Arts & Culture

Rachael Lawrence Showcases Her Many Talents on Vh-1

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Rachel Lawrence, VH1 I Hate My ThirtiesVH1’s “I Hate My 30s” actress Rachael Lawrence isn’t just a pretty face. From TV shows to songwriting deals – this twenty-something phenom is proving to be unstoppable. Rachael Lawrence is young, talented, hot and ambitious. Between her composing, singing, acting, directing, and coaching, she is far beyond a triple threat.

Rachael has lived in a life surrounded by the sound of music. She began her piano training at the age of three, after her parents discovered her exceptional talent. Later on, it was these very piano lessons that would become the building blocks of her success in the entertainment industry.

A natural performer

Throughout her teenage years, Rachael had composed music, studied jazz piano, and starred in numerous plays and musicals. After high school, she decided to continue her studies in the arts at USC in Los Angeles. Because of her vast knowledge of musicals and plays, it was no shock that Rachael majored in theatre. It was almost subconscious.

She just gravitated to music and theatre…

Her entire world was surrounded by plays, musicals, short comedies and dramatic films. Her notable achievements led to her becoming the first undergraduate to direct a main-stage musical at the esteemed USC university, and she was in due course, awarded upon graduation for her onstage and offstage contributions to the School of Theatre at USC. 

A multifaceted talent

During her last semesters of college, Rachael began giving private voice lessons. She became a certified voice coach under the world famous voice coach, Seth Riggs, and worked with Bai Ling, Rick Fox (LA Lakers), Sarah Rue (Less Than Perfect) among many other notable celebrities and individuals currently starring in Broadway shows and tours.

Rachael was also booked as a regular singer at the prominent venue, Hollywood Bowl, during their summer programs– holding her own and performing next to Broadway notables such as: Patti Lupone, Jonathan Pryce, Rebecca Luker, and Davis Gaines. 

In addition to Rachael’s many ties to the entertainment industry, her closest friends from USC are all working actors in Los Angeles as well. Rachael and this group of friends worked together to create a blend of sheer comedic genius. It all started with their sketch comedy under the name “Another Showcase Showdown.” After their hard work, in 2002, they were accepted into the Aspen HBO Comedy Arts Festival. 

This came at a time when a couple of these friends formed their own production company– Drama 3/4 Productions. The company became a clubhouse for everyone to produce their projects. Since then, myriad of shorts, music videos, songs, and movies have been produced by Drama 3/4 Productions.  However, their big break was just around the corner…

Rachel Lawrence, VH1

"I Hate My 30’s"

VH1 had seen the comedic group in action, and had fallen in love. The network offered them the opportunity to make their own scripted television show. “I Hate My 30s” was born from the minds of the group, produced by Drama 3/4 Productions, and Rachael was cast as Vicki, the 25-year-old, rocker, loud-mouthed receptionist. 

Rachael says, “When VH1 offered us the show, I was so happy that someone finally took notice of such a talented, hardworking, and fun group. Since we have all been working together for years, getting to work on TV together was icing on the cake.”

As the youngest cast member on the show, Rachael’s spunk and talent brought the show to another level.  Her musical expertise provided her with the opportunity to co-write most of the songs that were on the show. Humorous songs like “‘Wedding Nights,’ ‘Stickbone12’ and ‘Give Up’” were stuck in everyone’s heads the next day.

"Shoes"

Oddly enough, a side project that Rachael is largely recognized for doing is the comedic internet music video “Shoes” by Liam Sullivan as “Kelly.” The video went viral on MySpace and YouTube, spawning numerous fan remakes and turning Kelly into an internet star. In 2006, YouTube staffers chose Liam’s "Shoes" as one of the top 10 videos of the year and Entertainment Weekly listed it as one of the viral videos to watch.

Rachael shares, “I’m not surprised about Liam’s videos are still blowing up. We have all been making little movies and music videos and I believe it was only a matter of time before one of them hit. Liam is a comedic genius and deserves everything that’s happening with his movies.” One of the re-postings of "Shoes" video has received over 18 million views on YouTube alone, and is the seventh most viewed video of all time on the site. 

What’s next?

As if she needed more to keep her hands full, Rachael also paired up with Deborah Ellen, with whom she wrote and sold four songs to ABC. Along with Josh Binder, a talented producer who was looking for writing partners, the three talents came together and created songs that landed a publishing deal with Randy Cohen and Dana Kasha’s company, “Shoot and Score Music Publishing,” under Universal Publishing. In fact, Rachael and Deborah’s song, “Ours to Keep,” aired on ABC’s General Hospital on September 24, 2007.

Rachael’s qualities make her a rare find in Hollywood, keep an eye out for this up and coming star. We’ll be watching too.

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6 Comments

  • is “Ours to keep” available anywhere yet? I love the song and need to have it on hand at all times.

  • Rachael is my very talented cousin! Her entire family is so proud of all she has accomplished. She is an up and raising star that will definitely continue to make her mark as an actress, singer and songwriter. We love you! New York

  • We really enjoy listing to the soundtrack from I Hate My 30’s ….it’s catchy, contemporary and fun! The show is a blast!!!@