There are some things independent pop singer and songwriter Lauren Winans is shy about, but her music isn’t one of them. When it comes to songwriting and singing, Lauren brings her energetic and sassy attitude to the forefront for all to hear.

“I’m all about girl power,” the West Virginia native chimes. “My music is fun, but it’s got attitude. I don’t hold anything back.”

Lauren began singing and performing when she was only three years old. But at that point, it was Beauty and the Beast that captured her heart. “I used to sing Belle’s parts and act everything out,” Lauren remembers. “I think that’s when it hit my parents that I wasn’t going to be their ‘normal’ child.”

Fast forward a few years later when Lauren was introduced to the music of pop mogul Britney Spears, and Lauren’s fate as a future pop entertainer was sealed. She latched on to Britney’s music, learned her every dance move and had to have every outfit.

Now, more than 15 years later, Lauren is pursuing that dream of pop stardom full time, hoping to inspire girls the same way Britney inspired her. She moved to Nashville in 2010 and was swarmed with opportunities to work with the best in the industry. She even spent a few months performing at the legendary Tootsie’s on Broadway.

But Lauren knew country music wasn’t her calling. “People automatically assume I’m a country girl because I’m from West Virginia, but I’m very pop-driven,” Lauren explains. “There are just some things that can’t be said in country music!”

As fate would have it, while performing at Tootsie’s, Lauren’s powerhouse performance caught the attention of producer/publisher/songwriter Steffon Hamulak, who asked Lauren to come into his studio to try a new direction — pop. Lauren recalls, “I sang the song he asked me to learn and was done within 30 minutes. All of their jaws dropped because I knew the song perfectly, and we all knew we had found what I was supposed to be doing.”

Since then, Lauren has found her niche in pop music. Her most recent release, “You’re Gonna Luv It,” is a fun, flirty, and maybe even somewhat bossy, look at falling in love. Written by Lauren, her engineer, Eric Torres, and his sister, Lisa, the song placed in the Top 40 of iTunes New Releases. The video for the song has gleaned fan attention with more than 50,000 views in a month and still climbing. “You’re Gonna Luv It” is available for download on iTunes and Amazon.

Lauren’s favorite part of the music business is songwriting, and she prides herself on writing songs that are true to her experiences. “I love watching my ideas come to life and turn into real songs,” Lauren says. She recently recorded the song “Loser,” which she co-wrote with Phil Barton (“Woman Like You,” Lee Brice) and Jennifer Zuffenetti. That song is slated to be Lauren’s next release in 2014. Lauren also experienced having her first cut as a songwriter through major label artist Jason Walker with the song “Carousel.”

A lover of all things girly, Lauren has garnered the attention of several organizations in the beauty and fashion industry who have become sponsors, namely LuLus.com, Lavish Lashes, Donna Bella Hair, Hot Spot Tanning/Norvell Sunless, Lash Lady of Franklin, Image Skincare, Park & Madison Boutique and Wildfox. SeneGence/LipSense International chose Lauren to create her own custom lip color, which she donned “Luv It” after her release. Lauren is currently signed by Talent Trek in Nashville for modeling.

When not singing, Lauren is an avid advocate for animals, especially pit bulls. Her own 100-pound pit bull, seen in the “You’re Gonna Luv It” music video, is the love of Lauren’s life, and she works to relay that positive message about the breed to the public. Lauren has also starred in PSAs for Happy Tails in Nashville and P.U.R.R. in West Virginia. In addition, Lauren is a spokesperson for AT&T’s It Can Wait campaign for not texting while driving.
Lauren is currently filming a web-based reality show called “Lauren Luvs Life,” which is slated to begin airing this fall.