Lauren Gottshall

DALLAS, Dec. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 16-year-old filmmaker Morgan Gullett, and 19-year-old, pop-country singer and songwriter Lauren Gottshall released their new music video "Easy for Me" on December 10 to anxious fans.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, or where you live. What does matter in this business is that you're not afraid to be persistent, that you're driven, and that you have a thick skin!" says Gullett.

Gullett, 16, a high school sophomore and aspiring filmmaker in Fort Wayne, Indiana discovered Gottshall on social media and approached her about making a music video together; the whole process took several months. Gullett created the concept, gathered a crew of over 20 filmmakers from all over the country, while Gottshall worked with music producer Mark Kenneth Williams on having the song professionally recorded. The young women fundraised together to earn what was needed for the two full days of production in Dallas, and the weeks to follow of post-production work, with the editors. The result stands out as a beautifully filmed 4k music video collaboration between two driven women who are both under 20.

Gullett, is a typical high school student who focuses on her studies, athletics, and enjoys time with her friends, but her spare time is anything but typical. Gullett has won multiple Entrepreneur Awards and Grants as well as several film festival awards for projects she has created, produced, written and cast. "Easy For Me," which was filmed in September in Dallas, was her directorial debut. Gullett is directing another music video in Los Angeles later this month, two short films in Spring, and she is currently in development talks about a feature film for which she owns the (IP) story copyright. She plans to attend film school after graduating high school in 2024.

Gottshall, 19, who has opened for musicians and bands, such as Chris Jansen, O.A.R., and The Samples released her first album, Expecting More, in 2019 on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Gottshall, who is originally from the Chicago area, is studying songwriting and journalism at SMU in Dallas, and has been writing music since she was 12. She plays at venues nationwide, including recently, the House of Blues Dallas. Lauren will graduate from college in 2024.

Music video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WjveVCMark

"Easy For Me" video released on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Gullett's & Gottshall's websites [ www.morgangullett.com ] [ www.laurengottshall.com ] on December 10th.

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SOURCE MG Entertainment - PR NewsWire

Lauren Gottshall is the music; the music is Lauren Gottshall.

Forged with passion and strengthened by distress, the bond has become an essential part of Gottshall’s existence.

Just 19 years old, the Glencoe native has just begun to carve her path in a grueling industry known to overwhelm talented young performers. But with the music as the purpose, and fame and fortune as merely a potential side effect, she is ready.

“The only thing that stayed really positive in my life is music,” she said. “It’s the one thing no one can take away from me.

“I say music saved my life. I think it gave me a purpose. When I was in high school and I didn’t know what I was doing and so many changes were happening, having music gave me stability and grounded me. It gave me something to focus on besides my anxiety and my parents’ divorce.”

Gottshall graduated from New Trier High School in 2020 and is a sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

She just finished her busiest summer so far as a performer, taking the stage at, among other places, the House of Blues in Dallas and in Glencoe opening for O.A.R at a charity concert.

Her bond with the music is more durable than it has ever been, and it is empowering the 19-year-old songwriter.


“It was the most surreal feeling. I can’t even describe it,” Gottshall said of her summer. “I worked so hard to get here and now I’m here. It was very rewarding, because I have been putting myself out there and writing so much music, so it felt good to be recognized.

“I have a lot to say and I want people to hear my music.”

It’s been that way for a long time.

Lauren’s mother, Justine Gottshall, likes to jokingly tell people that Lauren sang before she talked.

Around the age of 6, Lauren was belting out Carrie Underwood hits, prompting Justine to enable her daughter’s skill.

At 12, Lauren had a guitar in her hand and was penning lyrics to her own songs.

“Music has always been such a big part of her and so inherent within her,” Justine said. “Honestly, she was signing and making up diddies by the time she was so young, it just kept growing and growing. … From my perspective that spark was always there.”

Before the guitar, Lauren had her hands on a piano.

But she learned quickly that wasn’t it. The lessons were too rigid. Instead of Frederic Chopin, Lauren wanted to learn Taylor Swift, or better yet, her own music.

So piano lessons were out, and the Glencoe Academy of Music was in.

Lauren enrolled in the music school in middle school, around age 11, she said. It was there that her desire to write and play her own songs was amplified.

“I fell in love with it even more,” she said, “because (academy director Carlos Bendfeldt) let me do whatever I wanted but was still teaching me. I was able to pick the songs we learned … and he was really supportive of letting me write songs and record. It all took off from there.”

They learned newer pop music and classic rock music. Bendfeldt picked up on Lauren’s style and range and said they worked through all the music within her abilities. She the started to incorporate all of it into her own work.

Amid the freedom of expression, Bendfelt noticed something else too — something he had not seen before.

During a session, Lauren would take a few minutes of free time and write. A half hour later, she had a new song. Just like that.

“The ability to be able to come up with these incredible melodies with lyrics on the spot is genius,” he said. “I’ve never seen that happen. I am sure it happens, but I personally have never seen it.”


Gottshall opens for O.A.R. this summer at Glencoe Live.
When high school rolled around, Lauren stayed busy. She was an athlete (basketball and lacrosse) and a volunteer for local charities, but music became the priority.

