Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Richards.
Hi Lauren, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the suburbs of Los Angeles county. Raised by a big beautiful family of Hispanic immigrants. I grew up attending nondenominational churches where my parents had us kids singing every chance we got. My love for music started there. When I graduated high school, I was heavily involved in choir and dance so it only made sense for me to study music at University. At Cal State Fullerton I trained in Opera and Choral Conducting and when I graduated at age 23, I decided I wanted to see as much of the world as possible. I decided I wanted to become a cruise ship singer. Problem was I only had training in classical singing and I needed to learn how to sing pop/rock. I spent two years listening to Céline Dion and Whitney Houston trying to emulate the sounds that came out of their mouth as they sang. Eventually, I was hired by Carnival Cruise Line as a singer/dancer! Dream come true!
I traveled for eight years from Australia to Europe. During my travels, I learned how to create and produce my own shows. It was an epic adventure but LA was calling me home. I came back in 2018 to work in TV and commercial casting. I learned about on-screen production and got to work on music videos for artists such as Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake. I couldn’t stay away from singing for too long however and was hired by a local rock band to do backing vocals and help produce our music videos. Now I am currently a singer and producer for hire, taking gigs whenever I can.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly wasn’t always smooth sailing. When I initially decided I wanted to sing on ships, I was auditioning 2-4 times a month for cruise lines, theme parks, pretty much anything I could find that was doing open calls. It took two years of rejection after rejection before I was offered a contract. I had an incredible teacher called Bob Garrett that taught me how to use my voice and how to communicate with an audience in a way that makes them feel connected and he was monumental in helping me finally achieving that dream.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I would say I specialize in two things. One is singing and the other is music video production.
One of the things I am most proud of in production is a music video I put together when I was a part of a rock band. I had proven my skill set to our management team and was given 15k to make a music video for our new single. The final product is a beautiful piece of art with a positive message.
What I am most proud in my singing career is a Michael Jackson tribute show that I built with some talented friends from the ground up. One day I was messing around and realized the if I tied my hair back apart from one strand in the front, threw on some aviators and a fedora, I could maybe play a version of Michael with, ahem, assets. We created the show with a live band, dancers, costumes, and lights. It was years of work but the show was amazing!
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Before I worked on ships, I worked at 24-hour fitness as a cardio kickboxing instructor!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurenrichardsentertainment.com
- Instagram: @laurenrichardsentertainment
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCS-fCDlteC_XmJ_x-DcPU2Q
