Story by Chase Kamp
Country superstar Toby Keith sang
about “a little less talk and a lot
more action.” Country comedy
favorite Larry the Cable Guy implores all
to “Get ‘er done.”
Not one to just talk, Valley singer
Laura Walsh has been bolstering her
musical message of female empowerment
by stepping in and aiding vulnerable and
abused women and girls.
Walsh, a versatile 22-year-old
country songwriter from Maricopa,
writes boot-kicker anthems and
vulnerable ballads about working to
maintain confidence and strength
through life’s trials. She has also worked
to combat domestic violence and sex
trafficking through her church and
numerous benefit shows.
“There need to be more artists out
there to inspire girls to be confident and
strong,” Walsh said, “to make them feel
comfortable with themselves.”
On Jan. 24, Walsh will be
performing a free show at the Tempe
History Museum, where she will play
cuts from Take Your Time, an album of searing popcountry
she recorded in 2012 with top-notch studio
musicians in Nashville.
Walsh was chosen by
the museum from a pool
of runners-up in shockrock
legend and Phoenix
native Alice Cooper’s
annual Proof is in the
Pudding talent event. She
has previously opened
for country star Miranda
Lambert and performed for
nearly 50,000 attendees at
Tempe Town Lake’s 2013
Fourth of July Fireworks
Festival.
Exhibit coordinator
Dan Miller said the
museum’s performance
series aims to have local
musicians explore the nuts
and bolts of songwriting.
Not only will Walsh talk
about the inspiration and
process behind her songs,
he said, but the show
will wrap up with her
fielding questions from the
audience.
“It’s a real musical conversation,” he said.
While most songwriters grab their guitars after
going through an epiphany or life hardship, Walsh
said she actually tends to write songs in anticipation
of major events. “I’ll write a song before I go through
something,” she said. “I almost write prophetically
for myself.”
However, some songs evolve with time.
Walsh initially wrote power ballad “He Thinks I’m
Beautiful” about a supportive boyfriend, but after the
breakup, she realized it actually reflected her faith. “I
was playing it and thought, ‘That’s what [God] thinks
of me,’” she said.
Walsh said her drive to support victims of
abuse started in high school when her church pastor
led a discussion about sex trafficking and forced
prostitution. “It’s not just women that are being
kidnapped and abused; it’s children too,” Walsh said.
“I couldn’t sit in my skin, I was so upset about it.”
Since then, she has performed at charity events
and fundraisers. Last year she collected hundreds
of donated bras for Project Rose, a non-profit group
that offers support and resources for victims of
domestic violence and sex trafficking.
Through music—and with action—Walsh hopes
to provide women with an example of empowerment
and self-assurance.
“Real beauty shines from the inside out and isn’t
a mask people put on themselves,” she said.
For more information on Walsh’s performance
and upcoming events at Tempe History Museum,
visit Tempe.gov/Museum.
