By Indi Tejeda
There are albums that tell stories, and then there are albums that feel like places you can step into. Lady of the Lake is rooted in memory, family, nature and the emotions that linger long after a chapter has ended. Inspired by water, Celtic folklore and years of deeply personal songwriting, the record reflects a season of Laikyn’s life while honoring the people who helped shape it. Ahead of the album’s release, Almost Famous caught up with Laiks to talk about the inspiration behind the new album, her collaborative creative process and the hope that listeners walk away feeling a little less alone.
Almost Famous: “Lady of the Lake” is such an intriguing title. What inspired the name, and how does it connect to the world you wanted to create with this album?
Laikyn: Water has always been very important to me. I was born by the ocean in Florida and then moved to Utah, where I was raised by mountain rivers and lakes. My big three zodiac signs are all water as well. Water helps clear my mind. It connects me with the earth. I am the happiest version of myself when I am by water. With my name being Laikyn, I felt like Lady of the Lake was a way to make it a self-titled album without it actually being self-titled. Lady of the Lake also originates from Celtic folklore, referencing water goddesses. This pays homage to my Celtic roots.
Almost Famous: Can you walk me through your songwriting process for this record? Did the songs come together over time, or was there a particular period in your life that inspired a lot of the writing?
Laikyn: I started writing songs when I was 19. Most of the songs on this album are from when I was 19-21. These songs represent an era of my life that was well over by the time I started recording them. They are really important to me, so I still wanted to record them before recording the newer stuff I’ve written.
I either write alone or I’ll use my sister’s poems and turn them into songs. They all start very singer/songwriter with vocals and a guitar, and then we build from there in the studio. I would love to experiment with different ways of writing in the future though and writing with other instruments.
Almost Famous: What did the recording process look like for Lady of the Lake? Were there any songs that changed significantly between their original conception and the final version?
Laikyn: I worked at the restaurant my producer owns, so anytime we both had a morning or night off we would meet and get as much as we could done. We made it song by song, making a demo version first and then re-recording the keeper takes.
Making the demos was fun because the songs I worried about ended up being my favorite ones after the demo. “One Talks One Shakes” was one that stood out to me and it ended up turning out so special.
Almost Famous: Who did you collaborate with on the album, whether as musicians, producers or writers? How did those people contribute to the sound you were trying to achieve?
Laikyn: I worked with my sister, Drew Broadhurst, on writing. I love her writing so much, and I am so grateful that she shares this with me. She is the only person who was raised exactly the same as me, so I feel like I understand how she wants it to sound and what she means and how she thinks and vice versa.
Jake Hurst played drums. Colter Hill played pedal steel and dobro. Benton Wood produced, played guitar/bass/keys and mixed.
It is so amazing collaborating with people I fully trust. They understood the vision, so I just let them do their thing and trusted their choices. I love listening back to the album and hearing the parts that my friends played and how special it is to make music together. I wouldn’t change a single thing any of them contributed and am so lucky to have had them help me.
If I ever didn’t know what choice to make, Benton has so much experience and knowledge and would help guide it to the right place. Working with him was easy and that’s how you know you’ve found something good.
Almost Famous: With the album coming out October 23rd, what do you hope listeners take away from it? Is there a particular song or lyric that feels especially representative of where you are creatively right now?
Laikyn: I hope whoever listens to it and resonates with it feels less alone. Whenever I hear a song by someone else that calls out my exact situation, I feel silly for ever thinking I was the only one experiencing this.
I feel like the song Drew wrote the words to called “Rosehips + Elderberries” gets me every time I sing it. I really value honesty, even if it hurts, and that’s how that song makes me feel.
Some albums ask listeners to escape. Lady of the Lake asks them to slow down. Through stories rooted in family, nature and the quiet moments that often shape us the most, Laikyn has created a record that feels both deeply personal and surprisingly universal. Whether you’re standing beside the ocean, a mountain lake or simply searching for a song that understands you, Lady of the Lake offers a reminder that even our most private experiences can connect us to someone else.