Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe - Loren Gray

Episode Date: August 11, 2020

Kaitlyn’s guest this week is singer and social media star, known for finding her fame on Musical.ly, Loren Gray! Loren shares her knowledge of social media, how her massive Musical.ly following was able to transfer over to other platforms and some of the opportunities she’s had since. She also tells Kaitlyn about the time she met her hero, Taylor Swift, on set of her video and answers questions from fans and confesses about an interaction with Jason DeRulo! GEICO – Go to geico.com, and in fifteen minutes you could be saving 15% or more on car insurance BEST FIENDS – Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play MERCARI – Check out Mercari on the app stores or on Mercari.com . RITUAL – Visit Ritual.com/VINE to get 10% off during your first three months.  HOME DEPOT – You can save even more on the styles you love when you use code OFFTHEVINE10 at checkoutSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Tabby topics. On filtered advice and wine. Lots of wine. Get ready to shake things up. Caitlin. Hello, everybody. I'm your host, Caitlin Bristow. Today on the podcast, I have a singer, social media personality, whose accomplishments on TikTok, or what TikTok dreams are made of, and what I can only aspire to reach one day, maybe one day, all of 46 million followers on TikTok. She originally gained a following on Musically, which is now known as TikTok,

when she was only in sixth grade. Since becoming popular on TikTok, she's also signed a record deal, really several singles. She was featured in a T-Swift video. We talk a lot about what Taylor Swift told her, what it's like to meet Taylor Swift. We also find out what huge celebrity slid into her DMs and who she big time. She ignored him, find out later. She gained about 75 million followers across all social media platforms. Not a big deal. She talks about how she navigates that world, the bullying, everything that goes along with it. So I hope you enjoy. the podcast with Lauren Gray. Let's get right into it because I am just mind blown by you at 18 years old already. I can't even imagine where you're going in the next 10 years. But how did you get

your start on social media? Like how did this all happen for you? So I, I like to say I started by accident because I didn't know. So I started on musically before it was, um, became TikTok. And I was posting on there because everyone at my school was, but I didn't know that it was a platform in itself. You know how like you used Dobsmash to post on Instagram? Yeah. So that's kind of how I was using it. And then I started getting all these followers on Instagram. I didn't know where they were coming from. And then once I checked back on Musically, I realized I had like 30,000 followers on there. That's kind of what started at all. And then I just kind of was consistent with it. And it was a learning experience for me because I didn't know that social media popularity was necessarily a thing

or a career. And I definitely think it's evolved since then a lot. But that's kind of what started it. Yeah. When was that 2015? So yeah, that was 2015, 2016. I would say closer to 2016 is when I first started uploading. So I was 13 turning 14. Wow. Oh my gosh. So young. Okay. Well, I was was how old was I when I I think I was 26 when I discovered Instagram and I didn't realize people could follow me. I thought it was just a place for me to edit some photos and I threw up a nude of myself that I was like going to edit and like send to my boyfriend, my long distance boyfriend and not knowing people could follow me on it. And one of my girlfriends was like Caitlin. I was like, what? She's like, I'm following you on Instagram. And I was like, I had no idea. So I was pretty much how it was for me. for sure. I mean, I wasn't, I was 13, so there wasn't a whole lot of things I could post, but I was posting videos like lip syncing to like not so great songs and like my little Nike sports bra. And then once my mom, once I told her what was happening, she signed up and she like, you need to take down this, this, this and this. Because, and I'm also from Philly's,

like, there's a different culture there than there is here in L.A. and I definitely grew up pretty fast especially for when did you move out because so you were 15 so so you're in l.a now and you're 18 when did you move out so i've lived here for four years this is my fourth year so i got my first apartment when i was 14 um so kind of in that same year i was 14 turned like on the cusp of 15 and my mom lived with me for the first three years um and then after my first year being in an apartment we found this house which was like a great dude my landlord's great and um i live here now and i have for the past going on three years and then now i'm looking to hopefully buy but i have to get my my credit score up because i just turned 18

wow that's so crazy like the i didn't even know like 40 what is it 45 something million followers on ticot it did you have those followers on on musically and then it you transfer them over to TikTok. I don't even know how that works. Yeah, it's essentially the same app. The only thing is that musically was, I believe, a German company, and then they sold to China, and then they kind of rebranded after that deal. Okay. How scared are you that? Do you have any insight? Is TikTok going away? I have no idea. I'm interested to see what happens, but luckily I've been around long enough that I feel like I've branched out beyond just that platform. And,

