Reni Lane

Website »
MySpace »

Add To Favorites

From rave reviews of her wild stage antics to winks and nods of NYC fashion designers, Reni Lane has come on the scene with a bang. Her song “Place for Us” is unique and hard to pigeonhole – not unlike Ms. Lane herself. Her series of video shorts entitled “10 Random Things About Reni Lane” range from David Bowie impersonations to her performance of Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” to making a grilled cheese sandwich on an ironing board. Are these the makings of a new superstar?

An Oregon born, Virginia tansplanted high school band geek Reni escaped suburban life through writing and performing. She took it one step further, moving to New York City at 18 to forge a writing and producing collaboration with David Pattillo, and eventually entered Columbia University. “I wanted to figure everything out and really make it on my own, so I attacked my music career with everything I had. I performed every week at The Sidewalk Cafe (where Suzanne Vega and Regina Spektor were discovered), and worked with other seasoned songwriters like David Poe and Joseph Arthur.” She built a stage in her dorm room and put on shows for classmates throughout the school year.

Around that time, Reni finished her first album with Pattillo, entitled AMERICAN BABY. Leaving on school breaks to tour Europe with her band. Reni was playing venues like Amsterdam’s The Melkweg and triggering her effects with Wii video game controllers. MTV snapped her up for their ‘First Ladies of Rock’ ad campaign sponsored by Virgin Mobile and this brought her to the attention of songwriter/producer Sam Bisbee. After writing a few songs together, their work was handed over to super producer Linda Perry who signed her, resulting in her CUSTARD / MOTOWN UNIVERSAL debut – READY.

The songs on READY are about love, mistakes, communication, and the need to belong. "We wrote songs like “Place For Us” and “Ready” to help make sense of where I was in the world," explains Reni of how the album came together. Her first single “Place For Us” an up-tempo, memorable track emphasizes a universal theme of acceptance. Showtime’s The L Word got hooked and featured the song on the 2009 season premiere even before its release. With bittersweet lyrics about a party gone wrong, “We Don’t Forget” mixes emotion and detachment against jangly guitars, warm synths and a grooving electronic beat.

Most recently VH1 has adopted Reni’s “Place For Us” as their theme song for the controversial new reality show Secrets of Aspen. While Facebook groups gossip over the show’s provocative nature, blogs give the theme song two thumbs up and indie radio stations take notice. Even VH1 has taken an extra special shine to Reni, with online mentions, VH1 news clips and a “Place For Us” music video. Look for “Place For Us” hitting radio in February, a national tour with Reni and band, and READY hitting the streets March 16, 2010.