Bec Lauder found her way into music in a way that often happens in New York: accidentally, and with the right people in the room. It started with Sunday jam sessions in her apartment, though her modeling career was already underway. Then her roommates became her bandmates, and those bandmates became Bec Lauder and The Noise. Originally from Philadelphia, Bec Lauder fully embodies New York City, which she now calls home. A face of the city’s downtown rock revival, the model-turned-frontwoman of the band carries the restless, abrasive energy that made NYC’s rock scene legendary—the same spirit that pulsed through CBGB, spilled onto the Lower East Side, and defined a version of the city that never truly disappeared.

In an editorial video shot by V for the band’s new single “Long Game,” Bec wears A|X Armani Exchange’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection alongside her bandmates, dancers, and special guest, creator Bách Buquen. The visuals are a deliberate nod to 1990s New York nightlife: the grime and glamour of it, the way rock wasn’t just music but a whole atmosphere, a dress code, a reason to stay out until 4 a.m. It mirrors the collection’s own revival of “Basics by Armani” and the brand’s SoHo origins, where its first store opened in 1991. In conversation with V, she discusses the friendships behind her band’s debut album, The Vessel, the relationship that inspired “Long Game,” and how her ballet background shapes her approach to music.

V MAGAZINE: You came to New York for modeling and found yourself living with musicians. Do you remember the moment music became your reason to stay?

BEC LAUDER: Absolutely. I’m from Philadelphia, and I had been out in Milan and did well enough that I was like, “All right, maybe I could go out to New York.” When I was in Milan, I started messing around with music. I had a little band out there, and when I was visiting New York looking for apartments, I was asking everyone if they knew any musicians. I was at this Halloween party in 2022, and I met this guy who was like, “Oh, I have some friends I think you’d like.” And they called him up, and they were like, “Come on over!” That night, I went from this Halloween party to this apartment, and I met all of my future best friends, and we jammed all night. The next day, there was a French model living with them, and she had fallen in love and was moving back to France. They were like, “Do you want to move in?” and I was like, “Absolutely.” The second I moved in, it was the perfect place in the world for me. It was right by Tompkins Square Park, which has so much insane music history, and almost every single day from the moment I moved in, I was jamming with them, and that was how I fell in love. Then my friends became my band, and it happened quickly.

V: So your roommates became the band?

BL: Yeah. We would have these jam sessions every Sunday called the coffee shop, and we would have people over until super late at night, serve coffee, and hang out and smoke, whatever. It was this open jam where our only rule was no rules, and you’re not allowed to tell anybody what you’re playing. You just have to listen. They would pass different instruments to me. “Bec, you’re playing bass today. Bec, you’re playing guitar. If somebody sucked on the mic, [they’d] pass it back to me.” I eventually became the MC of this jam session. I got really confident improvising and playing guitar and bass with people. Then I started writing songs, playing them quietly in the corner. One day, one of my friends was like, “Did you write that?” and I was like, “Yeah,” and they were like, “What the hell? All right, we’re your band now.” Eventually I found my primary collaborators, and I’m really lucky to have a lot of different people that I get to work [with]. It’s some perfect “New York moment” stuff.

V: You’ve talked about people doubting your rock-and-roll credentials. Where do you feel that skepticism most, and has anyone ever challenged you directly?

BL: To be completely honest with you, I don’t really feel that way anymore because I’ve proven to myself that I love what I do and I’m doing things that make me happy. So it doesn’t really matter. Most of the time, after people see me play, things change and people’s attitudes change. My perspective is, I don’t really care what you have to say until you’ve seen me, and then if you see me play, you can say whatever you want. 

V: When did The Vessel become the title for the album, and what did it capture about this particular chapter of your life?

BL: Well, the way that I started making music was jamming. It was so real. I was making music because it was my favorite thing to do with my friends, and it poured out of us all. I feel like the best songs almost exist in the ether, and I felt like I was saying things that maybe other people weren’t saying.I felt like a vessel for everything I was experiencing alongside my peers. It felt really right, especially because I wanted to emphasize that I wasn’t a little pop act. I’m actually writing this stuff. This stuff is coming through me, and it’s awesome and real. My roommates at the time changed my life. They showed me rock music in New York City and the way that you can exist as a musician. I had always been by myself in my journey. I always played music in my room, and nobody ever heard me. Being surrounded by that community gave me a lot of inspiration, and they’ve heard everything. I think writing is really important because if you’re not keeping yourself in check, listening to your own thoughts and reflecting on life, you can miss some stuff.

V: When you were growing up, did you realize you had a knack for music?

BL: Funny you say that. I didn’t for a long time. I went to an art school, and at a certain point I had to choose my major, and it was either going to be orchestra or ballet. I was playing violin, and the orchestra teacher fought for me, but the ballet teacher won, and music took a backseat until high school, when I started playing a ton in my room.

V: That’s interesting because honestly, it seems like the older you are, the harder it is to pick up a language or an instrument. 

BL: Here’s my hot take on that.  A lot of musicians have awesome training, and sometimes it holds them back.I had the advantage of just going for it, and I wasn’t scared to try things because I didn’t know what was right or wrong. I’m surrounded by a ton of musicians who had to unlearn a lot of things, and I was like, “You know what? This is cool. I’m going into things with truly just my instincts, what I want to do, and my own taste.” You could say that it gets harder as you get older, but I think the truth is that people usually develop more fear as they get older, and I went into it with a lot of ignorance and bliss.

