Lauren Spencer-Smith
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Micah Suarez
January 11, 2022 - 6:00 AM
A young singer and songwriter with a knack for captivating her audiences through social media is topping music charts and now she has her sights set even higher with a move to L.A.
Nanaimo resident Lauren Spencer-Smith released her latest single Fingers Crossed about heartbreak last week and didn’t expect it to soar to the number one spot on iTunes last week. It’s also in the Top 50 Global songs on Spotify and Top 100 songs on Apple Music.
As of Jan. 10, it has been streamed 13 million times on Spotify. Spencer-Smith called the song “universal” in terms of its relatability.
“Break up anthems are kind of always everybody’s favourite because everyone’s been through something, whether it was a friendship break up, or normal break up, or you’re not close to your family anymore, everybody can relate to a heartbreak,” she said.
“The emotion of the song is a little bit angry. It’s not just a ‘oh I’m sad in my room,’ it’s a ‘screw this person’ type of song, so I think people like the aggression and the emotion.”
The 18-year-old anticipated it would perform better than her other songs since it was well-received by her TikTok fans but she had no idea it would top charts.
“I would say, in a great way, that we’re very overwhelmed with just fans reaching out, everybody reaching out, we’re grateful… I can’t sit and think about it too long or I’ll start crying,” Spencer-Smith said.
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In 2020, the teen performed on American Idol and made it to the top 20 before she was eliminated.
Being success-driven is something she said all artists struggle with as they want to top their previous work and she viewed the experience as a stepping stone to further her music career.
“I’m gaining more fans and more followers… I think it’s getting us excited for new releases,” Spencer-Smith said.
As a toddler, she was always singing and her parents would give her a microphone. She remembers wanting to be the centre of attention.
Her singing career really took off when a video she posted of her and her dad singing in a went viral with more than 32 million views on Facebook.
“It helped me connect with a lot of different people who didn’t know who I was,” Spencer-Smith said.
While she spends her time flying New York to Los Angeles, she is most recognized on Vancouver Island. Recently, while spending time in Europe she was recognized in the elevator.
“I can’t go anywhere on the island without someone saying something,” she said. “It can be stressful if you look ugly and you’re like ‘oh my goodness, people are going to recognize me,’ but overall it’s such a cool thing to have.”
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“I can still go places and still go out with my friends and not get attacked on the street… it’s still super cute and super fun.”
Spencer-Smith is moving to L.A., a place she’s dreamed of living in since she was a young child.
“Every time I go to California I’m always meeting with the people in the industry and generally feel like the people I love to work with and hang out all live in the United States so it’s kind of convenient for my career for me to be there,” she said.
COVID-19 has made travel difficult, but it’s something she’s adjusted to.
She’s still writing music and plans to continue releasing singles and possibly an EP.
Growing up Adele has always been a huge influence to Spencer-Smith. She also loves Julia Michaels and Clinton King for their songwriting, artists that aren’t as mainstream, she said. Olivia Rodrigo is another main influence.
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