Who is Lauren Spencer-Smith? The former American Idol contestant breaking through with viral hit Fingers Crossed

You may not initially recognise the name Lauren Spencer-Smith, but she's already drawing comparisons to the almost immediate rise to success that Olivia Rodrigo experienced at the beginning of last year.

Like Olivia, Lauren has dropped an absolutely gut-wrenching break-up song, with hyper-specific lyrics dissecting the end of a relationship that has managed to translate on a wider, general level. 

The song is called Fingers Crossed and as of the time of writing, it's currently tracking to land at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart this Friday as this week's highest new Top 40 entry.

But who is Lauren Spencer-Smith, and why has Fingers Crossed made such an impact on the charts? Let's find out below. 

Who is Lauren Spencer-Smith?

Lauren Spencer-Smith is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter, who is rising up the Official Singles Chart for the first time with her new single Fingers Crossed. Hailing from Vancouver Island, Canada, she originally came to prominence as a contestant on the 18th season of American Idol, when she was just 16 years old. 

She auditioned with the songs What About Us by Pink and Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga, and gained three 'yes' votes from judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryant. Lauren ended up reaching the live finals of American Idol as part of the Top 20, but was voted out before reaching the Top 10. 

Since her elimination from Idol, Lauren has been busy building a musical presence online. She's self-released a few songs since, including cuts like Back To Friends and For Granted, but her biggest success so far has come with Fingers Crossed.

What is Fingers Crossed and how is it doing on the Official Charts?

Fingers Crossed is a break-up track taken straight from the Taylor Swift songbook. Diaristic in form, it sees Lauren working through the minutia of a break-up with an older man. Certain lyrics contain such hyper-specificities ("I gave you my hours and advice/Just trying to fix your daddy issues") that they recall the patterns of more indie songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo. 

Written by Lauren Spencer-Smith, Fransisca Hall and T.I Jakke and produced by Jakke, the song was first released on January 5, and became an almost immediate viral hit on TikTok, where Lauren has 2.8 million followers.

From there - much like Drivers License before it - the track has spread far and wide. In the Official Chart: First Look update for the week ahead, Fingers Crossed was tracking to break into the UK Top 10 this Friday - potentially becoming Lauren's first UK Top 10 single. Fingers Crossed debuted outside the UK Top 40 last week, at Number 90 with just two days' chart sales.

Article Image: Lauren Spencer-Smith