Lauren Daigle has an impressive personality, Cajun accent, and raspy singing voice that has propelled her to the top of the Christian music industry.
When she released her album “Look Up Child,” Daigle hit the charts higher than most known artists- including Drake and Ariana Grande- on the Billboard 200.
She has recently appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show and “The Tonight Show.” Daigle’s songs are typical Christian messages of love, hope, and forgiveness, but her reach has grown way beyond expected Christian audiences.
But higher visibility means more scrutiny and criticism. Daigle received some criticism for appearing on “Ellen” since the host, Ellen DeGeneres, is openly gay herself, and many people felt that it was hypocritical since she’s not gay.
In this article, we are going to explore why Lauren Daigle’s life has changed in recent years and delve into the controversies surrounding her appearances on “Ellen” and other aspects of her career.
Early life & Achievements (Music career)
Looking back, Lauren Ashley Daigle was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on September 9, 1991, and grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana.
She was influenced by zydeco, blues, and Cajun music from her environment.
Her mother called her house “the music box” because she was always singing.
Daigle did not see music as a serious thing until she was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus at the age of 15.
This diagnosis sent her to the sidelines during these two years at her school. Fortunately, she took singing lessons that gave her space to express herself.
During her time at college prep school, Daigle planned to enter the medical field and do mission work. She attended a charter school and completed a year and a half of classwork in six months, graduating early.
She took time off from school and went on a mission to Brazil for a year before attending Louisiana State University (LSU) for Child and Family Studies.
Looking back, Lauren Ashley Daigle was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on September 9, 1991, and grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana.
She was influenced by zydeco, blues, and Cajun music from her environment.
Her mother called her house “the music box” because she was always singing.
Daigle did not see music as a serious thing until she was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus at the age of 15.
This diagnosis sent her to the sidelines during these two years at her school. Fortunately, she took singing lessons that gave her space to express herself.
During her time at college prep school, Daigle planned to enter the medical field and do mission work. She attended a charter school and completed a year and a half of classwork in six months, graduating early.
She took time off from school and went on a mission to Brazil for a year before attending Louisiana State University (LSU) for Child and Family Studies.
In recent years, Lauren Daigle has faced controversy amidst her rise to fame.
We will delve into the controversies surrounding her career, including her appearances on popular talk shows and the criticism she received for certain aspects of her personal and professional life.
In recent years, Lauren Daigle has faced controversy amidst her rise to fame. We will delve into the controversies surrounding her career, including her appearances on popular talk shows and the criticism she received for certain aspects of her personal and professional life.
It was at this moment that Daigle started singing in her choir and continued to lead the choir at LSU.
She tried out for American Idol in 2010 and again in 2012 after she was encouraged by her family.
She was cut just before the final 24 contestants in 2010, and she did not make it to Hollywood in 2011. She made it to the Hollywood round in 2012 but was cut in the first Las Vegas round.
After being signed to the label Centricity Music, she released her debut album, How Can It Be, in 2015.
It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, and produced three No. 1 singles on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart (“First”, “Trust in You”, and “O’Lord”).
Daigle’s third studio album, Look Up Child, was released in September 2018.
Given the crossover success of “You Say”, it went on to debut at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.
This was the highest-charting Christian album by a woman in over 20 years, with 115,000 album-equivalent units sold in the first week, and the song “You Say” has gained over 250 million views on YouTube alone.
The album and single earned Daigle two Grammy Awards.
Despite her achievements and critical acclaim, Lauren Daigle has not been without controversy.
We will explore the controversies surrounding her career, including the criticisms she has faced for her appearances on talk shows and delve into the public reception of her music and image.
Controversy
In a culture dominated by strong opinions, admitting uncertainty comes at a cost. The Christian musician Lauren Daigle just learned that lesson the hard way.
In 2018, when Daigle was 26 years old, she won big at the Billboard and Dove Awards. At this time, she appeared on shows such as ‘The Tonight Show’ and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres’. This led to her debuting on the Billboard charts.
When she performed on Ellen’s DeGeneres Show many of her conservative religious fans lashed out. However, she defended herself well and showed some great courage in a radio interview.
“I think the second we start drawing lines around which people are able to be approached and which aren’t, we’ve already completely missed the heart of God … I don’t have all the answers in life, and I’m definitely not gonna act as I do, but the one thing that I know for sure is I can’t choose who I’m supposed to be kind to and who I’m supposed to show love to and who I’m not because that’s the mission right?
That silenced the naysayers, but only momentarily.
On another occasion, Daigle was interviewed by host Domenick Nati that almost broke the internet.
He asked her if she believed homosexuality was a sin, to which she gave a controversial response that created controversy on social media.
The singer didn’t offer a clear-cut response.
“I can’t honestly answer on that,” Daigle said. “In a sense, I have too many people that I love that they are homosexual. I don’t know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can’t say one way or the other. I’m not God.”
She then went on to suggest that people should read the Bible to “find out for yourself … and when you find out let me know because I’m learning too.”
Some of her fans saw the answer as hypocritical, commenting that she was betraying her roots.
A writer at The Christian Post said Daigle had been tested by God and “failed,” choosing instead to “fraternize” with the devil by not condemning homosexuality.
Many on Twitter quickly declared that she could no longer be considered a Christian.
In 2019, Daigle was back in the spotlight after she made a comment during an interview.
The host of the 104.3 FM radio show asked Daigle if she considered herself a Christian artist, even though her music is becoming more and more mainstream.
“I feel like those labels get put on you by other people,” Daigle said. “I was reading articles, I read them here and there, and one of them said Christian artist and the other ones said just artist. But I think part of me is just an artist because it encompasses everything. That’s kind of how I see myself.”
She was talking about love and faith and didn’t mention Jesus or God.
“I remember talking so much about this, ‘Let’s just make sure that we make music that we believe in that’s pure, true sound and something that we love, and it’ll transcend wherever it’s supposed to go,” she said. “But let’s make sure that it’s pure authentic to who we are.”
Today, however, we live in the age of social media and the age of individualism. A lot of people make quick decisions that are sometimes done in isolation. They are only relying on their own thoughts and not taking into consideration other perspectives.
Daigle was criticized for coming out publicly and admitting that she has been influenced by her many gay friends.
Again in 2020, Daigle sang as part of Sean Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour, protesting COVID-19 restrictions.
Her participation elicited criticism from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, including requesting that Dick Clark Productions not book her to perform for its annual New Year’s Eve television special New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (which has included segments broadcast from New Orleans).
She said she was “disappointed that my spontaneous participation has become part of the political discourse and I’m saddened by the divisive agendas of these times.” Daigle also stated that while she had been under consideration for the program, she had not been officially part of the lineup.
We live in a world where anybody has an opinion about something, but you can only be judged by God. Daigle has always been a Christian and isn’t going to let people’s personal remarks about her get to her.
So, what do you think about Lauren Daigle?
Thank you for reading…