Laura Jansen

Laura Jansen (born 4 March 1977) is a Dutch-American musician.

Before gaining fame in the Netherlands, Jansen became a fixture in the constellation of artists associated with Los Angeles nightclub Hotel Café – a national launching pad for artists as Sara Bareilles, Priscilla Ahn and Joshua Radin.

As a daughter of an American mother and Dutch father, Laura has been living in the United States for over 10 years.

Born in Breda, to a Dutch father and an American mother, Jansen began playing piano at age five while the family lived in Brussels, followed by Zurich and Connecticut.

Jansen fell in love with classical music, Queen, Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand, and the Brazilian protest music her mother loved.

In high school, she sang in the choir and performed in musicals.

Passionate about politics, Jansen studied political science in college but backed away after a good friend, a human-rights activist, was killed in Nigeria.

Jansen spent two years at a music conservatory in the Netherlands, before transferring to Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music with a scholarship.

After graduating, she moved to Nashville to become a songwriter.

Jansen packed up to Los Angeles in 2003.

Jansen's first call was to Hotel Café, where she became a part of this community – home to Sara Bareilles, John Mayer, Katy Perry and many more singer/songwriters.

On 26 February 2007 she released her Trauma EP, from which she licensed songs to MTV's The Real World and Newport Harbor, and she had a song covered on Canadian Idol.

Trauma, (released 26 February 2007) and Single Girls (released 26 June 2009).

Bells (composed of Jansen's two previously released EPs 2007's Trauma and 2009's Single Girls, plus cover Use Somebody), sold over 50,000 copies in the Netherlands and reached platinum status in 2011.

In summer 2008, Laura performed as both a member of Joshua Radin's band and as an opener on his sold-out headlining tour.

She made her first TV appearance with Radin on Last Call with Carson Daly and performed alongside Radin as the only two musical performers at Ellen DeGeneres' wedding.

Soon after, Laura was offered a slot on the Hotel Café All Girls' Tour in the Fall alongside Ingrid Michaelson, Rachael Yamagata, and Erin McCarley.

Upon returning from the SXSW Music Festival, Laura finished her second EP Single Girls, released on 26 June 2009, a collection of five alternative, intimate pop songs.

It debuted at No. 25 on the U.S. iTunes Pop Charts.

Upon her return, Laura was invited to the Netherlands for a series of performances, most importantly at the television show De Wereld Draait Door.

In a week she was signed to Universal Music Netherlands where her full-length record entitled Bells (a compilation of Jansen's two previously released EPs: 2007's Trauma and 2009's Single Girls, plus Use Somebody) was released on 6 September 2009.

Jansen toured Europe in the fall of 2009 with William Fitzsimmons, both as a member of his band and as his support act.

She continued to play in Germany, Austria, the UK and the Czech Republic as fans spread the word.

Laura also appeared as a special guest vocalist on stage in Amsterdam with Snow Patrol as well as Novastar.

Jansen's debut album, Bells, was released on Universal Music in the Netherlands in 2009, on Decca Records in the US in March 2011, and in the rest of the world in May 2011 on Universal Music Group.

In 2010 she was a featured artist at Germany's showcase festivals Popkomm and Reeperbahn Festival ,as well as the SXSW Music Festival 2010.

In the early 2010s, Jansen's live band consisted of the Dutch musicians Jan-Peter Hoekstra (guitars, vocals), Wouter Rentema (drums, percussion, vocals), and Jan Teertstra (bass, vocals).

In the US, Laura Jansen has two self-released EPs.

in 2011, Laura completed two sold-out national club tours and received a certified gold record

In 2011 Laura continued to tour, visiting the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland again.

Jansen also toured with Belgium singer-songwriter Milow as his support act and a member of his band in August 2011 in Germany.

After returning from touring in Europe in the beginning of 2011, Jansen hit the road again with Joshua Radin in February 2011 as both a member of his band and as an opener on his headlining tour through the US and Canada.

Following her album release of debut album Bells in the US on 22 March 2011, Jansen went on the road with her own headline tour.

This featured shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and several performances on the SXSW Music Festival 2011, most importantly with a showcase at the Hotel Café Showcase.

In October 2011 Laura Jansen also performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson with her song "Wicked World".

In November 2011 Jansen made her way to China, invited by Shanghai and Beijing-based promoters Split Works.

When she started a Douban group (Chinese Facebook) in the beginning of 2011, Jansen immediately shot to number No. 1 artist and stayed there for several weeks.

In November 2011, she toured China, including sold out shows in Nanjing and Shanghai.

In that same month, Laura's debut album, Bells, was officially released in China.

In May 2012 Jansen was invited back to China to perform at the Chinese Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing and Shanghai.