And I mean, like, you know, I have numbers elsewhere, so it doesn't really, I mean, it obviously hurts a little bit, but I feel like that Instagram isn't doing so bad. You're, you're going to be okay. Yeah, I think I'll be all right for now. That's crazy. Do you get so many people asking you to do brand deals on like your platforms and how do you navigate which ones to like work with? Do you like stick to beauty and that kind of thing? Because I'm sure you're getting everything left and right of things coming at you for people wanting to advertise with those Yeah, so that's kind of where I make the majority of my income. I would say. So it depends because a lot of the times, a lot of things come to my email. But my team kind of sifts through what they think would be suitable and what sounds like it could be a good fit. Because luckily my team knows me really well and they know the types of things I say no to. And I really only partner with people that I feel like align with. who I am and what my brand is because if not it's not beneficial to anyone and like for example I just

partnered with Revlon and they're really great and really flexible with like you know uh listening to my ideas um I just partnered with Best Buy just announced that today um on a new laptop so there's things that uh I align myself with that I feel like people won't think is weird you know like it makes sense for you yeah because there there are certain things that i i can't really promote you know like i don't i don't know what would be a good example of that but you know it has to fit into my life alcohol sex toys you stay away from those yeah those kind of things um especially alcohol because i'm not old enough for that but i mean everything else is pretty much on the table if it fits yeah that's so you have a team that helps you do that that's that's how did you how did you gather this

team and what what would you say your like you say you align things with your brand what what would you say Lauren's brand is okay uh yeah so my team um I is took a lot of trial and error there is a lot of trial and error especially because social media is such uncharted territory I feel like it it's hard to really navigate I mean when I was 13 I'm people screwed me left right like i i was i remember this one one team that i had uh was getting me deals that i didn't because i didn't know how much money you could actually make on social media and they were getting me deals and my mom and i weren't super educated we were kind of blindly trusting people that we felt knew the business and um my mom is a great player and all this by the way my mom's

badass and she's great she's not a stage mom but she's like she knows her shit And I really respect her for that, and I appreciate her. But, you know, like, I would be getting deals that were $10,000, but they would pocket 90% of it and give me, like, $800. And I would have no idea because I did it. You're like, cool, $800. I would like to sit. I could buy some shit with this.

So it took a lot of experiences like that. I would say at least four or five to get to a point where my team now is really solid. and I trust them and they have backgrounds in both music and social media. So that took a long time, but I'm very grateful for the team that I have now. That's hard to come by a good team. It's really hard, yeah. Unfortunately, you do have to do it by trial and error, so I'm glad you found your people. And I feel like I personally don't think I would have been able to do that by myself,

but my mom, like I said, she's a batty. She knows what she's talking about, and she learned real quick. My mom's a smart woman. But she'll pass it on to you. Ah, yeah, yeah, she tries. Quick little cue for you. What are you doing in your free time? If you're anything like me, you've been spending a lot of downtime lately playing Best Fiends.

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like, yeah, just keeping it, you know, PG, but also still cool. Like, I don't want to be corny, but I want to be a good role model. And there's a lot of, you'd be surprised. I was in Starbucks yesterday at the grocery store, and this little girl was probably like seven. I was like, oh, I don't even know how she has a phone. And I looked over and she was taking a picture of me, But, like, those are the things that I have to be conscious of because then when someone's parents or, like, you know what I mean? It's just when kids are involved, it's important for me to do that. But, I mean, I focus a lot on beauty, fashion. That's something that I'm really passionate about music.

I don't know. I'm just like the girl next door. I'm not trying to be edgy. I'm not trying to be different. I'm just trying to be me. And I know that I'm not anything super cool, but I'm right. Yes, you are. You're so cool.

