User:Courtleed/Stef Lang

Stef Lang (born Stephanie Jane Lang, December 30, 1988) is a Canadian Singer, Songwriter, Producer and Performer who resides in Vancouver, BC. Originally from the small town of Ladysmith, BC where her passion for music ignited, she moved to Vancouver at 17 to pursue her musical career in the big city. Lang spent her time playing every pub, bar club, and café she could book and her determination is now paying dividends. Known for her engaging performances and soulful lyrics, Lang released her first full-length album The Underdog (available on iTunes nationwide) in May of 2010, distributed by Hipjoint Music/Universal Music Canada. She achieved mainstream success in 2010 with her instant hit, 'Mr. Immature', which peaked at #5 on The Billboard Chart for Canadian Emerging Artists. Her second single, 'Slave2Love' has just been released. Both songs are in regular rotation on radio stations across the country.

Childhood
Lang, who is half Filipino, was born on December 30, 1988 in Nanaimo, BC to her father Conrad (German) and her mother Manuelita (Filipino). She is the youngest of three children. After her parent’s divorce when she was 5, she followed her sister (Carla) and brother (Mark) who chose to live with their father. Lang was constantly on the move as a result of her father’s career as a land developer and home builder. She spent time in several locations across Vancouver Island and eventually ended up settling down in Ladysmith in 1998.

Lang started singing and also began dance and piano lessons at the age of 5. As a little girl, Lang was happiest when she was surrounded by music. Whether she was singing, dancing, or playing an instrument, she was always eager for more. Celine Dion and Mariah Carey were her early influences.

Teen Years
As a teen, Lang started to perform in music festivals as well as participate in school plays. She was transforming into a true triple threat. At the age of 13, Lang performed in the PNE's Shaw Star Discovery Talent Competition. Although she didn’t place, she continued to thrive. In 2002, she landed her first role in a commercial for Radio Disney. That same summer, Lang also landed a second commercial singing and dancing alongside Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney Spears’ younger sister) for Hasbro’s E-Kara karaoke system.

At 14, Lang took an interest in the guitar. She took lessons for one summer, but quit shortly after to become self-taught (17). Throughout high school, Lang started to develop her interest in songwriting. She found inspiration from artists like Tegan and Sara, Ani DiFranco and Joni Mitchell. She recorded her first independent album at a small studio in Cobble Hill, BC which featured all original music.

Lang performed every chance she could, whether it was singing at local events, talent shows, malls, churches, or even Filipino parties. She continued with voice lessons, acting, and dancing to hone her craft. During High School, Lang also continued to participate in high school plays. She was cast in Alice in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet and The Little Shop of Horrors. She took interest in poetry, art, film and tv, photography and theatre drama, and was a straight A student.

At 15, she landed her first small role in an independent film called Cable Beach, shot in Victoria, BC. She was cast as the main character's younger self. The following year she recorded her second independent album in Victoria, which featured a combination of originals and covers. For her CD release, she organized a benefit concert for her town’s Christmas Food Bank.

Career Beginnings
In the spring of 2006, Lang entered and won The Beat Music Awards, which was a talent competition hosted by Vancouver’s #1 Hit Music Station The Beat 94.5. She won a four-song recording deal with Hipjoint Productions where she worked with producers Mike James and Troy Sampson. The songs “The Beat of my Radio” and “You Make Me Wanna Fly” were written for her and they received airplay that summer. Lang also made it onto the …summer cd with the single ‘ ‘, along side ___, ___ and __.

After graduation, Lang packed her things and moved to Vancouver to pursue her music career. Hipjoint Productions offered her an internship in the studio and office to learn more about the music industry. She spent this time honing her songwriting skills and learning how to run the studio.

Lang worked part time at a local grocery store as a check out clerk while picking up as many gigs around Vancouver’s live music scene. She would call and book gigs herself at places like The Roxy, The Railway Club, The Media Club, The Bourbon, The Main and The Rusty Gull. Lang was well know in the Vancouver music scene. She also worked odd part time jobs as a cashier, retail sales clerk, server hostess and extras on film sets. 2 EP’s were released, titled ‘Birth’ and ‘Blood and Bravery’.

Within 4 years, Lang had written over 250 songs and had recorded them as ‘Volumes’ at Hipjoint Productions. To date there are sixteen volumes of original music acoustically recorded by Stef Lang and head engineer Phil Lehmann. In the spring of 2009, Lang penned a publishing deal with Nettwerk One/H-Songs, who launched the careers of Sarah McLachlan and Coldplay. Nettwerk is home to Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, Chantal Kreviazuk, k-os, Shawn Desman, Raine Maida, Barenaked Ladies, and Sum 41.

Tour

 * Winter 2007 - L.A. Tour (one month long tour)
 * Spring 2010- Western Canada Tour (BC ,AB)
 * Fall 2010 - Canadian Tour (3 weeks)

Song Placements
Two of Stef's songs from "The Underdog" album appeared in episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation, a popular Canadian television series.
 * "Straitjacket" - Season 9, Episode "In Your Eyes"
 * "Diamonds" - Season 10, Episode 28 ""

Other placements include:
 * "Vulnerable" placed in ______
 * "Give A Little Bit" is but a tiny glimpse into the wonderful mind of a budding new storyteller - perhaps the next in what is already a long line of world-renowned Canadian singer songwriters - CTV promo video..(http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081031/bc_bio_stephanie_lang_081031/20081031/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome).

Collaborations

 * 1) Delerium
 * 2) Lupe Fiasco
 * 3) Hawksley Workman

Radio Success
RADIO SUCCESS "Mr. Immature" hit #5 on The Bilboard Chart for Canadian Emerging Artist

Showcases

 * 2009 - Canadian Music Cafe during TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) (Toronto)
 * 2010- NXNE (North by Northeast) (Toronto)
 * 2010- L.A. Reid (three-time Grammy Award-winning American record executive, songwriter, and record producer) at Island Def Jam Records
 * 2010- CMJ (College Music Journal) (New York)


 * General Info:
 * Genres: Pop
 * Distribution: Universal/Hipjoint Music
 * Publisher: Nettwerk One/H-Songs

Band Members
eg.Workman has played live in many configurations. His minimal setup consists of a duo, with Todd Lumley ("Mr. Lonely") playing piano and keyboards alongside Hawksley Workman on the guitar and vocals. During his 2008 tour in support of "Between the Beautifuls" Workman played with a larger band and sang while switching between drums and guitar. Workman's recent configuration for more traditional rock songs consists of the following: Ryan Corrigan ("Hawksley Workman") – vocals, guitar Todd Lumley ("Mr. Lonely") – piano, organ, keyboards Derrick Brady – bass guitar Jesse Zubot – guitar & violin Brad Kilpatrick – drums

Discography

 * Birth EP (2008)
 * Blood & Bravery EP (2009)
 * The Underdog (Debut Full-Length) (2010)

Singles

 * Mr. Immature (The Underdog)
 * Slave2Love (The Underdog)

Co-Writes

 * The Underdog co-written with Rob Wells (Backstreet Boys, Nick Lachey, Cyndi Lauper)
 * Closet Freak co-written with Hawksley Workman and Greg Johnston

Other Work
As a child, Lang was involved in acting, where she appeared in 2 commercials. The first was for Radio Disney, and the second was for Hasbro, where she starred along with Jamie Lynn Spears for eKara, a popular Karaoke toy. Lang also appeared in the short film Talk Me to Death (2004), and a feature length film called Cable Beach playing the role as young Mary (2006).

Philanthropy

 * Lourdes
 * CD Release Food Bank
 * Sarah McLachlan