The Human Signal — with Laura Sheeran

In this episode, I talk about returning to film work after a month in the theatre, and about an opera project I’ve been invited to create a visual accompaniment for — an abstract film responding to music rather than narrative. I share how I approach translating sound into image, why instinct and intuition matter more to me than explanation, and what it’s like to be given complete freedom to follow...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I reflect on where the Persona Project has landed after a year of expansion, exhaustion, doubt, and unexpected growth. I talk through how the original four-album plan dissolved as new personas, projects, commissions, and realities emerged — and why letting go of rigid structure has actually brought the work back to life. From film and large-scale public commiss...

Guys, you couldn’t make it up.. first it was my phone, then it was my bank account, then it was social media, and now, as if I couldn’t get barred from any more parts of my own life, I found myself barred from entering my very own bedroom. This was NOT the podcast I had planned to share with you today 😅 I’ll be back tomorrow with a full episode updating on some cool The Persona Project stuff, we...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I talk through my ongoing process of de-Googling and de-Meta-ing my life that I have taken on as a personal challenge for this year. I talk through some of the alternatives I’ve been moving towards (linked below) and reflect on wiping my phone and how it brought up so many things, again, about digital dependency, access, and control. I then read on through the...

In this episode, I reflect on a vivid dream I had about first world witchcraft where I witnessed earth’s funeral and saw the unprocessed collective grief and fear of humanity being expressed via collective unconscious as a collective psychosis. I then continue reading from my article, focusing on intuition and gut knowledge as key forms of human intelligence, the healer/witch dichotomy, and the ‘m...

In this episode, I reflect on why I make music at all: for emotional processing, comfort, and to support a calm, regulated nervous system. I want my work to be grounded in integrity, honesty, and quality, and to support financial stability without compromising my values. More than anything, I’m questioning inherited ideas of “success” in music and choosing a slower, more balanced, and genuinely fu...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I return to Part 2 of Artists, it’s Time to Take Back Your Power and read from a section called “Chaos, Art and Human Time.” I talk about the anxious instability of living through rapid technological acceleration — a world where anything is possible, yet nothing feels dependable — and how that same speed of change is showing up in everyday life, from cashless s...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I talk through what happened when I lost access to my phone for a day while I was away from home, and why it shook me so deeply. I reflect on financial dependency, cashless systems, women’s safety and autonomy, and the terrifying fragility of our lives when they are organised entirely through a single device. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss t...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I read through the Bots vs Pirates section of my essay Artists, It’s Time to Take Back Your Power [Part 2] I unpack Spotify’s selective outrage over scraping, the weaponisation of language around piracy, and how AI extraction is being tolerated while human interventions are criminalised. This episode is about language, power, and why I would rather my work be p...

In this episode of The Human Signal , I read the first chapter of Part Two of my essay “Artists! It’s Time to Take Back Your Power!” I talk about why Part 2 sat unpublished for over a month, how global political collapse can make creative work feel irrelevant or even obscene, and why I chose to post it anyway. I talk about leaving Spotify and Twitter/X, the erosion of digital and financial autonom...

In this episode of The Human Signal, I talked about rehearsing "The Art of Gentle Punk" by Little John at the McLally Theatre, navigating uncertainty in the creative process - decision-making, script changes, direct collaboration, industry pressures, human connection and storytelling, musical innovation working with Lj’s newly invented Dharmaphone instrument, and the value of human-focused art-mak...

In this episode, I share why I’ve renamed my podcast to “The Human Signal” and reflect on embracing inconsistency as part of the creative journey. I describe the inspiration I found in witnessing Katie Taylor’s fight and how that spark led to a unique collaboration for my “Fighter” persona. Join me as I talk about channeling adversity into art, the behind-the-scenes process of recording with Katie...

In this episode, I talk through a moment in the studio while mixing a track called Simulacrum from my upcoming record, Skin and Bones . While trying to identify a missing element in the song that was needed to tie a particular section together, an unexpected connection was sparked in my brain between memory and creative intuition. It led me down a path revisiting one of my favourite artists in the...

Hello and welcome to the spaghetti juntion in my Brain. Today I am reading through the third and final part of my most recent essay, I-AI-Woman-Womb. I discuss the Albanian government’s introduction of a digital AI minister, Diella, who is “pregnant” with 83 parliamentary assistants, reflecting our increasingly dystopian reality. I reflect on how AI systems, optimised for efficiency, exclude human...

Hello and welcome to the spaghetti juntion in my Brain. Today I am reading through the second part of my most recent essay, I-AI-Woman-Womb. I reflect on the feminisation of AI and its implications for women’s bodies and the future of humanity. I talk about the Blade Runner films as an example of how we see these dynamics playing out through sci-fi on the big screen. I reflect on Donna Haraway’s e...

Hello and welcome to the Spaghetti Junction In My Brain. Today I am reading through the first section of my most recent essay, titled I-AI-Woman-Womb. In this episode, I reflect on the feedback loops between real life and technology and how AI and digital culture shape, and are shaped by, our experiences as humans. I discuss gender roles in tech, the influence of pornography on sexual expectations...

Hello and welcome to the Spaghetti Junction in my brain. In this episode, I discuss the origin of my most recent article, "I-AI-Woman-Womb” . From concerns over the normalisation of sexual violence via sexbots, to insights from Donna Haraway’s ‘Cyborg Manifesto’ which shows technology as a great equaliser, to the curious case in September 2025 of a ‘pregnant’ AI minister in Albania, I expand on th...

In this episode, I dive into some tangled thoughts about why I feel compelled to speak and share through the medium of this podcast. I question what the podcast really is and reflect on the difference between exchanging facts and sharing energetic, vivid conversation. I discuss self-censorship, the difference between using your voice through speech and through song, and the responsibility that com...

In this episode, I reflect on my decision to remove my music from Spotify and the deeper issues behind that move. I talk about how, as an independent artist, retaining control over my work has always been a priority, especially in light of Spotify’s practices around licensing and AI integration—which often leave artists powerless, even after they take their music down. I share my concerns about ho...

In this episode, I dive into Spotify’s latest AI-driven features and the introduction of their new internal system, Sumo. I unpack what these changes mean for independent artists like myself. Throughout the episode, I share my own experiences and frustrations with the platform: the lack of meaningful financial returns, the push for artists to pay for reach, and the ever-increasing reliance on algo...

In this discussion, I critique Spotify’s terms and conditions, pointing out their ethical compromises and how they hurt artists. Spotify’s practices are the worst in the industry, their terms are more exploitative than any other platform in four distinct ways - this episode breaks them all down. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus e...

In this episode, I examine how artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry, sharing insights on issues like Deezer’s AI labeling, the rise of AI-generated figures such as Zania Monet, and shifting industry policies and licensing deals with organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and Warner Music. I discuss the challenges these developments pose for human artists—including the ethical and cre...

An overview of the chaos and my thoughts on the importance of staying true to the creative journey amidst an ever-changing industry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasheeran.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasheeran.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Thoughts on the Importance of Embracing Creativity While Acknowledging a World in Crisis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasheeran.substack.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.