On with the show, this is it

CELINA - Some people attribute success to a stroke of luck or assume opportunity is handed out on a silver platter.

Lauren Schroeder, however, knows no amount of luck or talent guarantees success. Instead, hard work and perseverance make all the difference.

Schroeder, known professionally as Lauren Jean, has worked relentlessly to be where she is today. At 17 she's won "Ohio's Got Talent" and performed in front of a panel of celebrity judges on "American Idol."

The Celina native auditioned for the show last year in an open call in Columbus but was rejected after show officials said they believed her voice was underdeveloped. A producer pulled Schroeder aside, however, and encouraged her to audition again for the next season, saying she could go far on the show.

While spending time at the Berklee College of Music's Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive Program last summer, Schroeder was approached by a casting director who had discovered her on Instagram and asked her to audition. Schroeder auditioned via a Skype video call, which she said initially did not go well. Yet show officials were so impressed with her talent that she was able to move on to the next round of auditions.

Schroeder auditioned again in Nashville before moving on to the final round of auditions, for which she sang in front of "Idol" celebrity judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. The singer-songwriter spent 17 hours in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the audition in October.

The audition was insane, Schroeder said. Perry said she loved this "freak show," and Bryan let out a quiet "whoa" when she began singing.

Despite her young age, Schroeder has already begun working on her personal brand and signature style. The teen started stamping a star below her right eye after attending the aforementioned Berklee camp. She also sports a minor third over her left eyebrow, citing her love for music theory.

Schroeder is classically trained in music, learning piano when she was a child at the direction of her father, Bob, and later sneaking to the Celina Music Store to ask for guitar lessons without her parents' knowledge. Despite her classical training, Schroeder described her music as pop mixed with soul and rock, with a dash of electronic music mixed in.

"I want to create popular music," she said.

The songstress said when it comes to her success, people often assume that opportunities were handed to her or she simply got lucky. Schroeder said it's never been easy. She started schooling online, partially due to the travel associated with her busy career but also because of negativity she faced attending high school in Celina.

Schroeder said while her teachers were supportive, other students would bully her or try to tear her down. After receiving a long, gushing text from a classmate congratulating her for being flown out to Los Angeles for a contest, she later found out it was part of a dare. When she landed a prominent role in a musical while at school, girls backstage would tell her she sounded like a goose.

The teen channeled that negativity into her original song "World of No Pleasing," which she recently released on all music streaming platforms. Schroeder said the piano ballad is an anthem for her. In it, she laments that she can't please everybody.

"These are my dreams, and I'm trying just to please everybody in a world of no pleasing," she croons on the track.

Regardless of her negative experiences and the naysaying she occasionally still receives, Schroeder said she wants to create positive music and focus on the good in life.

"What are we even on this Earth for if it's not to spread good?"

Schroeder said she's worked hard to get to this point at such a young age. She practices for at least three hours a day and spends hours researching contests in which to take part or gig opportunities to pursue, communicating with brands and sponsors and interacting with her fans online. The teen is getting ready to release two more original songs on Thursday and is working to get her name trademarked.

"When people think of Lauren Jean, I want people to think of me," she said.

Schroeder said her songwriting process changes depending upon how inspiration strikes but noted her inspiration almost always comes from "big balls of emotion."

"No matter what the emotion is, whether it's happy or sad or anything, that's when I'm most inspired," said Schroeder. "Sometimes it's like I come up with a chord progression first or sometimes it's a poem that turns into music."

She said she will often get a melody stuck in her head and work out the chord progression on the piano before writing lyrics.

"It feels like a gift," she said. "Some songs, it feels like I don't even write them because it just happens so naturally."

Schroeder recently hopped on a track entitled "Star" with Celina High School alumnus Remington Hill. Hill reached out last summer after writing the song, saying he thought it would be perfect for her. The two co-wrote the song for the collaboration, Schroeder said.

When she's not hard at work or performing, Schroeder tries to set aside time to relax and indulge in her hobbies, which include watching makeup tutorials, knitting or watching the occasional reality TV show.

Schroeder said she wants people to know that success is possible if they put in the work.

"If you can walk, if you can talk, if you're in control of yourself, you can do it," she said.

Schroeder said she's excited to release a six-track EP within the coming weeks and to see where she'll go after her "American Idol" experience. In a perfect world, Schroeder said she would love to score a record deal so she can create more music for people to enjoy.

"I've dreamt of this for so long," she said.

American Idol runs at 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays on ABC TV. Her original music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Soundcloud or nearly any other streaming platform.
  The teen can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @laurenjeansoul for updates and her performance schedule. She will perform at McSober's Saloon in Coldwater on March 27.