Lauren Spencer Smith has been singing her whole life — and for good reason.
“It is the only thing that I ever desired to do,” the 19-year-old singer, who was born in England and moved to Vancouver Island as a toddler, told CBC News in an interview.
Spencer Smith is nominated for artist of the yr at this yr’s Juno Awards — the lone early-career artist within the category, a David amongst Goliaths as she competes against Michael Bublé, Shawn Mendes, Avril Lavigne and the Weeknd.
“After I was nominated for artist of the yr, that was definitely not the category that I assumed I used to be going to be nominated for,” she said.
“I used to be like, that is what Shawn Mendes and all the massive, huge artists get nominated for. So I used to be definitely shocked and I used to be so excited.”
Spencer Smith appeared on the U.S. reality TV contest American Idol in 2020, ending in the highest 20, but she credits her musical sensibilities to a variety of Canadian influences.
She was a diehard Belieber growing up, for one. Her parents got her into Céline Dion and Shania Twain. And a recent love for Avril Lavigne has blossomed within the last two years.
In case you’re sad, I’m your girl.– Lauren Spencer Smith
Spencer Smith has also been known as Canada’s Olivia Rodrigo, an American singer-songwriter, for her teenage confessionals.
“I’d say all my songs are very sad, depressed, sad girl, pop, breakup, typical ballads. My biggest influence was Adele, after which more recently considered one of my greater songwriter influences is Olivia Rodrigo. So I’d say it’s probably mix between those two stylistically,” she said.
“However it’s really just sad breakup pop ballads,” she added. “So in case you’re sad, I’m your girl.”
Spencer Smith says she’s still shocked that she gets to make music for a living — “I’m at all times undermining myself” — but she’s no stranger to the Juno Awards, having been nominated for the primary time in 2019 for her debut album, Unplugged, Vol. 1, after which performing through the telecast last yr.
“I feel I used to be just so young that I didn’t understand the importance of things, as young teenagers don’t,” she said of her first nomination.
This yr was different, because she was “manifesting each day, like, ‘I’ll be nominated for a Juno.’ Like, just hoping, wishing that I used to be going to be nominated for one.”
Spencer Smith will perform on the Junos Songwriters’ Circle on Sunday and present an award during Monday night’s broadcast from Edmonton. But she’s also up for a second prize: the TikTok Juno fan alternative award.
“I feel like I owe my life to social media at this point since it’s just been the principal factor of how I have been in a position to share my music with so many individuals,” she said.
WATCH | The music video for Lauren Spencer Smith’s Finger Crossed:
Her song Fingers Crossed catapulted her into the international highlight after it went viral on TikTok last yr. The social media platform has made it possible for Spencer Smith to share her music with a large audience, particularly teenage girls who find comfort in her songs.
“All these young girls, all of us develop the very same personality based on what’s trending on TikTok. And so I find when I’m going to my shows, I’m relating — I mean, everybody’s my age anyway — but we’re relating on all these topics of every little thing that is been trending on TikTok, my songs, other people’s songs,” she said.
“And all of us form of develop into this community of people who find themselves just really supportive of one another.”
Spencer Smith often works with songwriters in the US and has a fan base in the UK. She said she loves travelling all around the world and sharing her music with “as many individuals as possible.”
“I feel most artists’ goal is at all times to be worldwide. I feel it’s super essential to at all times have a dedication to your own home country, and I definitely wish to be big in Canada because that is where I grew up,” she said.
“If I could just be a Canadian pop star, I’d also just be blissful with that because I really like Canada.”