I have been singing for as long as I can remember. I had my
first band at 14, sang all throughout high school, played piano and guitar,
and ended up studying jazz and voice at Temple University in Philly. I left
school early when I figured out that I could do what I loved and make money!
It wasn't a lot, but always found it remarkable that someone would pay
anything me to do what I loved most. I recently graduated college and let me
tell you I definitely overshot the four year plan.
My music is an eclectic mix. I grew up listening to soul of
Annie Lennox, Nina Simone, and Latin singer Astrud Gilberto. I loved the big
way Chrissie Hynde, Ella and Gladys sang. But I especially admired the
writers Aimee Mann, Carole King, & Ricki Lee Jones. Pop music can be
very smart and still rock. Who came up with the thought of having one or the
other? Together they are a powerful combination. A great song in any genre
crosses the line and is always a great song.
Through singing, I eventually ended up living in the south
of France. I sang and played my guitar wherever I could. I got a good break
at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo and wound up as the house opening act.
They don't have the same music niches that we have here, so on any given
week I might be playing in front of artists like The Gypsy Kings, Stan Getz
or Tina Turner. I once even opened for Frank Sinatra. Fly me to the moon
baby.
I moved back to the states a few years later to pursue my
career as a recording artist. This is what I truly wanted. Again, I played
anywhere and everywhere I could. My band and I have been the opener for
Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Train, Matthew Sweet, 10,000 Maniacs, Lisa Loeb and
were invited by Bill Clinton to play at his inauguration in Washington D.C..
The President sat in and played sax on a couple of tunes with us. Very
exciting, musically painful. In 1996 I signed my first record deal with
Columbia records.
We recorded In Los Angeles and shared the studio for those
three months with Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I
had arrived! My mates and I joked the whole time about how we were going to
finish the record and then everyone at the label who championed us would
then get fired. The typical label horror. Ha Ha. It happened, only several
weeks after we finished.
No one was looking out for us and the album is now somewhere
on the dusty, forgotten Sony shelves. So with our heads between our legs we
trekked back to New Jersey . After unsuccessful attempts to buy the record
back. I decided to go it on my own. I started my own label called Gypsy
Girl. I wrote, produced and financed my own work. With the help of friends
like Eric Bazillian and Rob Hyman of the Hooters producer Phil Nicolo, and
my good buddy Chris Z., I finished the CD, PAINTED BRIDE. Victory was mine.
A friend from Virgin records stepped up and offered to do our radio
promotion. We had air play, we were touring, and we were invited to perform
on national TV for CBS This Morning in NYC. Not bad for an unsigned act. We
garnered enough attention to get an offer from another label Red Ant/BMG.
Mistake number two, as the label slowly spun out of control going bankrupt
in a matter of weeks taking Painted Bride and me down with it.
Isn't it three strikes you're out?
Again I returned home to Jersey, and began plotting my next
move. I took a job as the national anthem singer for the Philadelphia
Flyers. I suppose I had an in, and an unusual fondness for large men with
fake teeth. (Oh, by the way the Canadian anthem is much nicer than ours.) I
worked several extra jobs such as receptionist, accountant, video game
developer, and was the Ocean Spray Raisin Girl. (do not ask)
Determined, I started to write my third CD. During this
time, I lost my Dad ( way too soon) to cancer. To add insult to injury, I
discovered a few weeks later that I too had cancer. Strangely enough, I was
diagnosed with a form of the disease known as NHL. Highly curable, common in
young people and very scary. So, I spent the next six months singing only
for the hockey club, writing away at home, and contemplating the thought
that bald is beautiful. The whole city watched me weekly as I trudged out
onto the ice to perform, my voice still ringing , my dome all aglow. We went
through it together. In the unusual forum of sport and music, I rallied.
Being a tough Jersey Girl I won this fight hands down and am now as happy
and healthy as ever!
My story is not a sad one. It is just mine. I could be your
friend , your sister, or your girlfriend. We all have had our share. It just
so happens that my art is to tell a story, and the one I know most
intimately is my own.
So here I am now, 2001. Strong and alive, looking forward to
the release of my third CD DRIVE. I already have one of the tracks slated
for a new movie called JOHN Q with Denzel Washington and Robert Duvall. Not
too shabby. The record is due out late spring.
Oddly enough the fallout from my first record deal allowed me to become a
better artist, and to be truer to who I am. The second CD taught me to be
self sufficient and that my career is dependent on no one but me. I need no
permission to be an artist. Loss has showed me a greater purpose. And, my
third CD is teaching me that life goes on and reminds me of why I love my
life and my music the way I do.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/laurenhart
