On Wednesday’s season premiere of American Idol, we were introduced to 25-year-old Lauren Mink, a program director who works with people with intellectual disabilities.
“It’s the best job imaginable other than singing,” she said of the satisfaction she gets from helping those individuals. She explains that they love music, so she tries to incorporate it into the program as much as possible.
We didn’t hear so much about Lauren Mink, the performer from Winchester, Kentucky, who has far more experience as a singer than most of the contestants featured during the Savannah audition episode.
On Facebook, we learn that Lauren has been singing since church choir at age 9, has opened for the likes of Exile and Billy Currington and has completed two albums, a contemporary Christian/inspirational album and a country album of originals. You can hear some of those originals by heading to her old MySpace page.
She describes her music as “rockin’ country,” but says you’ll hear everything from Lady Gaga to Sugarland if you head to one of her shows.
“I’ve been singing my whole life and don’t plan on stoppin’ anytime soon!” she writes.
On Wednesday, she dazzled the judges with a performance of “Country Strong” that judge Steven Tyler described as “beautiful.”
I’d second that and suggest that this Lauren is every bit as talented as the Lauren who finished second on Idol a year ago. Here’s hoping we see more of her in the Hollywood episodes.
In the meantime, let’s take a listen to Lauren’s versatility in these pre-Idol performances.
“Just Dance” by the aforementioned Gaga
“Heart Like Mine” (Miranda Lambert cover)
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