She’s the Belgian star who opened the Eurovision 2016 grand final with a bang. Since then, Laura Tesoro has continued carving out her place in the showbiz industry with top-40 charting singles, award nominations and film appearances. Now, the singer’s journey has lead to the release of her debut studio album, titled Limits.
The ten-track LP is full of mid-tempo pop sounds. Although there are still elements of the funk genre we heard in the singer’s Eurovision entry “What’s The Pressure”, Laura has spent the last three years developing and maturing her artistic style.
Nevertheless, the sassy and confident singer we saw on the stage in Stockholm is very much still present. A number of the songs on the album see the Belgian star asserting her dominance over the man she’s in a relationship with. Yet, it never comes off as cocky, but rather self-assured.
Laura Tesoro – Limits
A particular standout of the album is “Press Pause”. The track contains minimal production, but still has a swagger to it. Staccato snaps in the opening verse draw the listener in before a infectious beat drops in the chorus that’s sure to get your feet tapping. Meanwhile, Laura’s smooth vocals add to the cool atmosphere of the song as she sings about slowing things down a notch: “So we can press pause / Speeding like jaguars / Press pause / And baby we give it all”.
The Eurovision alum preceded the album release by dropping the lead and title single from the album in September. “Limits” mixes synth and percussion instrumentation to create a catchy yet understated track.
Laura sings about wanting time for herself, and doesn’t want to blow her fuse over the continuous actions of her significant other: “You keep pushing my limits / Gimme two, three, four minutes / To breathe in, to heal better / Focus on what really matters”. But, while her limits may be being stretched, the steady nature of the song demonstrates that the Belgian singer is remaining calm in this situation.
Laura Tesoro – “Limits”
An overview of Laura Tesoro’s 2019
Although we may not have found the time to cover what Laura has been up to over the course of 2019, that doesn’t mean she’s been slacking by any means. Here’s a look back on a couple of things the Belgian star has done this year.
“UP”
Laura released her first single of the year back in March. Another mid-tempo pop song, “UP” feels earthier and more sultry compared to the Eurovision alum’s previous uptempo-funk tracks. There’s a splash of Ariana Grande in the production, but Laura makes sure to put her own spin on it.
Lyrically, Laura sings about running the race of life and making sure that she keeps moving forward. Obstacles may come along to knock her down, but she’s determined to keep moving on up: “Nowhere left to go, but up / You should know I got no reason to stop”.
Liefde Voor Muziek
Earlier this year, Laura took part in the Belgian TV programme Liefde Voor Muziek (Love For Music). Based on the Dutch show Beste Zangers (Best Singers), it sees a group of singers come together each week and cover each other’s songs. This season had an added Eurovision connection as The Netherlands’ 2014 contestant Ilse DeLange (one half of The Common Linnets) was also participating.
Laura took on Ilse’s recent single “Lay Your Weapons Down”. The Belgian singer turned the country-tinged track into a full-on pop song and truly made it her own. Her performance seemed to impress all her fellow contestants, with Ilse singing along and smiling throughout. During the week that was dedicated to Laura, Ilse repaid the favour by covering her 2017 single “Higher” and transforming it into a bluegrass country song.
What do you think of Laura’s debut album? Which tracks on Limits are your favourites? Are you excited to hear more from her in the future? Sound off in the comments below!
Her ESC song is NOT on the album?!
None of the singles she released before Limits are on the album. That’s a bummer. If her older songs like Up, Beast, Higher and Outta Here were on the album, I would consider buying it.
Thanks for review. Well worth checking out. Laura always striked me as very talented artist