Honorary DegreesLauren Mayberry
Meet Lauren
Lauren Mayberry is the Scottish singer, musician and songwriter with Glasgow-based band Chvrches, which she co-founded in 2011, with her fellow Strathclyde alumni, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. Lauren previously gained a Law degree and, subsequently, a Masters in Journalism from us here at the University of Strathclyde. During her Masters course, she received the Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland Journalism Award in 2010.
Early career
After graduating, Lauren worked as a freelance journalist, contributing articles to the Evening Times and online music publication The Line Of Best Fit. She was a member of two bands, Boyfriend/Girlfriend and Blue Sky Archives, before forming Chvrches with band colleagues, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty.
Chvrches has released four albums, all of which have reached the UK top 10 and the top 40 of the US Billboard 200! They've also collaborated with other notable artists, including The Cure, The National and Paramore, have played several hundred concerts, and had prominent billing at many of the world’s leading music festivals, including Glastonbury, Coachella, SXSW, Reading and Leeds, T in the Park and Lollapalooza. At SXSW in 2019, Lauren Mayberry gave, with her fellow Scottish singer Shirley Manson, a keynote address on their experiences as women in the music industry.
She also established a Glasgow-based collective run by women featuring live events, magazines and podcasts, which ran for five years to 2017.
A strong voice
Lauren has been outspoken on issues of sexism and abuse. She's frequently endured abuse for her views and in 2013 contributed an article to The Guardian on her experiences. In 2016, she contributed an article on her own experience of an abusive relationship to the Lenny Letter website. She is a patron of Rape Crisis Glasgow and has supported charities including Water Aid, Amnesty International, Plus One and the Ally Coalition.
Watch
Watch Lauren and hear what she had to say to our students at their graduation ceremony.
We caught up with Lauren ahead of receiving her Honorary Degree.
Congratulations! How do you feel about receiving your Honorary Degree from the University of Strathclyde today?
I am entirely sure it's the only way I'll ever become a Doctor, so I am grateful. My time at Strathclyde was really formative and I made a lot of friends that are still in my life today. The University is a strangely prominent feature in the history of CHVRCHES generally, as Iain Cook and Martin Doherty from the band and a lot of other people we work with also studied at Strathclyde.
What’s the most important life lesson you’ve learned that helped you get to where you are today?
Failing at things is important and a massive part of figuring out what you want to be and how you want to live your life. If you never try anything new, you'll never move forward in your life.
What's your favourite spot in Glasgow?
The Belle, Phillies, Mother India, Sylvan, Category Is Books.
Favourite song of all time?
Of a Scottish band, Downtown Lights by The Blue Nile.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Read, cook, watch films, friends, cats.
What advice do you have for our graduates?
Life is long but life is short and should be approached as such.
