Lauren Harris

Not to be confused with Lawren Harris the Canadian painter or Lauren Harries the child celebrity.

Lauren Harris
File:Lauren Harris at Gods of Metal 2009.jpg Lauren Harris in 2009
Background information
Born	(1984-07-06) 6 July 1984
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, vocalist, actress
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Demolition DR2 Records
Associated acts	Iron Maiden, Hilary Duff, Dave Stewart, Kara DioGuardi, Alain Johannes, Judas Priest, Six Hour Sundown
Website	kingdomofimusic.com

Lauren Harris (born 6 July 1984) is a British vocalist. She is the daughter of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. She is a former pupil of Saint Nicholas School, Old Harlow, Essex. After recording some demo material for Russ Ballard, Harris toured extensively with Iron Maiden and released her debut album Calm Before the Storm in 2008. She has since moved to Los Angeles to pursue a new project, Kingdom of I.

Career

Harris began singing in pubs and bars with a friend; after one of the performances, she was invited to Russ Ballard's house and studio to record a demo.

From 2005 to 2008, Harris worked with Grammy nominated songwriter and producer Tom McWilliams who assisted with song arrangement and composition. McWilliams also toured with Harris, performing as the band's drummer.

Harris toured Europe, playing outdoor festivals such as the German Rock Am Ring, Rock Am Park and UK Download festivals, performing in front of 50,000 or more people a night.

Harris supported Iron Maiden on their A Matter of Life and Death world tour, playing at Dubai and the Brixton Academy, London, amongst other venues. Harris went down in history as the first woman ever to front a rock band at a major concert in India. On 25 October 2006, Harris performed in front of 20,000 people at the Budokan Arena in Japan — the same venue where she took her first steps, aged nine months.

When the tour concluded, Harris released her debut album entitled "Calm before the Storm", mixed by Kevin Shirley. She continued to tour the UK and Europe in support of the release. Harris joined Iron Maiden again, this time on the Somewhere Back In Time World tour. Flight 666, a documentary following the tour, was subsequently released. Due to the bands travelling in a custom Boeing 757 — named "Ed Force One" by fans — the tour reached South America, India, Japan, Argentina, USA, Chile, Cuba, Australia and Europe in a few weeks, instead of the usual months it would take to navigate the globe.

In 2008, Harris told Live Metal that her biggest musical influences were: "Stuff I kind of grew up listening to. When I was a kid, I listened to Belinda Carlisle. I really liked Shakespeare’s Sister. Alanis Morissette, as well. Heart is probably one of my favorite bands. I absolutely love them. I really like Def Leppard, as well. I love the Foo Fighters, as well. God, you can go on and on and on, can’t you? I really like the old classic rock stuff."

While recording with a newly formed band Six Hour Sundown, Harris practiced stage presence with Royal London Ballet tutors, attended acting workshops, and undertook vocal training with David Grant. During 2011 and 2012, Six Hour Sundown toured within Europe and the UK.

In mid-2012 Harris moved to Los Angeles, starting a new project Kingdom of I. It was recorded and produced by Alain Johannes, with songs written by David A. Stewart, Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks.

Line-up

Solo

• Lauren Harris – vocals (2005–2010)
• Randy Gregg – bass guitar, backing vocals (2005–2010)
• Richie Faulkner – guitars, backing vocals (2005–2010)
• Tommy McWilliams – drums (2005–2008)
• Olly Smith – drums (2008–2010)

Six Hour Sundown

• Lauren Harris – vocals (2010–2012)
• Olly Smith – drums (2010–2012)
• Tommy Gentry – guitars (2010–2012)
• James Bennet – guitars (2010–2012)
• Mitch Witham – bass (2010–2012)

Kingdom of I

• Lauren Harris – vocals (2012–present)

Discography

• Calm Before the Storm (2008)

External links

• Kingdom Of I
• Interview with Lauren Harris by FREE! Magazine