‘There are so many creative people hiding their struggles – they think they have to’ – Laura Silverstone

“It just felt so… cringe,” blushes Laura Silverstone. “It just felt so, I don’t know, girly.”

The singer-songwriter is sitting cross-legged in the trusty van she has called home for the past eight years or so. It’s strewn with plants, pictures, instruments, cosy blankets, vegan food and hand-crafted mugs. She’s talking, of course, about her new single Morning Pink, written here and due to be shared with the world this Friday.

“I was feeling really stuck on my songwriting,” she admits. “I went out to East Lothian and had this lovely night in a woodland I love spending time in. I woke up to this beautiful, crispy, quiet morning. Early spring, lots of flowers and pretty things around me. And I just sat down and wrote about how I felt and how beautiful everything was.”

As she began to write, she found herself describing colours – pinks and greens and light – and feeling strangely self-conscious about it. “It’s so girly, so pretty,” she laughs again. “Not seeing it, but writing about it made me uncomfortable. So then I started writing about that feeling, asking myself, why do I feel that way? Why does this softness make me embarrassed?”

“I’ve built my personality to come across as strong, independent, all these years. And it was a moment when I realised that other people around me were unafraid of being vulnerable, showing their fragility – and that my friendships were starting to grow more honest. I realised I was starting to feel more at ease with being open and vulnerable with them. 

“There’s something about it that feels cringe to me when it comes from myself. But I don’t feel that way when other people are like that. So it’s about letting loose and not being afraid of being all the things that you are.”

The Edinburgh-based artist is well known for her poetic introspection in her songs, and fearless, energetic live shows, where she often admits to “oversharing”. 

But this time, it feels different. Morning Pink captures that realisation in song. It’s tender, atmospheric, maybe even quietly defiant, and a world away from the restless, travelling spirit of her 2024 album Heartwood, which charted her life on the road and her search for belonging.

“One of the lines I wrote was, ‘I’m no longer hiding. I’m no longer pretending that I am some form of Wonder Woman.’ It’s just admitting to yourself that you’re not invincible and that you don’t have to be.”

For Silverstone, that admission runs deeper than self-image. Diagnosed with ADHD at the age of ten, she says being neurodivergent shapes everything from her creativity to her daily routine. “Being neurodivergent in the music industry can feel like running uphill in sand,” she says. “You love it, but everything takes twice as much energy. Filling in funding forms, replying to hundreds of emails, trying to stay organised – it’s a lot. I used to beat myself up for struggling with things that looked easy for everyone else.”

For years she hid those struggles, masking her difficulties in an industry that often rewards control and composure. Morning Pink then is perhaps a turning point. “When I wrote it, I was thinking about that moment when things finally start to make sense,” she says. “For a long time, I felt like I had to hide the parts of myself that didn’t fit – the chaos, the forgetfulness, the way my brain never sits still. I didn’t realise those were actually the parts that made me creative.”

She describes the song as “that sunrise after a stormy night, where the light feels different, and you feel different”. It’s a simple image, but one that somehow will make sense to many.

After sketching the song in her van, she travelled to Germany to record with producer Bob Vogson at Lipaka Studio. “I reached out to Bob because I thought he had the sensibility for the music I wanted to create,” she says. “He instantly said, ‘this is different. I like this.’ He really helped transform Morning Pink from a singer-songwriter with her guitar in the woods to the production that it’s become – he made it feel like you’re there in that forest. You can even hear the birds.”

She laughs, recalling the moment. “He said, ‘We need birds. What kind of morning is this without birds?’ But the last time I added nature sounds to my songs, I was 14 and it was on free software and it was, honestly, just awful. But he blended it beautifully. Suddenly we were watching the sunrise in the forest.”

The warmth of the recording comes from its simplicity. There’s one vocal take that runs through the song, supported by humming, breathy textures and gentle harmonies. “We did a lot of humming, blowing air into the mic, wide-open mouth stuff,” she says. “It gives Morning Pink that floating feeling without you being able to pinpoint why. I’d never done that before. You feel a bit silly sometimes, but then you see it all come together. It’s pure magic.”

Silverstone hopes the single resonates beyond her own story. Official figures suggest that as many as one in ten people in Scotland are neurodivergent, and she wants Morning Pink to speak to those who often feel unseen. “There are so many creative people hiding their struggles because they think they have to,” she says. “I wanted to write something that says you don’t have to mask to belong. You can take it off. You can just be you.”

She believes the creative world still has work to do. “We talk a lot about diversity and mental health, but not enough about neurodiversity,” she says. “There are incredible artists who just need a bit of understanding – simpler processes, better communication, space to work how their brains work. Creativity doesn’t fit neatly into boxes, and neither do we.”

She’s in good company. Annie Lennox revealed her ADHD diagnosis at 70 and called it her “superpower”. will.i.am has said his ADHD fuels his creativity, while Norwegian artist Aurora has spoken about the strain of touring on her neurodiverse routines. Silverstone pauses at the comparison, contemplative, then nods. “It’s a love letter to everyone who’s still figuring it out,” she says. “It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress, about letting yourself feel how much better you are now, and hoping things keep getting better.”

As the nights draw in with winter, she hopes Morning Pink offers a small pocket of light. “I wanted it to feel like a warm hug,” she says. “It’s a song about spring, but that warmth matters in gloomy November too. I get the seasonal blues, and I think as it kicks in, I’m starting to feel the song more. I hope it reminds people that even in the dark, there’s still that soft pink morning waiting for you.”

• Morning Pink, out on Friday, 14 November, 2025.