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Lauren Spencer Smith Finds Strength in Vulnerability with “The Art of Being a Mess”

By on June 27, 2025

From heartbreak anthems to emotional survival ballads, Canadian singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith returns with her most emotionally raw and honest body of work yet: The Art of Being a Mess. Released in 2025, this deeply personal album is more than a collection of songs—it’s a soul-baring journey through pain, healing, anger, forgiveness, and growth.

Lauren, who first gained widespread attention with her viral hit “Fingers Crossed,” delivers a stunning mix of vulnerable ballads and punchy pop tracks that reflect the highs and lows of being human. With 12 powerful tracks, The Art of Being a Mess is a testament to embracing chaos—and finding beauty in it.

Track-by-Track Breakdown of The Art of Being a Mess

1. What a Beautiful Day

Lauren opens the album with a painfully honest juxtaposition: “What a beautiful day… to feel shitty.” With poetic irony, she explores the experience of masking emotional pain behind external perfection. Lines like “Not a hair out of place and my makeup’s so pretty” contrast sharply with the internal misery she hides.

The track resonates with listeners who feel emotionally isolated in a world that demands constant cheerfulness. It’s a stunning opener that sets the tone for the album: expect to cry, reflect, and heal.

Best lyric:
“Sad girl on a bench / Looking for silver linings / Doing my best is me trying.”

2. Sticks & Stones

If “What a Beautiful Day” is soft sorrow, “Sticks & Stones” is fiery defiance. This pop-rock anthem flips the childhood saying on its head, asserting emotional strength in the face of manipulation.

Lauren confronts a toxic presence who once tried to make her feel powerless. But instead of breaking, she rises:
“You wanna break a heart that is stronger than your own / You’re gonna need more than sticks and stones.”

The song’s bridge—“Little boy playing a man”—is particularly biting, offering catharsis to anyone who’s dealt with emotional gaslighting.

3. Bridesmaid

“Bridesmaid” hits like a sucker punch to the soul. It explores the heartbreak of losing a close friendship that once felt permanent. The lyrics evoke nostalgia, regret, and betrayal as Lauren sings about someone she imagined standing by her side on her wedding day—now a ghost in an empty dress.

The stripped-down production allows her aching voice to shine. It’s a gentle yet devastating exploration of female friendship and the grief of growing apart.

Most emotional moment:
“Who is gonna fix my hair and wipe the tears away?”

4. Lighting the Flame

Lauren trades sadness for sarcastic gratitude in this gritty empowerment track. “Lighting the Flame” is a musical “thank you” letter to the person who broke her—because that heartbreak made her stronger.

With soaring vocals and an explosive chorus, she turns bitterness into personal growth.
“Thank you, for being such a liar… Baby, you were lighting the flame.”

The production is punchy, the bridge is satisfying, and the fire metaphor drives home the message of resilience through ruin.

5. Parallel Universe

Although the lyrics for this track weren’t provided, based on the album’s themes, “Parallel Universe” likely explores the “what if” moments of a lost relationship. Imagining a different reality where love worked out—where hearts didn’t break—offers a dreamy contrast to the otherwise grounded pain in the rest of the album.

Expect haunting melodies and wistful lyrics that explore the ache of alternate possibilities.

6. IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL)

This is Lauren at her most fierce. With venom laced in every line, she gives voice to the kind of anger we often suppress. It’s a revenge anthem, but one that feels earned.

From lines like “Small town boy with a big time ego” to the chilling chorus, Lauren paints a picture of betrayal and vengeance that’s sharp, satisfying, and cinematic.

Key hook:
“If karma doesn’t get you, don’t get you, baby, I will.”

You can almost see the music video: neon lighting, broken glass, and Lauren walking away from the flames she started.

7. Things You Never Say

This ballad aches with the pain of emotional neglect. Lauren expresses how silence can be more hurtful than cruelty—when the person you love doesn’t say the little things that matter.

She details everything she wishes he would say: “I miss you,” “How’s your day?”—basic phrases that carry weight in their absence.

It’s a painfully accurate depiction of being with someone emotionally unavailable, and hoping—praying—for just a small sign that they care.

