Lawrence is an American pop-soul band formed in New York City by siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence. The two have been singing, performing, and writing songs together since they were young children. Later, they were joined by six of their childhood friends to create a group of eight members, which includes two lead vocalists, a group of musicians playing brass instruments, and a full rhythm section.

Their fourth studio album, Family Business, was released on June 21, 2024. The lead song, “Whatcha Want,” reached the Top 40 on the U.S. Pop Chart. It was also highlighted in The New York Times as a “Song Of The Summer (Readers Pick)” and performed live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Another track from the album, “Something In The Water,” was nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instruments & Vocals for Clyde, Gracie, and their brother Linus.

The release of the album was followed by the announcement of the Family Business Tour, which included concerts in Europe and North America in 2024. The tour lasted 18 months and took place in 12 countries and 94 cities across North America, Europe, and Australia.

The band has performed in many locations around the world. They have headlined international tours and opened for other artists, including The Rolling Stones, Jonas Brothers, Jon Bellion, Lake Street Dive, Vulfpeck, Jacob Collier, and others. They have also appeared at music festivals such as Coachella and Outside Lands.

Band formation

Clyde and Gracie Lawrence are siblings who are three and a half years apart in age. They began making music and performing together as children in New York City. Their father, Marc Lawrence, is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and director known for movies such as Miss Congeniality and Music and Lyrics. Their younger brother, Linus, was included in the song "Come On, Brother" on their album Breakfast. He has also appeared in Lawrence's music videos.

Clyde started learning piano at a young age and began writing songs during childhood. In the band, he mainly plays keyboard and sings, but he also sometimes plays bass, guitar, and other instruments. He graduated from Dalton School in New York City in 2011 and earned an undergraduate degree from Brown University in 2015.

Gracie also attended Dalton School and graduated in 2015. She took a gap year to tour with the band before starting college. She was expected to graduate from Brown in 2020 but left school early to work full time with the Lawrence band.

While working on the 2000 film Miss Congeniality, Marc Lawrence was not satisfied with the options for the Miss United States pageant theme song. He asked Clyde, who was five years old at the time, to write a song. Clyde created his own version, and the film's producers added it to the movie without knowing he wrote it. The song became a major part of the film, and Clyde became the youngest member of the Songwriters Guild of America.

While studying at Brown University, Clyde started a band originally named The Clyde Lawrence Band. He sang lead vocals and played keyboard. The band had different members from Brown University, including all of the current Lawrence members. Gracie, who was still in high school, also performed with the band. The group played events on campus and at colleges and venues in the Northeast, gaining many fans through word of mouth. Members of the band performed on Clyde's 2013 debut EP, Homesick. In 2015, during Clyde’s senior year of college and Gracie’s senior year of high school, the band’s name was officially changed to Lawrence.

Seven of the eight members of Lawrence attended Brown University.

Career

Breakfast and Living Room

In 2016, Lawrence released its first full-length album, Breakfast, which reached No. 6 on the iTunes R&B charts on its first day. The album was produced by Grammy winner Eric Krasno and included musical collaborations with members of Snarky Puppy and Lettuce. The single "Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me?" gained more online attention and helped the band reach a larger audience. After Breakfast was released, Lawrence performed on multiple headlining tours across the United States in increasingly large venues.

Their second album, Living Room, was released in September 2018. It was followed by their first appearance on late-night television on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. The album blends elements of Lawrence's past and new musical influences and includes themes about childhood and family. It was co-produced by band members Jordan Cohen (tenor/baritone saxophone) and Jonny Koh (guitar), Brooklyn-based producer Eli Crews, and Clyde and Gracie themselves.

Jon Bellion Collaboration and Hotel TV

In February 2019, Lawrence announced it would open for Jon Bellion on his summer 2019 national tour, the Glory Sound Prep Tour. In June, Lawrence released its first Bellion-produced single, "Casualty." In July, Bellion launched his own record label, Beautiful Mind Records, and signed Lawrence as its first artist. Bellion said his goal with the label was to support artists throughout their careers and create a group of musical creators who work together.

In July 2021, Lawrence released its album Hotel TV on Beautiful Mind Records. Jon Bellion co-produced and co-wrote the songs with Clyde, Gracie, and their bandmates Jordan Cohen and Jonny Koh. The album's lead single, "Don't Lose Sight," was used in a Microsoft commercial. The band performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and closed their sets at Coachella with it. The album's release was supported by Lawrence's largest headline tour in 2021, their first tour after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawrence released its fourth studio album, Family Business, in 2024. The album was co-produced with Jon Bellion and explored themes of family, independence, and life as working musicians. To support the album, the band performed on its largest headlining tour so far, including a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Before the album's release, Lawrence released several singles from Family Business and appeared on Jacob Collier's single "Wherever I Go" and Meghan Trainor's single "Crushin'" from her album Timeless.

