Biography
Shining brighter than the Arizona sun, Lauren Hildebrandt began wowing audiences in plays and musicals when she hit the fifth grade while living in Scottsdale. Often referred to by friends and family as "Sarah Bernhardt," after the infamous French actress, little Hildy loved to be center stage, in the drama, at all times. Lauren's family also jokingly referred to young Lauren by the playful name of "Ethel" (for Ethel Merman), for the constant and very loud and happy singing she did around the house.
Spending her youth training as a singer, dancer, actress and gymnast, Hildebrandt absolutely loved any chance she received to perform. Her first brush with national exposure came while she was a member of the Chaparral High School cheerleading squad as a flyer. Her team won the state championship and went on to the top-ten in the national finals appearing on ESPN.
Hildy enjoyed her teens performing with many dance troupes, theatre groups, and cheer squads. A standout experience of the time was being an original member of celebrity choreographer Brian Friedman's (Britney Spears, "So You Think You Can Dance," etc.) troop "Dance Source." While still in high school, Hildy begged her way into a recording studio and sang on her first record. The experience changed her life and from that night forward, Lauren Hildebrandt knew that she wanted to become a professional recording artist.
Lauren continued to perform live throughout her high school years and after college. She won leading roles in musicals such as Val in A Chorus Line and Frenchie (swing) in the European tour of "Grease." Accolades came to Lauren when the Phoenix theatrical community nominated her for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" for her work in an Equity production of "Sophisticated Ladies." She also spent a summer training under Ann Reinking at her esteemed workshop, Broadway Dance Project.
Moving on to college at Arizona State, Hildy majored in dance but longed for a mainstream pop career. About two years into her studies, she had an unfortunate dancing accident and was forced to take a medical leave of absence. This break actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. To fill her time off from college, Lauren ventured out to Los Angeles, California. Within no time, she had booked a chorus role in an Equity production of "Damn Yankees" at the world renowned Civic Light Opera in Downey, CA.
Soon after, a friend saw a posting in Backstage West for a new "triple threat" talent competition reality show produced by Debbie Allen. Lauren stood in line with over 5000 hopefuls and won her spot on the new "Fame" reality series. Hildy made it all the way to the top twelve appearing on national television week after week and winning fans nationally.
When her stint on Debbie Allen's "Fame" came to end, Hildebrandt hit the pavement auditioning and taking many meetings with entertainment executives. She choose to stay in California and not return to college. Not happy with the speed at which things were developing, Lauren took charge of her career and destiny. She took a job as a waitress to support herself and hit the studio to record dance tracks to perform in the clubs. During this time, she sang back-up vocals on the Sharon Stone charity single, "Come Together" and appeared in the video. Hildy also had the incredible experience of dancing in the Black Eyed Peas "Bebot" video as one of Fergie's dime girl dancers.
Hildy made a huge splash in the dance world with her debut single titled "Burnin' Out," which hit #5 on the Billboard club play chart. The "Burnin' Out" video, directed by Black Eyed Peas director Patricio Ginsela, helped establish her as one of the hottest newcomers on the scene. Fans from around the world were impressed by her soulful vocals and amazing live performances. The unbelievable popularity of Lauren Hildebrandt's first single led to a coveted nomination as "Best New Dance Artist" in 2006 against Rihanna and Cascada at the International Dance Music Awards.
Lauren released the successful club hits "Dance With You" and "My Life Again" in succession. Both dance singles went top 20 on the Billboard club charts and Lauren continued to appear everywhere from Honolulu's famous Pipeline Cafe; to clubs in New York and Miami.
Hildy's poised to make her splash on the mainstream scene with her first pop single titled "Boyshorts," from her forthcoming debut album "Not Really a Waitress," released on Red Wallet Records. The single will be accompanied by a lavish music video directed by Andrew Will. The "Boyshorts" track is also supported with a variety of hot club mixes by Future Freakz, Electric Pulse, Aaron Paetsche, Majik Boys, DJ Mojag and Bit Error, which are available for purchase at Perfectbeat.com. The full album drops mid March 2009 and features five tracks co-written by Lauren herself.
