Synopsis

In an empty theater, Natasha Khan moves between the dressing room and the stage, preparing for a performance while embodying the lonely, larger-than-life Laura. Marques Toliver appears as a fellow performer, sharing a brief dance with Khan before she takes the spotlight. Later, an older man in a dress joins her, giving the video a tenderly eccentric image of companionship and theatrical transformation. The backstage spaces, empty auditorium, and subdued choreography mirror the song's sadness beneath its glamorous surface.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video features Lavinia Co-op, a veteran drag performer, alongside Marques Toliver. Lavinia portrays the figure associated with Laura, while Toliver appears as a fellow performer.

• Its setting and structure move from dressing-room preparation to stage performance and the empty theater beyond it, giving the song the atmosphere of a show continuing after its audience has disappeared.

• "Laura" was released as the lead single from Bat For Lashes' third album, "The Haunted Man," in 2012.

• The song was Natasha Khan's first co-write. She wrote it with Justin Parker, and the pair reportedly completed it in roughly two to three hours.

• The finished recording remained close to the original demo. Additional gentle horns were recorded at Abbey Road, but the song resisted more elaborate production changes.

• Khan cited the 1970 film "Ryan's Daughter" as a visual influence on "The Haunted Man," particularly its images of longing, sensuality, and women waiting for emotionally or physically absent men.

• The video received a nomination for Best Performance at the 2012 Antville Music Video Awards.