Lauren Isenberg (born May 7, 2002), known professionally as Renforshort (stylized as renforshort
) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
singer and songwriter from
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
. Debuting independently in 2019 with the singles "Waves" and "Mind Games", Isenberg released her debut
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. , the ''Teenage Angst EP'', in March 2020.
Life and career
Early life
Lauren Isenberg was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
. Her parents' taste of music influenced her at an early age, and she was exposed to musicians such as
Billy Joel,
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise ...
and
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
.
As a child, she won a Chinese language competition for performing the folk song "
Mo Li Hua
''Mo Li Hua'' () is a Chinese folk song from the Jiangnan region. The song dates back to the 18th century. Over time, many regional variations were created, and the song gained popularity both in China and abroad.
It has been used during eve ...
".
Isenberg wrote her first song at 13 years old called "Hopeless Town", which was produced by Nathan Ferraro of the Canadian band
The Midway State
The Midway State is a Canadian alternative rock band from Collingwood, Ontario, Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, Ontario, signed to Remedy Records for North America and to Universal Music Publishing Group, Universal Publishing for the world outside. ...
, and worked on several songs in Los Angeles with producer Justin Gray, however decided that none of these songs showed off her full personality.
She began posting covers of songs to YouTube and Soundcloud in 2015,
starting with a cover of
Labrinth
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...
's "
Jealous
Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety.
Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...
". At 14, Isenberg decided that singing was her passion after performing at an
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether t ...
night.
Isenberg met Canadian producer Jeff Hazin in 2016, who became her long-time collaborator (Isenberg has continued to work with the same co-writers since 2016).
In the same year, she collaborated with German drummer and
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
r Sina Doering on her album ''Chi Might''.
Debut
Under the moniker Ren,
Isenberg released her debut single "Waves" in February 2019.
Music executives from
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
took notice of her due to the song's popularity, and organized a meeting with her only a month after its release.
Isenberg's second single "Mind Games" became a viral hit,
and by November the two tracks had amassed five million streams across platforms.
"Mind Games" was later nominated for the 2019
SOCAN Songwriting Prize The SOCAN Songwriting Prize, formerly known as the ECHO Songwriting Prize, is an annual competition recognizing the best in Canadian emerging music, both anglophone and francophone.
Established in 2006, the competition was designed to recognize so ...
.
Isenberg's first single with Geffen Records was released in November, entitled "IDC".
On March 13, 2020, Isenberg released her debut
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. , the ''Teenage Angst EP'',
and changed her stage name to Renforshort.
The leading single from the release, "I Drive Me Mad", was inspired by Isenberg's experiences with anxiety and panic attacks. Promotion for the EP was difficult, as scheduled showcases in Toronto, New York and Los Angeles were delayed in an effort to
flatten the curve
Flattening the curve was a public health strategy to slow down the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The curve being flattened is the epidemic curve, a visual representation of the number of infect ...
against the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
She is a support act on YUNGBLUD’s Life on Mars tour.
Later Works
In 2021 Ren released another EP titled ''off saint dominique EP'' which was released through Interscope Records on June 4. It was met with positive reviews from critics with
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
describing it as " A celebration of ever changing emotion" and publication Dork called the EP as having a "striking take on lyricism that continues to impress with a refreshing level of self-reflection" As of January 2022 the EP has surpassed 15 million streams on Spotify.
Artistry
Renforshort's music is inspired by acts such as
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz.
A membe ...
, and from films such as ''
Coraline
''Coraline'' () is a dark fantasy horror children's novella by British author Neil Gaiman. Gaiman started writing ''Coraline'' in 1990, and it was published in 2002 by Bloomsbury and HarperCollins. It was awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best ...
'' and ''
Call Me by Your Name Call Me by Your Name may refer to:
* ''Call Me by Your Name'' (novel), a 2007 novel by André Aciman
* ''Call Me by Your Name'' (film), a 2017 film based on the novel, directed by Luca Guadagnino
** '' Call Me by Your Name: Original Motion Pictur ...
''.
Personal life
Isenberg's mother is a real-estate agent. She has three brothers, who are all musicians.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Dear Amelia''
(2022)
Extended plays
Singles
Guest appearances
References
{{Authority control
Living people
2002 births
21st-century Canadian women singers
Geffen Records artists
Musicians from Toronto