The lead single from Family Business, "Whatcha Want," reached the Top 40 on the U.S. Pop Chart. This led to performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Today With Hoda & Jenna, and CBS Saturday Morning.

During this time, Lawrence's popularity grew through high-profile performances, festival appearances, and collaborations. The band was recognized for its independent way of building their careers while keeping creative control.

In December 2025, Lawrence began a 12-week run on Broadway in the show All Out: Comedy About Ambition by Simon Rich, directed by Alex Timbers. The show combines Lawrence's songs about work and business (mostly from Family Business) with Rich's comedy stories on the same topic. It features a rotating cast of comedians, including Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, and others.

In 2026, Clyde Lawrence, Gracie Lawrence, and their brother Linus Lawrence received a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals for the Lawrence song "Something In The Water (Acoustic-ish)."

Musical Style and Identity

Lawrence’s music is a mix of soul, R&B, funk, and pop. The band is known for using live instruments, especially its horn section, which plays an important role in their songs. Critics have pointed out that the way Clyde and Gracie Lawrence sing together is a key part of the group’s sound.

Lawrence gained attention through the “acoustic-ish” video series. In these videos, they perform live versions of their songs with bigger arrangements and guest musicians.

Touring has helped the group grow in popularity. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the band started the Hotel TV Tour, a 53-city tour across North America. A 12-part documentary about the tour was released on the band’s YouTube channel. Later, the band co-headlined a tour with MisterWives. They have also toured with groups like Lake Street Dive, Vulfpeck, Jon Bellion, Jacob Collier, Soulive, O.A.R., and Bernhoft. They have performed at festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Firefly, Okeechobee, Hangout, and Summerfest. Their 2022 Coachella performance was listed as one of the top moments from the festival in Variety magazine. In 2023, the band joined the Jonas Brothers for the entire North America leg of the “Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour.”

In November 2022, Lawrence held their own 3-night festival called Staycation at Brooklyn Steel. Each night had a different theme, such as wedding night, Y2K night, and New York night. Each night included two opening acts and a two-hour set by Lawrence. The festival had unique set designs, songs, and costumes that matched the themes. All three nights sold out, with 6,000 tickets sold, and Lawrence performed more than 70 different songs with little repetition.

In January 2024, Lawrence announced a tour to support their album Family Business. The tour lasted 18 months and took place in 12 countries and 94 cities across North America, Europe, and Australia. It included sold-out shows at venues like Radio City Music Hall in New York City, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, The Forum in London, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.

In 2026, Lawrence will host a second Staycation festival called Staycation: Coast-to-Coast. This event will take place in fall 2026 and will have three nights in New York City at Brooklyn Paramount and three nights in Los Angeles at The NOVO. Details about the themes, opening acts, and other features have not yet been announced.

Other projects

Gracie Lawrence Acting Career

Gracie is a singer and actress. She first performed on Broadway in 2009 in a new production of the Neil Simon play Brighton Beach Memoirs.

She acted with Jonathan Groff in the musical Just in Time, which first performed on April 23, 2025, at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role. She also received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

She has appeared in TV shows such as The Good Wife, The Americans, Younger, and Billions. In 2025, she joined the third season of Sex Lives of College Girls on Max as a regular cast member, playing the character Kacey. In 2018, she played Julie Gardner in the main cast of the series One Dollar. She was featured in Town & Country magazine’s “Modern Swans” September 2018 issue.

Clyde Lawrence, Jordan Cohen, and Jonny Koh formed a production group called The Diner. They have worked on projects with artists such as the Jonas Brothers, Tori Kelly, Jon Bellion, Alec Benjamin, and Shawn Mendes. The Diner helps write and produce all of Gracie’s music.

Clyde’s Composing & Film Scoring Work

From an early age, Clyde helped his father, Marc Lawrence, create music for his films. He contributed the “Miss United States” theme song for Miss Congeniality (2000), an original song (“Dance With Me Tonight”) and additional music for Music & Lyrics (2007), an original song (“New York Is Where I Live”) and additional music for Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009), and the full original score for The Rewrite (2014) and Disney’s Noelle (2019). This project included original music by Clyde Lawrence and Cody Fitzgerald, as well as songs and holiday covers by Lawrence.

More recently, Clyde has created music for many film and TV projects, often working with composer Cody Fitzgerald or bandmate Jordan Cohen. In 2017, Clyde and Jordan collaborated with Chris Bordeaux to create the full original score for the comedy film Landline, starring Jenny Slate. In 2020, they contributed original songs and music for the Hulu reboot of Animaniacs (produced by Steven Spielberg). They have also created music for The Jinx: Part Two (2024), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend (2020), and the CBS show Instinct (2018), among others.

