Singer Lauren Frawley from NJ signs with same label as Taylor Swift. What's next for her?

In 2015, singer and songwriter Lauren Frawley was sitting in her high school freshman science class when she realized that her cover of Alessia Cara’s “Here” was going viral on Soundcloud, the music streaming service.

“I literally remember opening my laptop and checking out the views and it was crazy,” says Frawley, now 23. Her cover of “Here,” a lament by a girl at a party who doesn’t want to be there, currently has 13.9 million views.

It was only the beginning for Frawley, who grew up in Haworth. Last year, she scored a recording contract with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group — the same label as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Lil Wayne, Post Malone and The Weeknd. Since joining Republic, she has released two singles, “Crying My Eyes Out” and “Figure You Out,” and she currently has 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. In addition to recording her own songs, Frawley has written songs for Tate McCrae, John Legend, Dixie D’Amelio, Cian Ducrot, Hunter Hayes, and Lindsey Stirling, and has co-written with Bebe Rexha, Icona Pop and Metro Boomin.

“This is a really great time,” says Frawley, who moved to Los Angeles almost two years ago. “It feels like a new era, a new chapter. I’m working on a lot of new music right now — conceptually, things are changing because of where I am in my life.”

Frawley calls “Figure You Out,” which was released in August, one her favorite songs. “We’re leading up to an EP next year,” she says.

"We signed Frawley because she is an exceptional songwriting talent with endless potential,” says Ken Jarvis, Director, A&R at Republic Records. “She is highly ambitious and proved prior to signing that she is dedicated to consistently working to improve her craft and making music that is relatable to everyday people."

Peaceful and quiet North Jersey upbringing

But it all began in Haworth, where Frawley says she has an idyllic childhood. “It was really peaceful and quiet,” she said. “Growing up in New Jersey, I was dealt a very good card.” She also appreciates how easy it was to get to Manhattan, where she took music lessons and went on auditions nearly every other day.

Her father and mother both worked in the construction industry, and no one in the family was particularly musical. “I’m the first person to do something like this,” Frawley says. She has strong ties to Ireland — her father was born there, as were three of her grandparents, and most of her extended family still calls the Emerald Isle home.

“Many work in the trades,” says Frawley, who visits Ireland regularly. “My paternal grandfather is a retired cattle farmer. Most of the family is in farming. They drive tractors, haul hay, and things like that.”

Her entree into music came through singing. She began taking lessons before kindergarten with a teacher named Carol Kenny. “I had one lesson with her before camp that summer,” Frawley recalls. “She called my mom after that and said, ‘This girl’s really good.’ I just fell in love with singing instantly and my mom signed me up for lessons with her throughout the school year.”

As soon as she learned how to read, Frawley began writing songs. “As I progressed in school, I found a love for poetry and writing stories,” she says.

She penned a song about her unrequited love for a boy when she was eight years old. “The title was something like, ‘Tear Me Apart,’” she recalls. “I remember bringing it to Mrs. Kenny. She was crying and said, ‘You’re my first student to write songs.’”

In addition to singing lessons, Frawley began studying piano, inspired by Taylor Swift. “I’m such a massive fan of her writing and how she is able to convey all of her emotions in a song,” she says.

By second grade, Frawley was determined to pursue her musical ambitions.

Caroline Casey, Lauren’s mother, recalls sharing a life lesson with Lauren and her older sister Cat as she drove them home from music lessons.

“I was telling them that you should chase your dreams, but you always have to have a Plan B,” Caroline Frawley says. “My older daughter understood, but Lauren said, ‘There is no Plan B. This is the only way it can go.’ She’s determined, and she’s always been that way.”

She started with covers, then went viral

At 13, Lauren began recording fragments of other people’s songs and posting them on Instagram. “I eventually wanted to make full covers but didn’t know how, so I asked my mom to find someone to help me record,” she says. Soon, the pair were visiting the Chelsea studio apartment of music engineer Ari Raskin. “My mom would sit on his bed and watch me,” Frawley says.

After “Here” went viral, Frawley knew it was time to find management — how she found it is a tale in itself.

“I ended up making fake accounts on Instagram and tagging a bunch of big managers and saying, ‘Oh my God, you have to check out this girl, she’s so talented,’” Frawley says. “Managers would reach out and they would think that they discovered me. They would say, ‘I found you first,’ but actually I found them first.”

Her sister Cat moved with her to the West Coast, which Frawley calls a blessing. “I have a built-in roommate and she’s my best friend,” she said. “We do everything together. I’m happy to have her here and her support has been wonderful.” Cat works remotely for a law firm and virtually attends Fordham Law School.

Caroline Casey says that when Lauren and Cat fly in from California, they immediately want to order in from a local Italian restaurant. “They’re not like, ‘Mom, can you cook this or that?’” she says with a laugh. “No, it’s, ‘Let’s get chicken parm with penne in vodka sauce from Andiamo.’”

Lauren confesses that she recently flew back to California from New Jersey with bagels in her suitcase. “The food in New Jersey is unmatched,” she says. “I can’t find one place out here when I can get a good chicken parm or a good bagel. So New Jersey, you’re No. 1 for that.”

Frawley’s first-ever TV performance was on the biggest show in Korea, SBS Inkigayo. “I was at a K-Pop camp, and my manager texted me and said, ‘I have a song for you to sing on. Do you want to sing on it?’’ she recalls. The song was called “Girl in the Mirror,” a duet with trot singer Hong Jin-young. (Trot is a genre of Korean popular music.) Frawley said yes.

“The next thing I knew, they’re like, can you come to Korea?” Frawley says. “Hong Jin-young flew me, my sister and my manager to Seoul and I had the best 10 days of my life. It was stressful, but so incredible. I got to share a dressing room with a girl K-pop group called ITZY that’s really bubbling right now.”

Writing songs is 'her version of therapy'

Frawley wrote two of the songs on country music artist Hunter Hayes’s last album, and Hayes asked her to open for him on a couple of recent California tour dates. “I grew up such a big fan of him and his music,” Frawley says. The cover art for her single “Crying My Eyes Out” shows her face streaked with silvery tears, and at the Los Angeles show, her fans copied her eye makeup and held signs. “It was just so cool,” she says.

Frawley calls writing songs her version of therapy.

“Sometimes if I don’t write about what I’m feeling, it just bottles up in me,” she says. “It has to come out one way or another.”

While many of her songs seem to be about romantic heartbreak, she says they could be describing the breakup of a friendship.

“I wrote about my little brother as well,” she notes, referring to “Austin’s Song.” “I’m just trying to write about my journey in life and the ups and downs.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lauren Frawley signs with Taylor Swift's label. What's next?