I feel like everyone's trying to be... I feel like we live in an age where everyone's trying to be edgy and badass, and I kind of... I'm just not that. But that's kind of my brand, is that I'm just... I'm pretty basic, and that's all right. I can't have some looks every now and then, and, you know. That's okay, because at the age of 18,

if you're, you know, being authentic and you're just, like, claiming this is who I am, and it's... You might not like it or I know a lot of people are trying to. If you're doing that at 18, that's, you know what? You've got a good head on your shoulders then. And if you're trying to be positive, I love that you said that's part of your brand. Because I'm sure since you've been active on social media, from that age 13 to now 18, have you probably experienced so much bullying?

Yeah. Definitely. It's really difficult because I definitely made my fair share of mistakes in the beginning. I definitely, especially just the, I was in public school, I was just a normal kid and didn't really understand that this was eventually going to be a business. So I definitely made my fair share of mistakes and I definitely learned really fast, what not to say and how to present yourself and what's socially acceptable because I don't think that I was very aware of those things at the time.

I mean, but I learned. Like by the time I was 14, I'd say I had the same mentality that I do now. It's like, okay, this isn't cool. Like, you got to be on top of your shit. But with that comes, like you said, bullying and people always have something to say. But I also figured out pretty quick that people only say things when they're insecure about themselves. It all boils down to that unless there's some truth in it, unless it's something that is constructive that I can learn from. But if there's no truth in something that someone's saying, I don't really pay attention to it.

Like, I used to in the beginning for sure. But now that's, how do you, like, I've said before from being on TV, I actually handle bullying worse down the road than I did then. Like, it was also new to me that I kind of found it entertaining. And I was like, well, of course people are going to like me and hate me and I'm on the show. And now the bullying to me hurts more because I think I've been off TV for a little, while and I feel like I've, you know, just only been myself on social media. So for people to bully me now, I'm like, man, you really hate me for who I am. But it's hard for even me as a 35 year old woman to remember where that stems from in their own insecurities. So how, from 13 to

now, how have you continued to stay positive like that and told yourself these things? I don't think it's consistently positive. And I'm very open about that with my platform. Like if something's hurting me or something's, you know, I just feel like an important for people to know those things that I'm a real person because that's another thing with social media is people just want to see humanity. They just want to see something realistic. And I feel like that's something I also had to do over time was kind of convince people that I'm a real person, which was difficult because, you know, being vulnerable on the Internet. people are going to say shit no matter what yeah being simple on the internet like on tic-tok how do you it's hard to be vulnerable on there it's hard to like you know you're just doing your stuff on tic-tok or instagram so would do you what platform do you use that you feel like you're your real self where people can find that um i feel like i try to do it as much as i can i mean when it comes to like i mean twitter i guess is where i talk the most um instagram too

but I've also shared pretty personal things on on TikTok as well that were really hard to do and um you you opened up about your experience with sexual assault which was so brave and so incredible of you to do especially at the age that you're in I don't think I think a lot of people in their teens and 18 is still a teen of of being afraid of what people will think of that or what they're going to say or maybe not even speaking out about that so why was it important to you to open up about that and for you to be open in general on social media. So just to remind people that you're human or to make other people feel like they can talk about these situations as well? Yeah. So it's a weird catch 22, especially with social

media in 2020, because I've seen so much evolution in the way people perceive things and the way that the masses react to situations. And I feel like while bullying might be at an all-time high with people being so sarcastic and like cancel culture and everything like that. But I also feel like there's been a lot of growth and people are a lot more understanding, especially in, you know, my generation of kids, my kind of age range are a lot more understanding. And I feel like it's important to share things like what I've experienced, not only so people can see that, you know, I am a person, but also that it happens to things like this happen to everyone. Bad shit happens to everyone no matter who you are. And I feel like

that's, that's important, especially because my audience is young. And I wish I would have been able to look up to someone who share experiences like that that I could have related to because I felt really alone. So I feel like I just don't want other people to feel alone like I did. You Yeah. I think that's important. That's something that I always said with even like body positivity and certain things like that. I always wish I had someone to look up to because we had, you know, in my, back in my generation, we had like magazines and and that kind of thing that still always told you what you should look like, what you should be like, how you attract guys, like all these things of being told and of like what you need to be as a woman. And I think that's the beauty of, you know, some platforms and social media and all people are being a little more. vulnerable and opening up and sharing their stories, which shows younger kids that it's okay or that they can talk about it and all those kinds of things. So that is, that is something I really love about this generation of people on social media, the ones with a large following. I feel like people are learning to be more vulnerable and honest. So I love that you do that. Yeah. And I mean,

