Lauren Hanako Kinkade has been singing professionally for over 10 years.  During this time, she trained both classically as a coloratura soprano as well as in pop vocal with celebrity vocal coach Seth Riggs (Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Prince). With a vocal range that spans four and a half octaves, Lauren’s vocal timbre exudes a warmth and honesty not easily found in today’s artists.

Lauren began performing at the age of 16.  Her first major performance was as a featured vocalist in the Gladys Knight show at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.  Shortly after, she was honored to be asked to sing at the Inaugural Ball for Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn. 

Determined to make singing her profession, Lauren moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of being a recording artist.  She has been blessed to work with the likes of David Foster, Humberto Gatica, Allan Rich and Mark Portmann, just to name a few.

Not long after moving to Los Angeles, Lauren was asked to record a demo for a song to be used during the end credits of a Melanie Griffith / Patrick Swayze movie.  The producers of the movie loved her voice so much she was immediately hired to record the final version of the song “Say Goodbye” - written by Serge Colbert, Grammy Award Winning producer Mark Portmann, and Academy Award and Grammy Award nominated songwriter Allan Rich (“Run to You”).

After landing a role as a backup singer for Jessica Simpson at the American Music Awards, Lauren was cast in a recurring role as a singer on the hit television show “Boston Public”.  From there, she was also cast in roles on “Boston Legal”, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Touched By An Angel”.   Additionally, she once again found herself back onstage with Gladys Knight at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.

Experienced in the studio, Lauren has recorded numerous songs for songwriters from big torch ballads, to pop, R&B, country, and even Spanish.

Lauren’s singing has taken her all over the world, including various performances in the states (including Hawaii) to as far away as Japan.  A fourth-generation Japanese-American, Lauren is extremely proud of her bi-cultural background, but especially her Asian heritage, and was named Nisei Week Queen in 2001 (Nisei Week is the longest running cultural festival in the United States).  As often as possible, Lauren commits to giving back to the community by volunteering on various committees and events in the Japanese American community, and has even served on the Executive Board of Nisei Week.  Lauren has also been named “The Voice of Nikkei Games” as she has been the featured anthem singer at their Opening Ceremony events since 2002.

Lauren has been privileged to perform at various sporting events, including multiple National Anthem performances at Dodger Stadium, Staples Center (Clippers, Kings), Honda Center - formerly known as Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim Storm), and in June of 2009, Lauren was televised singing “God Bless America” at the Dodgers vs. Seattle Mariners game at Dodger Stadium in front of 50,752 Dodger fans.

Lauren’s singing career has been a journey that has blessed her with many wonderful experiences… and there’s no telling what’s around the next corner!