Lauren Presley: 20 Questions with PopFiltr

In this fun and laid-back session, PopFiltr sat down with Lauren Presley to get to know her beyond the music. Through a series of quick-fire questions, Lauren opened up about everything from her favorite comfort food to her biggest musical influences. Whether she's talking about her life as a part-time vet tech or sharing insights on her new single America’s Sweetheart, Lauren’s responses are down-to-earth and filled with personality. Let’s jump into the conversation!

1. What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know?
Lauren Presley: I'm a part-time vet tech, aside from music. So, that’s kind of my day job.

2. If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Lauren Presley: Oh, that’s hard. Probably Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish. That’s the one I’ve had on repeat lately.

3. If you could spend a day with any celebrity, who would it be and why?
Lauren Presley: Hmm, probably Taylor Swift. I’ll be honest, I don’t listen to her music a lot, but I just feel like she’d be such a cool person to talk with. She’s got so much going on, and her fan base is incredibly dedicated. That must be an awesome feeling.

4. What’s the last photo you have on your camera roll?
Lauren Presley: Oh, let me check... It’s a screenshot from a post about “America’s Sweethearts” on TikTok.

5. What’s your go-to comfort food?
Lauren Presley: Probably cookies and cream ice cream.

6. Who’s your celebrity crush?
Lauren Presley: Definitely Liam Hemsworth.

7. Most frequently used emoji?
Lauren Presley: Probably the black heart 🖤 . I use it a lot on socials.
PF: It fits with your dark pop aesthetic for sure.

8. If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
Lauren Presley:

• Elvis Presley, because of the fascinating life he led.
• Justin Bieber, because he’s come so far in his career after being discovered on YouTube.
• Taylor Swift, again, because I’d love to talk to her about how she’s gotten to where she is and what it’s been like behind the scenes.

9. What’s something about you that might surprise your fans?
Lauren Presley: I think it might surprise them to know that I’m actually pretty quiet and mellow in real life. My music is kind of an alter ego because a lot of my songs are more in-your-face, but that’s not really how I am.

10. What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
Lauren Presley: Right now, it’s House of the Dragon. I just finished Game of Thrones, which I loved, and now I’m really into House of the Dragon.
PF: You’re pretty late to the game!
Lauren Presley: I know, I know! That’s how I usually am—I wait until everyone else watches something first, and then I hop on board later. But I’m glad I did.

11. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Lauren Presley: I’d love to be able to read people’s thoughts.
PF: Ooh, that’s a scary one!
Lauren Presley: Yeah, it could be good or really bad!

12. Who would you choose to be stuck on a deserted island with?
Lauren Presley: My husband, for sure.

13. What’s the last movie that made you cry?
Lauren Presley: I’m not much of a movie crier—my husband cries more in movies than I do! But the last one I cried in was The Notebook. The ending always breaks my heart.

14. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled?
Lauren Presley: Probably something gross about my dog. I’m a vet tech, so I tend to Google weird stuff when I don’t understand what’s going on with my dogs!

‍15. If you had to attend one of four themed parties—horror movie characters, Barbie, disco, or pajama— which one would it be and why?
Lauren Presley: Definitely a Barbie party. I just think it would be so much fun!

16. What’s your favorite hobby outside of music?
Lauren Presley: I love traveling and just hanging out with my husband and our two dogs, Finn and Otter.

17. Which show do you quote the most?
Lauren Presley: I don’t quote shows much, but if I had to pick one, I’d say the Barbie movie, since we wrote a whole song about it.

18. Now for a tough one—rate your singles: “America’s Sweethearts,” “White Noise,” “A Little Longer,” “Should’ve Dated Your Best Friend,” and “Tiptoe.”
Lauren Presley:

• White Noise is the most important to me because it’s so vulnerable and honest. I was worried people wouldn’t relate since it’s about my experience as an artist, but I needed to put it out there for myself.
• A Little Longer is second. I wrote it when I was 19, and it was such an easy, fun session. It was my first song to hit over a million streams, so that’s really special to me.
• Next, America’s Sweethearts. I’ve had a lot of people resonate with it, and that’s really cool to see.
• Tiptoe is one of my favorite songs I’ve done. I just love the vibe.
• And last, Should’ve Dated Your Best Friend. I love this one too—it was such a fun song to write, but if I had to rank them, this would be last.

19. What message do you hope to convey through your music?
Lauren Presley: I want people to feel like they’re not alone. Whether it’s a sad song they can relate to or something more fun, like Should’ve Dated Your Best Friend, I hope my music can either help them through tough times or just give them a distraction and let them have fun singing along.

20. Your recent single "America’s Sweetheart"—what was the inspiration behind it?
Lauren Presley: Well, I watched the Barbie movie, and it didn’t open my eyes to everything, but as a woman, I’ve experienced things that felt sexist. Watching the movie made me think about it more and brought it to the forefront of my mind. We went into a session a couple of weeks after that, and I had all these ideas from my life experiences and the movie that I wanted to build on and see if we could make into a song. I thought it would be a really cool concept. So, I came up with “America’s Sweetheart.” The chorus is almost like a checklist of how to be America’s sweetheart, which is pretty cool. I really like the way it turned out.

I was a little hesitant to release the song because it’s a bit controversial. I didn’t want to make some people mad, but I also think it’s a message that needs to be heard. So, I’m excited to get it out there.

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If you haven’t yet checked out our full interview with Lauren Presley, you can read it here.
Don’t forget to stream her new single "HINT" when it drops on September 27!