Originally from Leicester, singer Lauren Holt moved to Edinburgh in 2010 on a whim, mostly because her partner had holidayed in the city and said it was nice. 'I didn't want to stay stagnant in one place,' she says. 'You can get stuck, you know?' It's in Edinburgh that she's found her own musical style as LAW, teaming with Young Fathers and their producer Timothy London to fuse hip hop and skewed soul on her attention-grabbing debut track 'Hustle'.

Who do you most admire as a singer?

I usually see more inspiration in male singers, because they have a certain presence about them. But I like female singers too, mainly old ones, because they teach you a benchmark of what you're supposed to be doing. Otis Redding, Jimmy Cliff … anyone who sang as an artform rather than an accessory to something else – you know, 'I look good, and by the way I can sing.' It's rare nowadays.

What is it about your sound that makes it distinctive?

What I mainly focus on is subverting clichés and typical hip hop ideologies, and I think that makes it quite progressive and innovative. I don't think it sounds like anything else out there at the moment. We use tough beats but my vocals are quite androgynous. I think as a woman it's good to enter into that world.

What have been the highlights of doing this so far?

Headlining my own show at Sneaky Pete's was good. It was small, but just so nice that people came along because they knew my music and wanted to hear it. Going on tour next month will be fun too, and the association with Young Fathers is fantastic because they're so good.

LAW supports Young Fathers at Stereo, Glasgow, Sat 1 Feb. Her EP 'Haters and Gangsters' is out on Mon 3 Feb.