Aurora, Ontario singer-songwriter Laura Fortini is drawing on a deeply personal family experience for her latest single, “Shattered,” as she continues work on a 14-track self-titled debut album.
“Shattered” is the second song Fortini has released publicly and is expected to appear as the 10th track on the forthcoming album. The release follows her debut single, “Look In,” which arrived Oct. 10, 2025, and forms part of a growing catalogue built around autobiographical songwriting.
The new track was inspired by a difficult experience involving Fortini’s twin brother and her feelings of helplessness as she watched the situation unfold without being able to discuss it openly.
‘Shattered’ Emerged From a Private Family Experience
Fortini wrote the song four days after witnessing the family conflict. At the time, she was staying in her grandparents’ spare room while her family’s new home was under construction.
She was two days away from turning 16 when she began putting the experience into music. Unable to speak directly with her brother or parents about what she had witnessed, Fortini used songwriting to process the emotions and anxiety surrounding the situation.
“This song has the most exact, vulnerable and honest portrayal of how I felt at the time,” Fortini says, “and it’s also the most accurate demonstration of the type of person I am.”
The same spare room would later become the setting where Fortini wrote “Lights Went Out,” another autobiographical track inspired by a bittersweet memory from her teenage years.
Fortini and Songsbury Focused on Preserving the Song’s Emotion
“Shattered” was written and composed by Fortini and produced by Mathew Teofilo, professionally known as Songsbury. The recording continues an ongoing collaboration between the singer-songwriter and producer.
Rather than reducing the intensity of the original composition, Fortini said the production process was designed to preserve the emotions she experienced when writing it.
“When we were working on this song, Mat and I, we tried to get to the core of the situation,” she says of collaborating with producer Songsbury. “I tried to have it so that the actual thoughts, sensations, sentiments and, ultimately, the intentions were what was communicated in the way we did the music and composition, and of course the lyricism. We wanted to make it abundantly clear what the gravity of the situation was, or at least how it felt back then. Hopefully, when you hear it, you understand what I meant in forming the song this way, and hopefully it can be related to.”
A lyric video for “Shattered” is currently available on YouTube, with a full music video planned for a later release.
Earlier Music Builds Audience Beyond Aurora
Fortini’s emerging catalogue has already attracted media attention outside her hometown. “Lights Went Out” received coverage from Canadian and international outlets including Tinnitist, Cashbox Canada, Record World International and Aurora Today.
The song also received broadcast attention from CW33 in Dallas, ATV Today in the United Kingdom and Concert Monkey in Belgium, expanding the reach of Fortini’s early releases beyond the Canadian market.
Musical Training Began in Early Childhood
Fortini began piano lessons at age four and vocal training at six. She later completed Royal Conservatory of Music examinations with honours and First Class Honours.
At 12, she added guitar and songwriting to her musical development, shortly after attending Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour for her first concert. Her training subsequently expanded through choir and theatre, while she independently learned basic music production to create demos.
Those early recordings ultimately helped establish her collaboration with Teofilo.
Fortini continues her Royal Conservatory studies while pursuing a degree in English, History and Humanities at York University. She has also taken a Concert Choir course through the university’s Fine Arts and Music program.
Debut Album Continues to Take Shape
“Shattered” represents another step toward Fortini’s planned 14-track debut album, which currently has three songs completed.
The project is developing around experiences drawn from Fortini’s own life, with songwriting serving as a way to communicate subjects she has sometimes found difficult to express directly.
With “Shattered,” the Aurora artist is continuing that approach, turning a private teenage experience into one of the most personal recordings of her emerging career.