I guess my thought process is like why not? Because the worst, there's everything. that people could say about me isn't anything I haven't heard before, you know? And it's, if it's going to help one person, then it's something worth sharing, I feel. And I mean, a lot of people reached out to me after I shared that and were like, I had no idea that this, you know, happens to people like you. And in my head, I'm like, oh, yeah, shit happens to me all the time. But people don't get to see that unless you let them. People can't relate to that or kind of, yeah, find a little bit of themselves in you if you don't allow them to see that side of you, I suppose. Yeah, no, I completely agree.

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that a lot of people of your status and with your following and are involved in, especially being in L.A. Why is that? You know, it's kind of hard to say because partially, there's a few different reasons. Partially it's because I feel like a lot of people rely on drama and parties and that sort of thing to get ahead. And I just never wanted to be that. It's not anything negative to people who do, but I just, I want to see how far I can get being me and on my own, you know? So that's part of it. And I mean, also, I'm very to myself.

and it's really hard for me to make friends and I feel like that's also the sort of the isolating part about having a lot of followers because a lot of people think well you know you probably think everyone's using you kind of but it's also just hard to tell who's really your friend yeah because people will hang out with me and and kiss my ass and you know let's hang out let's do this, let's do that. And then they talk about how they want to be famous on TikTok. And then I'm like, okay, I get it now. But not even just that.

They're so subtle. Yeah, but not even just that. The people who I feel like I could relate to, the people who, you know, have a lot of followers and deal with, you know, hey, every day and who work as hard as I do, they don't answer my text or they don't respond to my DM. So it's really hard to, like, meet somewhere in the middle because it's this weird, it's really strange the way that social media friendships are versus real authentic friendships. Like none of my friends have over, you know, 300,000 followers and they have followers.

It's partially because we're all friends, you know? So it's just a weird difference that you get. You can, you know, find the difference in real friendships and social media friendships. And I know there's so many, so many young. kids out there that want to be TikTok famous and you know get to that level what what would your advice be to them like

not to get there but like from them wanting that what would you say to them um I think that I feel like it's really it seems easy you know it seems like I just wake up and make a TikTok and make a bag and go to sleep

it's so much more involved than that my brain throughout my day I can't just sleep in until two o'clock and wake up and post a TikTok and then eat some food and go to sleep like I have to keep so many people happy and I'm constantly thinking about what's my next post going to be did I post enough today did I post too much today did I respond to people enough today did I do this enough today every day is like I'm setting a new goal for myself and which which is kind of unrealistic at times because social media is so inconsistent. So if there's a week where I've been 40,000 followers instead of 50,000 followers, I'm like, I'm irrelevant. Like, I don't know what to do. The case, and I'm trying to,

I'm trying to get out of that mindset, but I feel like people just think that it's easy. And it's not easy to keep a lot of people happy. And it's stressful because you don't know how long you can keep people interested, you know? So it's, it's definitely difficult. And I feel like people just think that it's something I can roll out of bed and do. Yeah. How many is too many TikToks in a day? I don't know. I've, you know what? I've been trying to post when I feel like I have something to share. Yeah. Because some days I would, I would really stress myself out being like, oh, I need to find a sound to make a TikTok to you or what's going to get the most likes. And, now it's just, it's really, really time-consuming and stressful. And I feel like my videos do better

when I just do it when I like what I'm doing. So that's what I do. But if you're asking how many TikToks is too much in a day, I would say more than four. Oh, gosh. I like struggle to do one a week because I'm like, well, I should probably do one. Yeah, no, me too. I struggle sometimes because I've done videos for the past five years. I've done 15 second videos for the past five years. and when you've done that, and sometimes your brain, it's like, we've done it all. Like, what else is there to do? So it's hard to think of new ideas and come up with things that are going to be engaging in different. And it's also hard for me because, like I said, I try not to rely on things like drama

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We'll be back with more off the vine with Caitlin Bristow. Hi guys, I'm Bella Benson, and welcome to another episode with me on Too Tart to be Crazy. Transfers all of the saliva into my mouth, so I just have to keep swallowing, trying to swallow it as his tongue is just like doing its thing like all the way down my throat. Mortified. Like I wasn't scared anymore to admit what I need and to ask for what I need. And I just feel like it's like a whole new dating chapter for me, honestly. I typed in you, and instead of going to YouTube, it went to you porn. Be sure to check out Too Tired to Be Crazy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podcasts.

