', combined with repeated requests from her fans, Laura made her exciting debut album Battersea Park for release in November 2008. On her own label, Bongo Discs, Laura got it made with few resources by calling in favours from talented friends. It features some excellent [scarily young] musicians who between them have already worked with the likes of Billy Cobham, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth and Michael Garrick; namely Sam Dunn on guitars, Julian Jackson on bass and Oli Blackman on drums.

And this is just the beginning...

'I'm going to keep gigging like crazy and spreading the jazz love...that is, until my outfits get so OTT that I can't fit through the door.'

Keep posted to see what this unique voice does next...