Singer-songwriters Lauren Anderson and Kara Frazier have released their new collaborative single, “3rd Degree,” a blues-soul track exploring emotional risk and the self-awareness we sometimes ignore. Written and recorded by Anderson and Frazier and produced by Zakk Garner, the song is out today on all major streaming platforms.
Anchored in restrained tension, “3rd Degree” depicts the moment when attraction overrides judgment—or when you choose connection despite its cost. The slow-burn arrangement gives space for the vocals to lead, layered over modern blues textures and understated soul. As the song progresses, the tension rises, with Anderson and Frazier trading lines more rapidly near the close, bringing the emotional stakes to the surface.
“3rd Degree” gestures toward a kind of clarity that’s freeing, even when it has nowhere to land—starting the slow shedding of a toxic chrysalis.
For Kara, the song emerged from a deeply personal writing process:
Writing this song with Lauren was very cathartic for me as a songwriter and person. The process allowed me to work through the feelings of learning the hard way that not everyone is meant to stay in your life for the long-haul, and to take people at face value when they show you their true colors.
Having our friend Zakk Garner produce it was also a dream come true! Between the three of us, our love for blues, soul and rock came together in such a cool way and ultimately gave the song its unique personality. We hope that this song helps people feel less alone in learning who they can trust in life and protecting their peace.
Lauren frames the song as a study in recognition without escape:
We’ve all met a person like this before. It could be a friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend. But someone who lights you up but in a dangerous way. You can tell their intentions are fully self-centered, and as soon as they don’t see you as being useful, they pull the rug out from under you. This is a song for every narcissist in our lives that we’ve been fooled by. When you know someone is no good but you get burned anyway.
Lauren honed her soulful, lyric-driven voice in the suburbs of Chicago, pairing classical training—an undergraduate degree in Opera and a Master’s in Music Therapy—with deep emotional intelligence. Now based in Nashville, she has shared stages with Beth Hart, Samantha Fish, and Charlie Berry, and earned a Global Music Silver Award for Best Blues Song as well as a 2025 Josie Music Award at the Grand Ole Opry for Best Jazz/Blues Vocalist of the Year. Her third studio album, Burn It All Down, reached #13 on the Billboard Blues Charts in 2022, and she currently appears on Season 28 of NBC’s The Voice on Team Snoop.
Also based in Nashville, Kara brings bluesy vocals and Southern soul rooted in pop and Americana. A Jacksonville, Florida native, she has worked with Grammy-winning producer Shannon Sanders and blues legend Taj Mahal, and has shared stages with Yola, Southern Avenue, and Bre Kennedy. Named Lightning 100’s Artist of the Week in 2025, her music has been featured on Lightning 100.1 FM and XPLR’s Nashville Daily. Her latest EP, In Your Bones, is out now, with a new EP and a collaborative project with Kenny Sharp on the way.
For more music, and tour dates, visit LaurenAndersonMusic.com and www.karafraziermusic.com/.