How does that sound like. Now back to Off the Vine with Caitlin Bristow. How do you stay like, I don't know if saying is the right word, but how do you make sure you're not letting likes and the followers take over your self-worth? sometimes I do that's that's the hard thing because I honestly sometimes it does get in the way and if I'm on Instagram for too long and I start comparing myself to all the other beautiful girls on Instagram it it does start to make you feel like oh maybe I should be more like this or why don't I do this like she does or why am I not that skinny um which I have struggled with you know like when I was when I first moved here eating disorders and things like that because because of that

constant comparison but I feel like now that I've sort of gotten out of the mindset of putting so much pressure on myself it's a little easier to put my phone down and music also helps a lot with that because I have a studio on my house now so when I'm recording I can't feel my phone yeah and that helps to kind of remove me from that situation for long enough to where I'm occupied. My thoughts are occupied by something else because there's so much going on there. That's so important. You can turn that off and actually get into because I was going to say, I mean, in addition to all of this, you have an incredible music career and you've been pursuing music and you

can put your phone down and like, do you write your own music and like go in the studio and sing like your feelings because that's got to be therapeutic. it yeah yeah so it depends even sometimes i mean i love writing but even sometimes just if it's a demo that someone's already done and i'm like cool even just the act of getting putting my mind somewhere else because recording takes so much like i have to make sure that you know the computer's right because i'm recording myself so there's a lot happening and i'm not thinking about this. But when I'm not there or I'm not cleaning or doing something, you know, productive, I can't. Like, I have to be going or else I feel like I'm not doing enough. And I feel like that's

one of the downfalls of starting a career so young. Because this is all I know. Like, all I know is wake up at seven, you know, work out, make your videos, you know, eat a healthy lunch and do your brand deals and record your songs and like and I do everything myself so it can be overwhelming and I'm still I feel like I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with that yeah oh my gosh you're probably always going to be trying to figure that out it's just I mean that's any career anyone would choose right anything that you're successful in and a career path that you're on you're always going to learn and grow and and go through challenges and ups and downs and highs and lows. So don't be too hard on yourself.

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so start small today. Ritual is offering my listeners 10% off your first three months. try it out satisfaction guaranteed go to ritual.com slash vine to start your ritual today that's 10% off during your first three months at ritual.com slash vine but that's so cool that you do music and didn't you work with taylor swift i was in her music video yeah which one uh for the man what that's so freaking cool how is it how is it like working with her it was like first of all i and i'm not just saying this because i was in her music video but she's been like my number one pop stars since I was little. Like, I'd fearless on CD, and I used to put in my karaoke machine. So I love her, and I actually didn't know what exactly I was walking into, because with, you know, big artists and music videos, they usually don't tell you

until you're on set who it's for. I just knew that it was supposed to be a really good experience. I was like, okay, cool. Oh, you didn't know? That's crazy. I had no idea until I got there. And I still didn't know, they had all these curtains set up, right, for her to walk behind. So she was kind of like separated from like the cast and the extras or whatever so she could kind of go her own way.

And she went one way and her mom came out. And her mom was like, oh, thank you so much for doing this. And I was like, why did she look so damn familiar? And I'm like, ah, thanks. Like nice to me too. and uh cool but i was like she looks really familiar uh really nice woman and then once i got back to like the green room they were telling who was for and i was like this is my idol like my pop or idol and i was like oh shit they say never to meet your idols so now i'm like freaking out a little bit um

and i was a little i was like a ball girl um during a tennis match scene so it was literally only me her and a stunt double in the scene. And I get there and, you know, for the video, she was in full prosthetics. She looked like a dude. Like, you couldn't tell it was her. And she walked in and she looked exactly like the stunt double. And then she started talking to you. She was like, oh, thank you so much for doing this.

