About Me
In 1986, Lauren Lee Malamala was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. With a father from Tonga, an American mother of Chinese descent, and five older brothers, Lauren comes from a unique and diverse background. Growing up listening to a mix of Tongan music, Elvis Presley, and Dolly Parton, music was a major part of her life from an early age, and she would frequently dress up and perform in imaginary concerts, whether there was anyone around to listen or not. In 1993, her parents decided to move to Washington State, as they believed the move would be beneficial to her future education. When she was eight years-old Lauren began taking piano lessons at the Fleming School of Music, associated with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, and moved on to teaching piano to children at the age of 14.
During her time in middle school, Lauren faced an unfortunately rough period in her life. She suffered a serious bout of depression for three years, and engaged in self-harming behavior as a way to deal with everything. Being a relatively shy teenager, she rarely spoke about how she felt and did her best to disguise the fact that she needed help. Instead, she turned to playing the piano and journaling, which became her only positive outlet.
By the end of high school, she had had enough of her surroundings and decided to leave everything and everyone behind. She moved to London and attended school at Richmond, the American International University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Business. She spent the entire four years meeting people from all cultures, traveling to different countries, and enjoying the life that she built for herself. Although she directed her university’s annual showcase and sang in the occasional piano bar, music took a temporary backseat to partying and schoolwork. Lauren had also been considering working in the fashion industry, as she was always a devout Vogue reader and loved the inspiration and creativity behind it-- but after working at a luxury boutique in Chelsea, frequented by celebrities and fashion magazine editors, she realized that she was only truly content when she was singing and performing for an audience. She had always assumed that she could work on a fashion career as a backup. During her final semester in college, however, Lauren decided that she would rather focus all of her attention on music, as it was the only area of her life that always made her happy.
Along with singing, Lauren began writing her own songs and recorded her first single, Don’t Make Me Fall, in April 2008. For inspiration, she gravitates towards other singers who play the piano as well, such as Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and Stevie Wonder. She is also inspired by everything associated with Motown-- i.e. the glamorous image of The Supremes and the soulful quality of Gladys Knight’s voice-- as well as the powerful voices of Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera.
Lauren’s vocal style ranges from sweet and smooth, to soulful and gritty. She writes songs based on her own experiences, challenges, and beliefs, yet maintains a commercial aspect to her lyrics so that others may relate to them as well. Her songs are always an extension of herself and a genuine reflection of her own personality-- honest, heart-felt, and often with a bit of cheekiness. She loves the challenge that the music industry offers, as well as the hard work that it entails. Today, Lauren is pursuing a successful career as a pop/soul artist, and continues to live by a statement from her own song, One-Woman Army: “I’m not here to survive; instead, I’m gonna flourishâ€.