In 2025, Clyde and Cody Fitzgerald composed the full soundtrack for Cooper Raiff’s comedy-drama TV series Hal & Harper (2025), which stars Raiff, Lili Reinhart, Betty Gilpin, and Mark Ruffalo. The show premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was later released on MUBI. This project was their most notable series scoring credit to date and received praise for its unique, character-focused musical style. The official soundtrack with their compositions was released in December 2025.

In 2026, Clyde and Cody Fitzgerald will compose the score for the upcoming coming-of-age comedy Brian.

Advocacy for Musicians’ Rights

Several members of the Lawrence family, especially Clyde Lawrence and Jordan Cohen, have spoken publicly about challenges faced by musicians in the live music industry. They have discussed these issues in interviews, fan Q&A sessions, and their YouTube tour docuseries.

In December 2022, Clyde Lawrence wrote an article for The New York Times about the financial difficulties touring musicians face in the modern music industry. The article explained how ticketing fees, streaming revenue, and touring costs affect artists at different levels of success. Drawing from his experience as a leader of an independent touring band, Clyde argued that many assumptions about musician income are incorrect and that the current system often makes it hard for mid-level musicians to earn a living despite successful tours.

The article received national attention and was discussed in broader conversations about the live music business and ticketing practices in the United States. Experts noted that Clyde’s perspective provided a rare, detailed look at the financial realities of working musicians. The piece was referenced in later media coverage about debates over concert ticket fees and industry changes.

After the article was published, Clyde Lawrence was invited to speak before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee in 2023 during a hearing about competition and transparency in the live entertainment and ticketing industries. As a witness for working musicians, he described the economic pressures faced by touring artists, including rising venue costs, ticketing fees, and the challenges of operating independently in a concentrated marketplace. His remarks were based on the data and experiences shared in the New York Times article.

His testimony was covered by national media and was cited by lawmakers during discussions about antitrust issues and ticketing reform. Clyde’s appearance was highlighted as an example of a touring artist participating in policy debates usually led by industry leaders and trade groups.

In 2024, Live Nation Entertainment launched a program called “On the Road Again,” aimed at reducing fees and costs for developing and mid-level touring artists. The program included measures such as lower merchandise commissions at certain venues and financial incentives to help emerging artists. News reports mentioned Clyde’s article and Senate testimony as influences on the program’s goals. While some artists and industry observers welcomed the initiative, others saw it as a small step in a larger conversation about changing the concert business.

Side Project: Hi-Lo Jack

Hi-Lo Jack is a musical group made up of Clyde Lawrence, Cody Fitzgerald (founder of the indie-rock band Stolen Jars and a frequent collaborator with Clyde on film and TV projects), and Dolapo Akinkugbe, a hip-hop artist who performs under the name DAP The Contract.

In 2017, they released an EP called Old New Clothes.

In 2026, they will release their debut album Group Project on May 1, 2026. They have already released four singles from the album: “Comeback,” “New Place,” “Wish You Could Hold Me,” and “Tryna Be Cool.”

Band members

• Gracie Lawrence – main singer, tambourine player
• Clyde Lawrence – main singer, keyboard player
• Sam Askin – drummer
• Sumner Becker – alto saxophone player
• Jordan Cohen – tenor saxophone player, baritone saxophone player, backup singer
• Michael Karsh – bassist, backup singer
• Jonny Koh – guitarist, backup singer
• Marc Langer – trumpet player, rapper

Discography

• Breakfast (2016)
• Living Room (2018)
• Hotel TV (2021)
• Family Business (2024)

• Breakfast: Unscrambled (Acoustic Sessions) (2018)
• The Live Album (Part 1) (2020)
• The Live Album (Part 2) (2021)
• Acoustic-ish: An album…ish (2025)

• Homesick (2013) (as The Clyde Lawrence Band)

• Lawrence on Audiotree Live (2016)
• Jam in the Van – Lawrence (Live Session, Los Angeles, CA, 2021) (2021)

• "Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me?" (2017)
• "Misty Morning" (2017)
• "Probably Up" (2018)
• "Make A Move" (2018)
• "Casualty" (2019)
• "Casualty" (Acoustic) (2019)
• "It's Not All About You" (2019)
• "The Weather" (2020)
• "The Weather" (Acoustic & Gospel Reprise) (2020)
• "Quarantined With You" (2020)
• "Freckles (Live in LA)" (2020)
• "Freckles" (2020)
• "Don't Lose Sight" (2021)
• "False Alarms" (with Jon Bellion ) (2021)
• "I'm Confident That I'm Insecure" (2023)
• "I'm Confident That I'm Insecure" (Acoustic-ish) (2023)
• "23" (2023)
• "23" (Acoustic-ish) (2023)
• "Guy I Used To Be" (2024)
• "Family Business" (2024)
• "Whatcha Want" (Acoustic-ish) (2024)