Like, I love your videos. And I was like, I was like, oh, I get it now. And we're actually from like the same area. She went to a school that's like five minutes from my house. No, no way. So, and she knew that before I did. She was like, yeah. She was like, you're from Pots Town.

I went to school there. And I was like, yeah, I am from there. Having a moment with you. That's pretty cool. Yeah, but she talked to you for a while and, like, gave really good advice. And it was a really good experience. And now I'm like, I mean, I already was her biggest fan, but now I'm like so vocal. Like, she just dropped her album and I'm like online, like, make sure you stream it.

Yeah, she's amazing. I love her new album. That's, that's, I mean, she's so smart business-wise, too. Like, everything that she does is just so, uh, unique and clever and just, there's something just so magical about her and what she does. Yeah. And I, you know, what it is, I, I genuinely think that she's just humble, you know, and she's so successful, but she's, she's still 100% herself and the same person that she's always been and I feel like that's really hard to find um with people of her caliber of success uh at least you know I've met YouTubers that are douchebags yeah of course and my thing is like a Taylor Swift is cool why can't you be like it's like that's Taylor Swift right I think that's what it is about her and she just knows what she's doing like she directed that music video and you could tell it was her vision She was calling the shots.

She knew what she wanted. And she handles it with grace, which is something that I look up to, most definitely. I just love that. She is, she's inspiring, and I do agree with you. She's just so humble and such a hard worker and everything she does is successful, and that probably I always believe in success coming from being true to yourself and authentic and what you do and being kind. just like even thanking people and little like member in a camera camera his name like

everything is just so important to be kind and you just never know who you're you're being kind to do and what it can get for you yeah and I feel like especially in this business I feel like word word of mouth spread so far yeah so but if you're a bad person everyone's going to know and if you're a great person everyone's going to know yeah like I can't tell me i can't tell you how many times i've been sitting in like a hair or makeup chair and they just have nothing good to say about some people and i'm like wow that could be me i could be the biggest bitch ever and someone having a shoot somewhere far off will know because it's just the way it is so yeah you don't that that's so you've just like i mean 18 years you've had before you're even 18 you

over 100 million global streams of your songs and just at such a young age and I love that you look up to Taylor Swift for being humble and herself and kind because that's that's you've already had so much success at your age and obviously like I think you're just going to take things further and keep growing and learning and being successful but um is is music going to be your main kind of pursuit at the moment or what what are you going to focus on long term yeah so right now I'm I'm definitely focused on music But I feel like social media is more just a part of my life because it's so ingrained in me. Like, this is work, but it's also just part of my life now.

I can't imagine not waking up and being like, good morning, guys. So I feel like that's just a part of me. And music now is like my current focus, but social media is always there. Yeah. I mean, how terrifying is it to, like, say something wrong in front of that many people? Because, I mean, I don't have the following you do, and I get, I'm so scared I'm going to say something wrong or do something bad or it's going to get out there, like, make a mistake. And that just must be terrifying because you're going through life as an 18-year-old who is going to make mistakes and who is going to do things that, you know, like you already have online. You said you've learned so many, you know, from making mistakes.

That's how you've learned. But how terrifying is it to have that many eyes watching you? It's definitely something to think about. I mean, I think about it every day. And I also try not to put myself in situations where I could make a mistake. You know, it's like, if I go to this party, what am I going to be doing at that party? Oh, well, it's probably not going to be good. Well, I probably shouldn't go.

I don't have that mindset at 18. Well, I feel like that's also, a lot of that is my parents, even though they're not here. They put so much trust in me. Not only that, but my dad lived by himself for three years when my mom came out here with me. My mom quit her job. I feel like my family's made so many sacrifices that for me to fuck it up over a party would be the most disappointing and hurtful thing. So that's kind of where my head's at.

