 Lauren Gifford: The girl next door, a celebrated Jazz Diva,
an insightful poetic singer/songwriter or the occasional rock 'n roll brat -
Lauren Gifford does not have to play any of these roles, she IS all of that and
more at all times.
Born in upstate New York she lived all over the United States in her childhood,
following a pilot father and an airline flight attendant mother, before settling
down in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas several years ago.
Her father's great love for Jazz legends like Billie Holiday or Dave Brubeck
provided a musical atmosphere that fostered the development of Gifford's
wonderfully independent talent. Later, endless hours of James Taylor and David
Foster helped to round out and widen her musical scope.
Lauren Gifford's music is emotions expressed, period. She sings and plays what
she feels. Her music speaks of the truth deep in our hearts and provides a
glimpse onto the surface of the soul. "You sing what I always wanted to say."
said a female listener, "Listening to you lets me start to almost understand
women." from a male fan.
Though often compared to Sarah McLachlan or Natalie Merchant, Lauren Gifford
developed her very own unique style of singing with a voice that's "captivating
and pure" (fan comment). Her reckless and extravagant piano playing leaves the
most demanding critics breathless.
"Sitting Pretty", Lauren Gifford's debut release, was her first bold step into
the limelight of musical fame. After a record breaking on-air visit with Dallas'
very own superstar shock-jock Russ Martin her website was stormed by more than
11.000 visitors registering more than 20.000 song downloads within the following
weeks. The CD release was celebrated with a sensational concert at the legendary
Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas drawing visitors form around the country, all the way
to LA and the revealing of a 16 ft. Billboard that graced a major Dallas freeway
for the better part of the year.
More than 150 live performances later (Dallas, Boston and Florida), Gifford has
her sights on bigger and bolder goals. With her production/artist development
team Edith Letz and Oliver Letz and with voice coach Tom McKinney (Destiny's
Child, Beyonce) she is preparing new material for the recording of her first
full album in early 2005. Growing interest by major record companies as well as
TV and radio stations suggest the dawn of a very exciting year for Lauren
Gifford.
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