V: “Long Game” was inspired by your dating life. Has romance gotten any easier, or is it still keeping you well supplied with lyrics?

BL: I think you can find inspiration everywhere. It’s more in hindsight; I’ll be inspired by things. “Long Game” was inspired by one conversation at a club. It was my rebuttal to my last relationship, and basically he was like, “I just don’t think that you’re successful enough,” and I was like, “I don’t think you see the long game. Who are you?” Let’s hope my love life gets better. I think all of the adventures are a lot more inspiring than if I was just doing really well, settled down. I think that I have grown so much as a person over the past couple of years, and I’m at a place in my life where I’m growing into full form, Bec. If I had settled down with someone a couple of years ago, I don’t know if what I was looking for then and what I’m looking for now would align.

V: You directed “Nobody Cares” and brought Brooklyn Nets dancers into “Give It.” When you’re writing a song, do you already see the world it could inhabit onscreen?

BL: When I’m planning, I have visions of everything. For me, the music is the soundtrack to the universe. Coming from dance and going into music, the way I think about sounds is very movement-based. “Give It” is such a funky track. I can’t sing it without moving. When I’m in the studio, I’m dancing all over the place. My shoes are off. I’m going for it. 

I can’t make the music without moving, and I feel like the essence of movement is inside of all of those songs. My friend Sophie Olzack, who choreographs for me, is the coolest choreographer and movement director ever. She had never done a music video before. We did everything together, and I just liked the way she moved. I liked her swag, and I was like, “You can do this!” Then we did it, and she was great. She was the best ever.

V: Dancing brings pop music to mind. Do you think you would ever try making music in that genre? 

BL: Well, here’s the thing: I have never in my life sat down and gone, “I’m going to write a rock song.” I just make music, and it’s so fluid. I have so many tracks that are pop songs. I have so many tracks that are electroclash and punk and folk and everything. When you’re making music organically, it is whatever it is. As I’m getting older, I’m starting to see myself accepting the fact that maybe I could be some sort of pseudo-popstar eventually. But I have only accepted that with my confidence in the music I’m making. I was always very anti-pop, but then as soon as I was like, “Okay, I’m in the street, I can write some stuff,” I was like, “Do a little pop track. It won’t kill anyone.”

V: Has a night out ever become a song? 

BL: M It’s more in hindsight; I’ll be inspired. “Long Game” was inspired by one conversation at a club. It was my rebuttal to my last relationship, and basically he was like, “I just don’t think that you’re successful enough,” and I was like, “I don’t think you see the long game. Who are you?” I feel like it’s usually… I don’t know if I’ve ever been at the club and heard a certain sound that inspires something, but I don’t know if it’s that cut and dry.

V: Take me through your ideal night out in New York, from the first stop to wherever you end up when you should probably be home. 

BL: I would love to maybe start the night at Ornithology. The wine is step one, and then you get into the cocktails, and once you have the cocktails, then things start getting a little more interesting. Then perhaps you go to Night Moves; maybe you’re dancing to some disco, you’re breaking it down, and then you go to a diner. If Tina’s was open at midnight, I would be going to Tina’s, but unfortunately it’s not. So I’m going to have to find some other diner to go to. I think the best nights end when you leave the party with your friends and you’re drunk at a diner, laughing over the stupidest things in the entire world. I’m getting a burger, and then I’ll walk myself home, and it will be the silliest little walk you’ve ever seen in your life. I’ll be dancing while I have my headphones on.

Starring Bec Lauder & The Noise (MANNS MGMT NYC)

Directors Stephen Gan & David Barron 

Still Photography Petros Kouiouris 

Fashion Fani Polychroniou 

Cast Pâcome Denim, Gigi Giobbi Valentino, Bach Buchen (United Talent Agency), Jake Dupont (Ricky Michiels), Josephine Dupont (Kev MGMT), Fisher Burney (The Society Management), Tashi Yangzom (Heroes Model Management), Alaïa, Niko Haagenson, Roemyl Mendez (Wilhelmina), Zeke Lindsey (Lot 17), Tass Sall (Soul Artist Management)

Makeup Kento Utsubo (Home Agency)

Hair Isaac Davidson (The Only Agency) using Phyto and Wigbar

Manicure Nori (SEE Management) using Chanel Beauty

Digital Director Mathias Rosenzweig 

Casting Goran Macura (Macura Productions)

Fashion Market Editor Gabby Buchan

Executive Producer Kevin Warner (WAK Creative)

Associate Producer Nick Lambrakis 

Production Coordinator Drew Bosset

1st AC Oskar Peacock 

2nd AC Marlo Irani 

Gaffer Andrew Beardsworth 

Key Grip Katelyn Markham O’Halloran 

Photo Assistants Galina Vyrva, Huy Duong, Beka Maglakelidze 

Styling Assistants Irene Crespo, Wiktoria Swiderska 

Makeup Assistants Fiona Passalacqua, Joey DeVirgilio, Erika Guzman 

Hair Assistants Leslie Tejada, Jet Keefe

Manicure Assistants Mandy Pham

Production Assistants Armando Guerrero, Alex Szymczak

Director of Editorial Film Mynxii White

Location Baby’s All Right