Louise Pedersen’s voice has an abnormal amount of range. She can soothe a crowd at a coffee shop, pump up a crowd at a concert venue, or make the state legislature rethink policy decisions that impact segments of Utah society.
And she is not done using it. Not even close.
Pedersen has been playing music since her dad bought her a guitar when she was three and barely big enough to hold it. Her dad, Kerry Pedersen, was the first to introduce her to music. At the time, Kerry was the lead singer and guitarist for a band called The Gamma Rays.
She was surrounded by music all throughout her childhood. In her house, music was always playing on the radio or someone in the house was writing or practicing a new song. This laid the foundation for Pedersen’s love for singing and the guitar and paved the way to the success today in her band Nowhere Lane.
“He’s inspired me so much,” Pedersen said.
Only a junior, Pedersen has already been in two bands. Her first, The Dayside, was formed during her freshman year and was the pivotal point at which she decided to take music seriously. The band has released an album on Spotify, called Walking in the Shadows, that Pedersen contributed to by singing, playing the bass, keys, and guitar. Six months ago, Pedersen and her bandmate Tinsley Smith broke off to form a new band, Nowhere Lane.
“Transitioning from a six-people band to two has been a journey for sure, but it has enabled us to do so much in such a short amount of time,” Pedersen said.
Their band has been able to play all over Salt Lake in just six short months. Playing live about once a month, they have been able to play at some popular venues. They have played at The Black Lung Society, The Beehive, and Kilby Court. Kilby Court has been the birthplace of many popular brands including Death Cab for Cuties, Neon Trees, and one of Pedersen’s favorites, Daisy the Great.
“Their harmonies are a major inspiration for me and my band mate,” Pedersen said. “I have seen them twice, they’re so good!”
Composing their music is a team effort. Being in a band with only one other person allows both to be creative in many more ways. They each sing, write, and play.
Most of the time, Tinsley does the melodies while Pedersen works on lyrics. Sometimes one of them will bring the start of a song and the other will finish it. This process influences the unique sound of their music.
“I would describe us as like indie rock/folk,” Pedersen said.
Currently, they have a few music videos posted on YouTube — one called Feeling Better and the other called Bug Me. They are also working on their first demos that will be released on Spotify soon. On top of making music with Tinsley, Pedersen is planning on releasing a solo album in the coming months. She posts her solo music on her Instagram page, @louise_olivia_music.
While music is one of Pedersen’s main focuses, many other things play a role in her life. She is a dedicated student in the IB program at Highland and a passionate activist.
She has been involved in environmental work with Utah Youth Environmental Solutions for the last few years and writes moving pieces for Words with Weight. This year, she was given an incredible opportunity to be a youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign.
“I’m a youth ambassador for the Human Rights Campaign, which is crazy exciting,” Pedersen said, “but it’s something that’s super, super important to me.”
Soon she will be an active part of the campaign appearing on social media, writing pieces designed to draw awareness to social issues, and traveling for events.
Her hope is that all of her work now will set her up for success in a career in international relations. To help her get there she applied to an exchange program. The program is run through the US Department of Homeland Security and is for students looking to go into diplomacy.
Pedersen contributes so much to the community both musically and through service. Balancing all of her activities and passions can be difficult, but she uses music as a way to escape from the stress and to ground herself.
“When I have so many things going on I prioritize it because that what helps me keep it together,” Pedersen said.
Music has brought so much happiness and love to her life. Pedersen and her past band mates from the Dayside are extremely close and she would even consider them family. They have helped influence her musical journey and love for the art.
Her love stretches further than just the music she is playing, she also loves the community that it creates. The different people that she gets to meet and the way that their shared love for music bring them together brings an energy to the stage that is hard to replicate.
“The feeling of being on stage, in front of a bunch of people who just love music and experiencing that energy: I think I almost cried the first time a crowd sang my own lyrics back to me,” Pedersen said.
She is an incredible person who is completing incredible feats at just 17. Her contributions to social causes and the music community will go far and impact many people.
“I hope to continue my work with nonprofits and stuff forever,” Pedersen said, “in the same way I hope to continue music forever.”
