Dan and Lauren – The Voices of Suite 111 [Eventcombo Interview]

May 24, 2016 Michelle A. Lee

Dan and Lauren discuss how they got the name Suite 111 and their upcoming projects.

Suite 111 consists of 2 singer-songwriters from Long Island, New York: Lauren Hirsch and Dan Conway. The duo met at Molloy College during their undergrad careers while studying Music Therapy. Their passion for music and song writing drew them together and they’ve been working on music together ever since. The band has performed in intimate acoustic shows and other name worthy venues including Space and Paramount. Below is the rest of the interview:

How did the name Suite 111 come about?
Lauren: We just recently changed our name to Suite 111. We contemplated a name change for a while. Our style, sound, and image developed through our recording experience as we have discovered our brand. We have entered the exciting world of Pop music!

We thought that our old name just didn’t match our new identity and didn’t correspond to our enhanced vision. We get a call from Dan’s mom and she tells us that the number one eleven is an angel number. She sent us a link about this magical number and it says, “The angel number 111 is a call from the angels to pay attention to your thoughts, and to pursue your dreams!” Music is our number one dream so we knew that SUITE 111 was definitely going to be our band name. We knew we were now one step closer accomplishing our dream.

You’re currently recording now, correct? Will this be your first release? What has the experience been like?
Yes! We are currently recording at Zin Records with Nick Zinnanti. We released an album last year, “FameUS,” on April 10, 2015 at the Madison Theatre. This was our first album that we released. We mixed, produced, wrote, everything ourselves utilizing garage band. Our new album has a completely different sound, energy, and is part of a whole different genre! We believe in our new songs and sound more than anything! We know all of our hard work and late nights will pay off when we start releasing songs off the record.

You recently opened for Jesse McCartney at a sold out show – what was that like? How did it compare to other shows you’ve done?
Opening for Jesse McCartney was an unforgettable experience! It was a sold out show of 600+ people. To see so much energy in the audience, and to hear the crowd go wild is something we will treasure forever. We got so much positive feedback directly from the fans as we also got to connect with so many new people!

If you could collaborate with one artist, past or present, which would it be?
Lauren: Mine would definitely be Taylor Swift. She has always been my favorite artist since I was about 14. What I find incredible is how she has also changed her style, image, and sound. Not only are her lyrics so meaningful and intelligent, her hooks are unforgettable. I always anticipate her new songs; I know anything she releases is gold. There are not many artists that have albums that I can just start and finish without skipping over any songs. Taylor is definitely one of those artists. To just get the chance to write with her, and learn from her, would be out of this world.

Dan: Hands down it would be Ed Sheeran with a close second being Nick Jonas. I love Ed Sheeran for his ability to write such meaningful songs in a way that is so catchy, cool, and different. He writes songs that will bring tears to your eyes to songs that make you want to jump up and dance! His guitar playing has been a major inspiration to my growth as a musician. Nick Jonas is a close second since he is an incredible performer, and he is a major influence in the transition into the pop music world. Becoming a more inspiring creator, and to continue fostering these talents is important to me, and I think having a chance to work with them would benefit my growth as a musician/writer.

Do you have a dream venue you would want to perform at?
I think we both can agree that the Madison Square Garden would be a dream venue. All of the best artists have performed there, and we just want to be apart of it. We have a BIG dream, and are willing to do whatever to get there. We are both driven people, and go after what we believe in. You will definitely be hearing about us soon!

Learn more about Suite 111 by visiting their website or keep up with Suite 111 by following them on Facebook!