B.C. Teenager Lauren Spencer-Smith is Busting Borders as the ‘Great Canadian Hope’ on AMERICAN IDOL

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Canadian teenager Lauren Spencer-Smith sang her heart out last weekend on AMERICAN IDOL, performing on the beautiful deck of a lakeside home on Vancouver Island with a breathtaking view in the background. But what about the neighbours? Were they freaking out? “They totally were!” said Spencer-Smith, 16. “All the neighbours knew that I sang as a kid, but everyone was just out on their docks and filming it, and being like, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s like a free show!’ They were writing me cards and being like, ‘Oh, this is so amazing! Keep doing this forever!’ ” Spencer-Smith is the “Great Canadian Hope” in the current season of AMERICAN IDOL, which continues Sunday (May 3) with a two-hour episode, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on CTV2. Having advanced to the Top 20, Spencer-Smith will find out if she has impressed judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan enough to crack the coveted Top 10. Spencer-Smith shared her thoughts on the dizzying AMERICAN IDOL experience as she looks ahead not only to this weekend, but beyond: Q: What’s in store for Sunday’s episode? How is it going to work? LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “So the creative directors can decide, ‘Oh, you’re going to perform in the same place, or maybe you’ll perform by a fireplace this time, or in your bedroom.’ But it’s at your same home location. And you’re not going to know everyone who’s officially in the Top 10 until the very end of the episode. So it’s super cool. It should be fun.” Q: Is it harder to perform with no crowd? LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “I think most of us in the Top 20 find it easier with a crowd. But for a lot of us, a lot of the minors, it wasn’t that long ago that we were just performing on our decks and filming in our bedrooms. That’s something I’ve always done and always loved to do. So it kind of felt like I was going back to four years ago. Obviously you’re not getting the same energy with no crowd. And it can be a little awkward, you know, to be a diva in front of absolutely nobody, other than the camera. But if you imagine there’s a crowd there, it’s not too hard.” Q: Crowd or no crowd, it’s great that they found a way to keep AMERICAN IDOL going, despite the pandemic. LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “Yeah, we are so grateful, because a lot of shows aren’t going, and a lot of people must feel as if their dreams have just been crushed. Lucky for us, production is amazing, and so is the creative team. Everyone has been working together so hard, being so supportive, and helping each other. It’s a wonderful community at AMERICAN IDOL.” Q: Do you get the feeling that all of Canada is supporting you? LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “Yeah, I totally feel the love from the whole country. When people find out that I’m from Canada, they’re immediately like, ‘Oh my goodness, that Canadian girl’ or ‘that British Columbia girl.’ Everyone is just so loving and supportive to know that I’m from Canada. And I also feel that being from Vancouver Island is important, too. I think sometimes people have a mindset that coming from the Island, you can’t potentially do things that people from the city can do. So I think it’s cool to send the message that wherever you’re from, you can do anything if you set your mind to it.” Q: The judges and fans keep talking about how much you’ve changed and grown as an artist in just a few weeks. What has been the key to this metamorphosis? LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “I mostly just watched everyone else perform, which led me to think, ‘I have to step up my game!’ I can’t just stand there, I have to walk around the stage. I can’t wear jeans and a shirt, I have to get a fancy outfit. I need to work on a different register of my voice, because that can have such an effect on how people view your singing. Seeing what other people were strong at made me want to work on those things more. And the judges’ advice has kind of been, ‘Keep doing that. Whatever you just did, whatever has changed inside you, we love that for you as an artist, so keep doing that.’ ” Q: Are you keen on pursuing a career in the entertainment world? LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH: “I’ve always wanted to be a singer, since I was five years old. I want to tour, I want to release albums, I want to inspire people. That’s my aim, for sure.”  Q: Well, this is certainly a big weekend for you. Good luck! LAUREN SPENCER-SMITH:  “Thanks! I’m so excited!” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv