Lauren Spencer
Island/Republic
Lauren Spencer-Smith, one of the early breakout artists of 2022 thanks to her viral hit “Fingers Crossed,” has finalized a label partnership with Island Records and Republic Records.
The 18-year-old Vancouver Island native released a snippet of “Fingers Crossed” last November, and the emotional pop track immediately resonated with listeners on TikTok before crossing over to other streaming platforms. That snippet now has over 20 million views on TikTok, while “Fingers Crossed” has peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The partnership with Island Records and Republic Records was in part structured with the help of Spencer-Smith’s manager David Ehrlich, and aligns the singer-songwriter with Island co-CEOs Imran Majid and Justin Eshak, Republic founders Monte and Avery Lipman, as well as Lucian Grainge under the Universal Music Group umbrella.
“Lauren met with a lot of labels, and it is great to see that the music business is in such good shape, with such talented people everywhere,” says Ehrlich. “At the end of the day Lauren really connected with Lucian, Monte, Avery, Imran and Justin, who shared our vision. Allowing Lauren to maintain some independence while at the same time having the firepower, talent and brains that Island and Republic can bring felt like a winning combination, and we are excited for the future.”
Spencer-Smith, who competed on American Idol in 2020, told Billboard last month that she wrote “Fingers Crossed” while after she “met somebody new that was raising my standards and teaching me how I should be treated…. I went into my session feeling angry and wanted to write a heartbreak song. We came up with the ‘Fingers Crossed’ idea, and I think the song speaks for itself. It has that angsty emotion. It’s not just, ‘Oh, you’re going to cry in your bedroom.’ It’s, ‘I’m mad at this person, I’m angry, I could say sorry but I’m not.’”
Per a press release, Spencer-Smith is currently working on her debut project for Island and Republic.