Her influences range from Jann Arden, Sarah Slean, Tori Amos, to David Bowie, Elvis Presley and the Beatles, however her own musical style has been compared to such artists as Emm Gryner, Jewel, Tara Maclean and Dar Williams.
Her first self-titled recording is quite acoustic and sparse. "It's definitely demo quality. It's a diary album. I wrote most of it when I was 15. I never judge it though,because it's where I started, it doccuments a period in my life, I accept that and I know how important it is that I've grown from that.It was all about learning. I've had a lot of musical training and experience since then, and I'm excited to see what the next record's going to be like.The orchestration of it already excites me, even in the songwriting stage, working with rhythm, bass lines, and vocal layering, everything about it is such a positive departure from the first demo record."
The new record she is currently working on is something she's thought of bringing life to for quite awhile. "I've always wanted to sing about this country, the land, the boundaries, the people, the politics," She describes the album in progress as ' a sonic, geographical map of Canada." Her studies in Music and French at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec gave her the opportunity to travel to new locations within Canada."After living in Montreal last year, and spending a month and a half in Ontario, I began to realize there are so many aspects of this country to write about.It's a land of many climates and stories. In a way it's a happy coincidence that this tour will take Terra and myself across the national terrain because it will give me the opportunity to acquaint the songs with their native environment." The foundation the album is built on is a concept that each track represents a province or territory, with the exception or Ontario, which occupies two tracks "Because," explains the young chanteuse with a grin, "don't you think even sonically Toronto deserves it's own track? It'd be unfair to bring other cities into that socialite party. Which means no disrespect to Toronto, I adore it there, I'm a complete city girl. But I thought it would be a shallow injustice to leave the rest of the province out, because I've been to Hamilton, I've been to Barrie; they've got something to say in their defense."
No stranger to the local music scene Lori-Anne has performed at numerous venues in and around Vancouver, including the Vancouver East Cultural Center, The Commodore, and The Purple Onion. She has been the opening act for Emm Gryner, Allison Crowe,Terra Grimard, as well as numerous other local singers and bands. During the summer of 2002 she performed as a solo artist as part of Allison Crowe's 'Crying in a Rainstorm' tour.
She notes seriously, "I'm really grateful to have had the opportunities to not only sing on the same stages as Allison, but to know her as a person.She's just so genuine, and down to earth, and above all immensely talented, I've learned so much from just being around her, her band and her crew. If I hadn't met her manager Adrian Du Plessis years ago, my songs would likely be in a shoebox under my bed, my only audience my high school classmates. He really helped me get my music out there. I'm forever appreciative to him, and Alley for helping me do what I love - make music"
Throughout the 2003 summer tour, Lori-Anne will be opening shows for Terra Grimard and her band (Kris Ruston on guitar, Georgia Corba on bass, and Dan Sia on drums)."Terra and I work really well together, she's going to sing some harmonies on my record, and I've written her a lyric in french which she plans to put music to. Her band is great. Kris is helping to record my record, and I just truly believe he's so truly talented, it's an honor to be touring with the lot of them. I've known Georgia since I was five years old. So it's going to be like travelling with a family."
Her approach to music is often basic: "I'm not even sure where it comes from,
why these things need to come out of me in this way, but they do. Everyone has their own form of expression, music is mine. To me it's nothing out of the ordinary, the need to write is simple, basic, perhaps selfish even, I do it because I need to do it, I do it because I love to do it, if in turn some on is affected by what it is I'm doing, that's all icing.......