| Biography | Lauren Maria "Ren" Harvieu (born 12 September 1990) is an English singer from Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester.
Ren Harvieu was introduced to Irish folk songs and traditional music by her guitarist/vocalist father. In her teens, she fell under the influence of artists like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, as well as The Smiths and Alicia Keys. While in sixth form college, she performed in musical theatre and entered several talent competitions before uploading some of her own recordings to MySpace.
Harvieu was discovered on MySpace by manager Paul Harrison after uploading demo tracks, which Harrison listened to. Harrison brought Harvieu to London to begin the studio work after introducing Jimmy Hogarth to her. She released the single "Through the Night" and toured with Glasvegas which introduced her to a wider audience.
Harvieu started recording an album but in May 2011, before it could be released, she broke her back in an accident where one of her friends she was watching performing acrobatic tricks jumped over a hedge and landed on her, severely injuring her spine. "I heard it snap. I couldn't feel my feet. I wasn't on drugs or even drunk. I thought I was gonna die," the singer recalled. After a 14-hour operation Harvieu spent months recovering at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, recovering movement in her legs.
On December 5, 2011, the BBC announced that she had been nominated for their BBC Sounds of 2012 poll. After releasing "Through the Night" (single) and "Open Up Your Arms", her first album Through the Night was released on Island Records on 14 May 2012, entering the mid-week UK album chart at No 2.
Harvieu has worked with headline acts including David McCabe, Ed Harcourt, Howie Payne Nas, Christopher O'Neill, and Glasvegas. She will be touring the UK in Autumn 2012.
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