Lauren Spencer-Smith
Quick Facts
Biography
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.
Career
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.
Episode | Theme | Song Choice | Original Artist | Order # | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "What About Us" | Pink | N/A | Advanced |
"Always Remember Us This Way" | Lady Gaga | ||||
Hollywood Round, Round 1 | Contestant's Choice | "Because of You" | Kelly Clarkson | N/A | Advanced |
Hollywood Round, Round 2 | Group Performance | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Adele | N/A | Advanced |
Hollywood Round, Round 3 | Contestant's Choice | "The Joke" | Brandi Carlile | N/A | Advanced |
Showcase Round / Top 40 | Contestant's Choice | "Respect" | Aretha Franklin | N/A | Advanced |
Top 20 | Contestant's Choice | "Mamma Knows Best" | Jessie J | 10 | Eliminated |
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.
Discography
Studio albums
Album title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN | AUS | IRE | NZ | UK | US | |||
Mirror |
| 45 | 24 | 36 | 14 | 11 | 49 |
|
Live albums
- Unplugged, Vol. 1 (2019)
- Unplugged, Vol. 2 (2019)
Extended play
- Mixed Emotions (2020)
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN | AUS | DEN | IRE | NOR | NZ | SWE | UK | US | WW | ||||||
"Always Remember Us This Way" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||
"Someone You Loved" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Crazy" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mixed Emotions | |||
"Back to Friends" | 2021 | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||
"For Granted" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Fingers Crossed" | 2022 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 19 | 13 |
| Mirror | ||
"Flowers" | 17 | 26 | 38 | 13 | 11 | 27 | 48 | 17 | 55 | 37 |
| ||||
"Narcissist" | 98 | — | — | 71 | — | — | — | 54 | — | — |
| ||||
"Single on the 25th" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||
"Last Christmas" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | 72 | — | |||||
"28" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mirror | |||
"Best Friend Breakup" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Fantasy" (with Gayle and Em Beihold) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"That Part" | — | — | — | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Sad Forever" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mirror (Deluxe) | |||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Other charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
NZHot | |||
"Bigger Person" | 2023 | 11 | Mirror |
Tour
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
North America | |||
19 July 2023 | Boston | United States | Paradise Rock Club |
21 July 2023 | Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts | |
22 July 2023 | Silver Spring | The Fillmore Silver Spring | |
25 July 2023 | New York City | Irving Plaza | |
26 July 2023 | |||
28 July 2023 | Atlanta | Buckhead Theatre | |
29 July 2023 | Lake Buena Vista | House of Blues Orlando | |
31 July 2023 | Austin | Emo's | |
2 August 2023 | Dallas | House of Blues Dallas | |
4 August 2023 | Phoenix | Crescent Ballroom | |
5 August 2023 | San Diego | Observatory North Park | |
8 August 2023 | Los Angeles | The Fonda Theatre | |
11 August 2023 | Santa Ana | Observatory | |
12 August 2023 | San Francisco | August Hall | |
14 August 2023 | Portland | Crystal Ballroom | |
15 August 2023 | Seattle | The Showbox | |
17 August 2023 | Vancouver | Canada | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
Europe | |||
6 September 2023 | Vienna | Austria | Flex |
7 September 2023 | Warsaw | Poland | Palladium |
10 September 2023 | Hamburg | Germany | Docks |
13 September 2023 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Vega |
14 September 2023 | Stockholm | Sweden | Nalen |
17 September 2023 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Melkweg |
18 September 2023 | |||
20 September 2023 | Cologne | Germany | Die Kantine |
21 September 2023 | Brussels | Belgium | Ancienne Belgique |
23 September 2023 | Bern | Switzerland | Bierhübeli |
24 September 2023 | Milan | Italy | Gate |
26 September 2023 | Paris | France | Le Trabendo |
28 September 2023 | Manchester | England | O2 Ritz |
29 September 2023 | Leeds | Leeds Beckett Students Union | |
1 October 2023 | Glasgow | Scotland | SWG3 Galvanisers |
2 October 2023 | Birmingham | England | O2 Institute |
4 October 2023 | Dublin | Ireland | The Academy |
5 October 2023 | |||
7 October 2023 | Bristol | England | SWX |
9 October 2023 | London | O2 Forum Kentish Town | |
10 October 2023 | |||
Oceania | |||
27 October 2023 | Melbourne | Australia | Palais Theatre |
29 October 2023 | Sydney | Enmore Theatre | |
1 November 2023 | Brisbane | The Tivoli | |
4 November 2023 | Auckland | New Zealand | The Powerstation |