Laura Higgins is a singer/songwriter who writes out of necessity. Her music is raw, honest, wracked with emotion and a refreshing break from the prepackaged sounds currently on the radio. Drawing from her haunted past (which ranges from teenage angst to a cancer diagnosis at the age of 19) and her passion for literature, Laura's songs are often lyrically unexpected and seeping with drama. Born in Warren, NJ, Laura began playing music at age 5 on an "old and grumpy" 100 year old piano that she appropriately nicknamed "Ironside." With only a year or two of lessons, Laura continued to teach herself to play by ear. "I have an amazing relationship with my piano." she says. "It has always helped me to express my emotions in a way that words never could. My father used to say that he knew to stay away when I was banging out minor notes because it was a sure sign that I was working through something in my head. He was usually right too." This musical release proved to be a valuable tool when as a junior at Boston College, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and left school to undergo chemotherapy. "It felt like my life was pulled out from under me and I was disappearing. I was wracked with a hundred emotions at once and I couldn't figure out how to process them all. I ended up writing my way into survivorship, and it's something that I still continue to do. Post-cancer life is tricky. It can trip you up with fear when you least expect it. I've accepted that an ordinary life may always be slightly out of reach for me." Laura's songs are anything but ordinary. They are raw to the nerve and challenge the audience to navigate the depths of human experience. They are not just about cancer either. On her album, 'Mr. Confidence," songs like "The Space Between," and "Find My Way To You," address chaotic love, while the title track "Mr. Confidence," is about insecurity, self-doubt, and perfectionism, all of which Laura struggles with. "Lately I've been toying with the idea of perfect imperfection. I have this hope that one day I won't be immediately wracked with insecurity over missing a note on the piano or my voice sounding 'quirky' every now and then. I know that perfection is impossible. So I've come to the conclusion that being perfectly imperfect is a much better goal. I know, I'm strange." Perfect or not, Laura's feet seem to be on the ground and running in the direction of loftier goals than she would otherwise admit. Having many credits to her name, including a recent licensing arrangement with the "I'm Too Young For This" Cancer survivorship campaign, a March 2007 televised intervew and performance on Fox's My9 News as a feature for their "Inspirational Women" series, a finalist in Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star" competition, and "Best New Singer/Songwriter" Boston music award nomination in 2001, Laura's talent cannot be denied. Be sure to check her out should she be playing near you. And don't forget the tissues. Between her heartwrenching songs and her self-depricating humor, you'll either laugh or cry yourself to tears.