Lauren Spencer-Smith

Lauren Spencer-Smith (born September 28, 2003) is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter from Port Alberni in British Columbia.

Her 2019 album Unplugged, Vol. 1 was a Juno Award nominee for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020, but lost to Shine a Light by Bryan Adams. She appeared as a contestant on the eighteenth season of American Idol in 2020, placing in the top 20 in the competition.

In 2022, Spencer-Smith became more known internationally when her self-released song "Fingers Crossed" reached the top 20 in numerous countries, including the US and making the top 10 of the charts in numerous countries including Australia, New Zealand and the UK. This was on the back of a demo of the song which had gone viral on TikTok. In this way, Spencer-Smith's rise to popularity and success on social media has sometimes been compared to that of American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. Spencer-Smith released her song "Flowers" in 2022 and it charted in several countries. Both songs ended up on her 2023 studio album Mirror.

Early life
Spencer-Smith was born in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, on September 28, 2003. She moved to Canada at the age of three with her parents and brother and discovered her passion for music not very long after. Spencer-Smith's first performance was in front of her school at the age of six but her parents said that she has been singing since she could talk.

YouTube
Spencer-Smith joined YouTube in 2014 where she posted her contest audition, won and got a life changing opportunity to perform on stage with Keith Urban. After this, she knew she'd sing forever and she started posting covers. In 2019, she made a cover of "Always Remember Us This Way" that caught Steve Harvey's attention who invited her to his show.

American Idol
In 2020, she got to compete in the eighteenth season of American Idol, but was eliminated from the competition during the Top 20 round. Spencer-Smith performed from her father's home in Port Alberni with a view of Sproat Lake in her background. It was after this that her social media following grew.

Music
Spencer-Smith went viral on TikTok January 2022 when she released her first single "Fingers Crossed" with over 30 million views even before it was released and 10 to 15 million streams within 12 hours of its release. She followed it up in April with her hit song "Flowers." Spencer-Smith chose contrasting titles. "Flowers" title was a trauma response she had after transitioning to a healthy relationship where her then boyfriend bought her flowers randomly where she was used to receiving them as an apology. She told People magazine that "Flowers" was one of her favorite songs to write. The album, Mirror, contains 15 tracks.

Live albums

 * Unplugged, Vol. 1 (2019)
 * Unplugged, Vol. 2 (2019)

Extended play

 * Mixed Emotions (2020)