Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ 76 Steps Entertainment) Sure to excite and inspire the thousands of fans who follow her blossoming dual careers on YouTube and Twitter, Lauran Irion is releasing Unaffected, her highly anticipated debut EP as a singer/songwriter, just months after making her debut as
Laura Vaughn on ABC's new hit series "GCB," one of the most talked about shows of the year. While the 17 year old triple threat performer continues to make strides on her acting career - Lauran has also guest starred on "Melissa & Joey" (ABC Family) and played Gia Jenkins on "I'm In The Band" (Disney) - writing and recording the six track EP is a culmination of the powerful musical dreams that brought her out to Los Angeles from her home of Clearwater, Florida just three years ago.
Playing the mischievous and beautiful teen daughter of GCB star
Leslie Bibb's character
Amanda Vaughn, Lauran calls the experience of working on the show "the ride of a lifetime" and is thrilled by the opportunity to work with and become friendly with two of the show's other stars,
Annie Potts and Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth has been a longtime inspiration for Lauran, a classically trained singer who performed her first solo in church ("Rock of Ages") at age nine and trained for voice, dancing and acting at the Marcia P. Hoffman Performing Arts
Institute in Clearwater throughout her adolescence.
While working on her EP with co-writer and multi-platinum producer Matthew Hager, Irion casually began posting homemade videos of herself playing an acoustic guitar and singing cover versions of many of today's biggest pop hits. The 40 videos she has posted on her dedicated YouTube site "Lauranology" have received millions of views.
These days, a large global online following is helpful for any artist launching a recording career, but the key to turning promise into success is delivering unique and memorable original songs. While the themes on Unaffected will captivate and inspire Lauran's teenage peers, the dynamic songwriting, vocals, electric guitar driven production and stylistic diversity transcend simple age and gender demographics and, thankfully, the usual trappings of Disneyesque teen pop that many artists her age favor. Extending the metaphor of the EP title itself, no one who listens will be Unaffected by Lauran's talent, charm and musical vision.
The EP begins with Lauran playing coy on the playful, high energy "Catch Me," which dares a boy to catch her and jump through hoops for her if he's really the one. Equally infectious is the reggae-tinged "Picture Perfect," written about a guy she liked who everyone thought was "all that"—but she's wondering if there's anything there under the surface and hype. The thoughtful mid-tempo ballad "Love and Heartstrings" finds Lauran in self-reflective mode, trying to define exactly how to classify her feelings. Does she dare call it love or should she rethink this? Lauran's original version of the exuberant pop-rock title track "Unaffected" was the first song she sang when she met Matthew Hager - who was so impressed that he decided on the spot to work with her. It's a song people of any age can relate to - wondering why someone you like so much is so unaffected by your existence, no matter how hard you try to be relevant.
The incisive pop/rocker "Pretty Pretty" directly addresses Hollywood's obsession with physical perfection, which she wrote after being told by various managers, despite her thin frame, that she wasn't skinny enough. The unique rocker "Tragic" is an edgy knock on a person whose massive ego prevents him from connecting with people. It fits in perfectly with the challenges Lauran faces as she strives for success in a world of superficiality.
"For me, it's always been a spiritual feeling when I'm playing, writing and singing," Lauran says, "like it's an escape from the other side of my mind. I'm a very hard working, driven person, and I was attracted to music because when it washes over me, I feel so relaxed. As long as the opportunities for great roles are there, I will pursue them because I love acting as well, but my first love has always been music. I'm really excited about the opportunity to share my original songs with the world."
Unaffected will be released world-wide May 15, 2012 and is available now to pre-order on iTunes.