And I talk to my parents every day. So I'm constantly thinking of them. And I just wouldn't want to put myself in a situation to disappoint them or even to disappoint the people who follow me because I also feel like they dedicate so much time to supporting me. And then for me to just, you know, like go to a party when there's, you know, a global pandemic and let's get turned and you know like it's just not it for you i mean i was definitely a freaking asshole when i was 18 so good for you and i respected the hell of my parents and

i was still an ass so i i appreciate i respect what you said about that that's cool okay i'm here to tell you that there's more to explore at the home depot from furniture and home decor to bedding and more home depot dot com has endless options for every space Home Depot has always been a go-to for me when it comes to making changes in my house whether they're big or small I just got a microwave from them, a double oven, a cooktop.

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Okay, so Amy wants to know what is the one video you made that changed everything for you? the first like five videos that I posted were the first ones that got featured to the explore page so I would say my first couple of videos are where the traction sort of began and I would say that that's probably it I mean I'm yeah probably like my second post really what were you doing I was just lip syncing oh yeah right right yeah that's I don't even I remember my niece going on musically and I didn't know now I'm like such a TikTok fan um okay she wants to know how all the ticto i don't know jam i don't know jam lich how do you know how do all the ticotkers know each other do you guys all live in l.a is that like a thing everyone lives in l.a and i feel like um i don't i don't think that everyone really knows each other but if but if you do see someone that you feel like we all know of each other yeah if we're all in in a situation where, you know, we're together or we're at, like, an event or a party or something where we're together. It kind of feels like you're already in the same boat, so it kind of feels

like you know each other. And it's a lot less awkward when someone's living the same life as you. But I don't think everyone necessarily knows each other. I mean, a lot of them live together in, like, houses now. Yeah, that's wild. I could never do that. Have you ever met Jason, DeRuolo? I have not. Um, hello has TikTok. he actually oh that you really just reminded me that he'd be me a wild guy I didn't answer I should probably do that I forgot because there was a time there was a weird time like right when I turned 18 where I was getting DMs from like random rappers and like artists yeah Jason Derulo happened to accidentally slip through the cracks and I he was there I just forgot to answer but yeah I should answer him that's so funny

Yeah, that's amazing. I feel like that's a confession in itself. Jason Darulo, get it, girl. I hate this question personally, and if you do too, that's totally fine. But people always want to know, where do you see yourself in five years? I guess to answer that vaguely, because I don't really know, I just want to be happy, making other people happy. I mean, that's what my whole career was based. off of so i just want to keep doing that and uh if anything changes and i decide to like work at nassar or something i'll keep everyone updated but i don't i think i'll just be doing this yeah that's great because it genuinely makes you happy doing this yeah yeah this is my life

that's great um oh you have a dog yeah what kind of dog yeah uh she's a palmeranian can you see her no oh yeah there she is oh my gosh cute what's what's her name her name smudge she's the best dog and I'm so unbiased when I say that because I met a lot of dogs yeah he's just like she's a real cool girl

that's awesome how old is she she will be a three in December my dogs could totally just tell I was talking like about a cute dog they both Chelsea Tell wants to know, would you rather go out or stay home? I know you're cautious about that, but what would you rather do? I feel like right now, if it were safe, I would probably prefer to go out because I just feel trapped. Oh, my goodness.

He had some big friend. He told me, he, like, you're trying to go to another dog. That's cuter than me. Hey, hold on. I got to get snatched pasty. Yeah. You can tell them to monster your dog is somebody. Oh, look at the little smudge

What a freaking cutie That's such a perfect name for her She's like a little ink smudge Yep, she's just a little smudge That's so cute Did you see the puppies? He's like nowhere That's amazing

Okay, couple Oh wait, no, do you have a confession for me? I did So I was supposed to get an embarrassing story. Okay. Yeah. What we do here. We tell embarrassing stories and nobody judges you for it.

It's okay. I have a lot. I embarrass myself all the time. But one time I texted, so I meant to text my friend. And I need to start saving like last names and people's real names in my phone because I was texting my friend and her contact was my G. And my trainer. his contact is G.

Oh, no. Because that's his name. Yeah. So I, we were going to, I figured where we were going. We were going to, like, an event or something. And I texted her a picture. And I was like, is this too much? And, like, my cities were out, out.