8. Long Story Short

Here, Lauren flips the tone. “Long Story Short” is a love letter to the one who got it right. The song is a rare moment of stability and peace—a well-earned emotional breather in the storm.

With heartfelt lines like “We’ll grow old together / I’ll die in your arms,” she shows us that even in the mess, love can be beautiful, simple, and safe.

It’s the kind of song fans will play at their weddings—and maybe cry to years later.

9. WORSE

“WORSE” is pure, undiluted rage disguised as a heartbreak banger. The structure mimics internal screaming: short, staccato lines like “I hope it’s. Worse” echo the pain of betrayal and the desperate desire for karma to deliver justice.

The hook is explosive. This song pulls no punches—it’s designed to make the listener feel the burning resentment of someone who was deeply wronged.

Hardest-hitting line:
“Ten times. The pain. You caused. Me babe.”

10. Pray

One of the most mature moments on the album, “Pray” is about releasing bitterness in favor of peace. Rather than seeking revenge, Lauren chooses grace.

Even after all the pain, she sings: “Wherever you go, I want you to know that I pray.” This is not about reconciliation—but about letting go with dignity.

It’s an anthem of healing and forgiveness that speaks to personal growth. The repetition of “I pray” feels like a mantra—an act of spiritual self-preservation.

11. Looking Up

Loss takes center stage here as Lauren addresses grief and the unanswered questions of losing someone too soon. The emotional core of the song lies in the chorus:
“There better be a heaven, ‘cause I keep on lookin’ up.”

Whether it’s a loved one who passed or someone who simply vanished from her life, the pain is real and raw. This track is a tribute to the ones we talk to in our minds because we never got the closure we needed.

It’s not just sad—it’s universal.

12. Someday…

The final track, “Someday…”, feels like a gentle whisper of hope. Though the full lyrics weren’t provided, even the partial line—“I love the girl / I love the woman / I love me”—tells us this is a song about self-acceptance.

After 11 tracks of heartbreak, chaos, betrayal, and longing, Lauren closes the album not with a scream or a sob—but with love for herself. It’s the perfect end to a journey that teaches us that being a mess is not just human, it’s beautiful.

Themes That Define The Art of Being a Mess

1. Vulnerability as Power
From admitting she feels “shitty” on a beautiful day to confessing that she still prays for someone who hurt her, Lauren wields vulnerability like a sword. She doesn’t just show her scars—she makes them art.

2. Friendships and Female Bonds
“Bridesmaid” isn’t just about losing a friend. It’s about mourning what could’ve been. Female friendships take center stage in a way rarely seen on mainstream pop albums.

3. Revenge and Accountability
“Lighting the Flame” and “IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL)” deliver the emotional gut-punches fans crave. These aren’t sad girl songs. They’re angry girl anthems—empowering, cathartic, and loud.

4. Emotional Duality
The album constantly juxtaposes feelings—beauty and pain, love and betrayal, anger and forgiveness. It’s messy, yes. But intentionally so. The chaos is the point.

5. Grief and Letting Go
Whether it’s mourning a friendship, a romance, or a life, Lauren explores grief in all its forms. And she doesn’t offer easy answers. She just tells the truth.

Final Thoughts: Why This Album Matters

The Art of Being a Mess is Lauren Spencer Smith at her most honest. It’s messy, emotional, and real—and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.

Each track is a page from her journal, shared bravely with the world. Through this album, Lauren reminds us that there’s no right way to heal. No perfect version of love. No neatly packaged ending. Just raw, unfiltered life—and the art that emerges from it.

In a world obsessed with perfection, this album gives us permission to fall apart—and then sing our way back together.

Album Highlights:

  • Most Emotional: “Bridesmaid”
  • Most Empowering: “Lighting the Flame”
  • Best Lyrics: “What a Beautiful Day”
  • Fan Favorite (likely): “IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL)”
  • Most Healing: “Pray”

Stream The Art of Being a Mess now on Spotify, Apple Music, and all digital platforms.
Follow Lauren Spencer Smith on Instagram for behind-the-scenes moments and upcoming tour dates.

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