GSU Idol Advances Career, Releases Album

April 26th, 2011

April 12, 2011

After winning GSU Idol last year, Lauren-Ashley Redmond plans to release her first album at the end of the month. The freshman public relations major born in Griffin, Ga. has produced an album since her win and has been busier than she ever intended. “I have had a lot of changes since producing this album. My schedule is so busy, which I’m not so used to and I am traveling a lot due to rehearsals and performing in different areas,” said Redmond. Redmond recalls what it was like to be a part of GSU Idol and how it has had an impact on her life. “The competition was so much fun,” she said. “It was a lot of hard work by the people putting it on as well as for the contestants, but it was worth it. ”In describing the competition, Redmond said, “We performed three rounds for the judges. Each round, fewer contestants would advance until the final round, which was narrowed down to three girls.” The three songs the singer performed were Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name,” and Rascal Flatt’s “God Bless the Broken Road.” “I was so excited and honored to be chosen to represent Georgia Southern as the GSU Idol,” said Redmond.

Once Redmond won the competition, she soon left for Black Cat Studio with her new producer Trey Roth. “When I first walked into the studio, I was so excited. My producer, Trey, was great. He was so excited about this project and was such a pleasure to work with,” said Redmond. Since she began, Redmond found many things she has enjoyed about recording. “My favorite part of the recording process was watching the musicians record their parts of the songs,” she said. “They are all so talented and it was so exciting to watch them record.”

Redmond gets her inspiration from music, along with her own personal experiences and from her favorite artists. “My inspiration is my love of music. I’ve always had a passion for music and I am excited to share it with the world,” she said. Regarding her favorite music, Redmond said, “Although I love all kinds of music, country music is my thing. I have listened to country music ever since I was little.” Her favorite artists are Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Stevie Nicks.

When it comes to writing her music, Redmond enjoys keeping everything new. “All of the songs on my album are originals. Although I love all of the songs on the album, my favorite would probably be ‘Cold November,’ which is going to be one of my singles,” said Redmond. “It is such a beautiful song and is based off a relationship that both my sister and I experienced. The lyrics are so powerful and meaningful,” said Redmond. Redmond co-wrote with her sister and songwriter Jeff Chandler  “I don’t produce cover songs on my album, but I do perform them during my shows. My favorites to perform are Miranda Lambert’s, but I also enjoy performing some older songs by ‘Dixie Chicks’ and even some male artists such as Bryan Adams,” said Redmond. .

Lauren-Ashley Redmond’s self-titled debut album will be released on April 20, 2011 in select stores and will be available on iTunes and CDBaby.com.