And it was, like, when they grew out of nowhere. And I was like, I was also kind of looking for her to be like, yeah, why don't your boobs get so big. I asked her a picture. I was like, is this too much? And my trainer responded. And he was like, I think it looks fine. but what are you asking and i was like oh my god i'm so sorry we never talked about it in person

but um he's a really cool guy but i just did not mean to send that to him and i was i tried to like i don't even know what i thought it was going to unsend the message or something if i like airplane mode my phone like i was like how do you want yeah it didn't work that's that's i mean that's so that my worst fear is texting a photo to someone i don't want to text it to yeah especially something like that like I would be mortified but I also like you said like it's hard like you don't get embarrassed easily or you embarrass yourself all the time or something that is me and that's like that that would kill me if I sent that to the my heart sinks a little bit but then I'm like you know what like it's funny like they're laughing about it I should have about it

yeah exactly you got to laugh it off my question for you is what are you what's the first thing you're going to do when you turn 21. Oh my God. I don't even know. I really want to be able to do stuff in Vegas because I've been to Vegas and it was so boring and it's boring when you can't do anything. So I just want to be able to experience it the right way. Absolutely.

That's great. And then the last thing before you go, I just want to know like at 18, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Oh, my goodness. Best piece of advice I've ever received. I'm sure T. Swift dropped some knowledge in your brain. Yeah, she, well, she gave me really great advice about the music industry. She was like, don't let men who don't sing tell you what to do with your career.

And I was like, you're right, because that happens a lot. So she was right. And that was really great music advice. My parents give great advice all the time. Don't be stupid is one of my favorites. Simple and true. Yeah. So I'm like, is this stupid? Yeah, it probably is. Okay, that I won't do it. It's as simple as that. Oh, I'm into that. Is this stupid? I'm going to take that one and run with it. You should listen to if you're into audiobooks or like, if you like reading or anything. But Jessica Simpson wrote a book. Please tell me you know who that is. Yeah, I know Jessica says. She did this book and she kind of talks about the music industry and she has a lot of cool lessons in there. If you're ever bored, which I'm sure you're not.

I'll have to get around because I actually read Prince has a really great book called The Interview where they compiled all of his interviews because he didn't do a lot he never did a lot of interviews so they compiled them all and it's really cool

that's awesome yeah I didn't think Jessica Simpson I was not that I wasn't a fan or anything I just was like hearing that her book was so good and then I was like I don't know and then I listened to it I downloaded it and I was like wow she's actually quite intelligent and has a lot of good advice so do you read the audiobook yeah oh it makes even better i know

she's i'm just obsessed with her voice but i just you're great and and just keep doing what you're doing i mean that's you've already got the best piece of advice which is from yourself that you want to just be you and see how far you can get as yourself and i think that's so important and always use your your voice to you know spread the the positivity that you do and life lessons and and and And I just think you're doing great. Obviously, you're doing great. You have freaking millions of millions and sh millions of followers. Good Lord.

I was going to say, what can people find you? But it's like, I think they all do. But really, where can people find you? I think, okay, so my Instagram is Lauren. My Twitter is I'm Lauren Gray. My Snapchat is Lauren. And my TikTok is, I never know if it's Lauren or Lauren Gray. But I genuinely don't know.

I need to like, L-O-R-E-N. L-O-R-E-N, yes, Gray, with an A, not an E. Gosh, 46 freaking million dollars. That's insane. Well, good for you, girl. Keep it up, and thank you so much for being on the pod today. I really appreciate it. Of course.

Nice meeting you. So nice to meet you, too. Bye. Before we go, I wanted to call out a black-owned business that was recommended by Michelle, who's an off-the-vine listener, and says, The Hop-N-N-Manchester is owned and operated by the kindest family. They have an amazing menu of pretzels and wide. assortments of draft beer, they're friendly, inviting, and they would do anything to help

someone in need, which is so sweet. So you can find them on Instagram at Hot Not underscore Manchester. If you're ever in New Hampshire, where they are located, be sure to check them out and keep sending me your favorite black phone businesses on the Off The Vine Instagram. Thanks for listening to Off The Vine with Caitlin Briscoe. Get new episodes every Tuesday exclusively on Podcast 1.com. The Podcast 1 app. and subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Who's not with OTV?