She published her work on Soundcloud and played live at Starbucks and other small venues around town.

Around the same time, Lauren’s parents split up, intensifying her anxiety, she said. Music became even more of a refuge, especially performing it on stage.

“When I’m up there, I’m very content,” she said. “In my life, with my parents’ divorce and struggles with anxiety, music has stayed stable. I am very proud of the work I have accomplished, and nothing compares to performing on the stage.”

The experiences also shaped her music, making her writing more soulful and complete songs and pushing her into a folk-pop-country hybrid genre.

Also during these years, Lauren wanted badly to be on a televised singing competition, like “The Voice” or “American Idol.”

She tried out numerous times for them only to get turned away. Producers even flew her out to Denver for a closer look, only to tell her she was too young, Lauren recalled.

The college application process also included an audition, for which she was one of about 5,000 to try out for six spots in the University of Southern California’s prestigious Thornton School of Music. Though a finalist, she was again passed over.

Over 30 years, I have never seen anyone this talented. She is going to make it. I have that feeling.” Carlos Bendfeldt, on his longtime music student Lauren Gottshall

Lauren called the denials “a blessing in disguise.”

“I think everything happens for a reason,” she said. “I don’t think I would have the opportunities I have if I had been on a TV show.

“Dallas solidified what type of artist I am. … Choosing SMU was the greatest decision I have made. Dallas has embraced me in a way I don’t think LA would have.”

It all led to this past summer, as Lauren’s connections and evolution put her on her biggest stages to date.

Off the stage, she is constantly working on new music and has a music video for a new song, “Easy For Me,” in development.

Her debut album “Expecting More” is available to stream online and includes songs like “Me and You” and “Back To Us.”

The busyness has come with business, too. And Lauren said she is fortunate to have her mom, an attorney, by her side for everything from contract review to general support.

Justine, who has two other children, said enabling Lauren’s talents has been work, but the good kind.

“It’s a cliche, but it’s the greatest joy of my life. It’s the most important job I have,” she said. “There are years of being tired, but there is nothing else I’d want to do.”

Lauren hopes to soon drop a four- to five-song EP — which will include three songs that she calls her “best work” — and keep performing in and around Dallas.

Is stardom in her future? Bendfeldt said it’s a matter of when, not if.

“Over 30 years, I have never seen anyone this talented,” he said. “ … She is going to make it. I have that feeling. She is built for the stage — charisma, aura. She is built for live music.

“Lauren just has to be in the right place at the right time,” Bendfeldt continued. “The right music producer needs to listen to her. So many students have come through here, and she’s the one who really impressed me.” - The Record North Shore

Glencoe’s Lauren Gottshall believes a song is only as good as the story it tells, which is why this young singer/songwriter is seeing to it that her music heals whenever it is heard.

Gottshall, a senior at New Trier High School, discovered a deep connection to music and in particular, songwriting while struggling with the emotions that come with life’s ups and downs.

“For as long as I can remember, music always resonated with me. But when my parents divorced, I discovered how music can heal,” Gottshall says. “I found it was easier to put my emotions into a song, rather than just talking about what was troubling me.”

As the dark days grew further and fewer between, Gottshall vowed to use her music as a way to help others. She began performing at charity functions such as the Park Ridge Vine Street BBQ where proceeds benefit multiple charities. Gottshall also became a regular performer at the historic Glencoe Grand Prix—a long-time fundraiser for the school district. By turning her music-making into a philanthropic endeavor, Gottshall discovered a new purpose in life.

“I have grown more and more interested in performing at events that are about giving to others. Music is so universal; you never know how lyrics can impact someone who is struggling. To know I can use my love for songwriting to support worthy causes designed to improve someone else’s life, is very rewarding,” Gottshall shares.

No sooner was Gottshall bitten by the benevolent bug than she learned the heartbreaking news that her grandmother had been diagnosed with lymphoma. Gottshall immediately sprang into action, joining Find a Cure—an organization comprised of Loyola and New Trier students who commit themselves to fighting cancer, particularly Leukemia and Lymphoma.

After organizing one philanthropic event after another on behalf of Find a Cure, Gottshall earned the title of Vice President during her Junior year. She made it her mission to combine her passion for songwriting with her commitment to service.

With her grandmother at the forefront of her mind, she spearheaded an annual Leukemia and Lymphoma fundraiser at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe. This past September was the second annual event, where guests enjoyed performances by a variety of Glencoe Academy of Music students and Gottshall herself. This year, Gottshall excitedly debuted her most recent song, “Better Luck,” an emotional and relatable ballad about being in the right situation, but at the wrong time.

As it pertains to Gottshall’s music career, there is no doubt that the young artist is exactly in the place where she is meant to be at this point. She has overcome emotional hardship, soothed by the solace that notes can provide while discovering new meaning in her young life.

“What I’ve learned from creating these fundraisers is that one person can have a real impact. Getting involved in organizations and causes outside of myself has been truly rewarding,” Gottshall explains. “I realize the importance for all young people to find a cause and commit to it. Knowing I can make a difference for the better is incredibly fulfilling, giving me the same sense of joy that comes from putting a smile on someone’s face with my music.” - Sheridan Road Magazine