Lauryn McClain

Lauryn McClain was born on January 9, 1997 in Decatur, Georgia, into a family of professional musicians.

Her father, Michael McClain, is a singer, song composer, producer and sound engineer. He has produced some noteworthy albums including Solange Knowles’ ‘Sky Away’. He is also the manager of ‘McClain’ band. Lauryn’s mother, Shontelle, is a singer and songwriter. ‘Gabesworld Music’, a music production company, founded by Lauryn’s parents is named after her brother Gabriel.

Lauryn started her career at a very young age as she discovered her passion for singing and acting during her school days itself. Lauryn started performing for the musical band of her school and later became a regular member of the band.

Initially, Lauryn suffered from stage fright. Her feet would often turn cold right before any of her performances. In an attempt to overcome stage fright, she started learning guitar, hoping that the confidence that she might gain after learning to play guitar would overshadow her fear.

When Lauryn became proficient at playing the instrument, her older sister Sierra Aylina McClain came up with an idea of forming a rock band along with her sisters, Lauryn and China. In 2004, Sierra, Lauryn and China launched their band ‘3McClainGirls’. The band was later renamed as ‘McClain Sisters’ which was again changed to ‘McClain’.

Lauryn was cast in the 2005 film ‘The Gospel’, in which she played the role of Anne, a choir group member. The film was a modern day representation of one of the Parables of Jesus, Parable of the Prodigal Son. In 2006, she played a cameo role in the sitcom ‘Tyler Perry's House of Payne’, in which her sisters had recurring roles. Tyler, the creator of the show, was impressed by the acting skills of the McClain sisters and wanted to present them with more opportunities.

Tyler did exactly that by casting the McClain sisters in the 2007 film ‘Daddy’s Little Girls’. The film was about a loving and caring father of three daughters. Lauryn appeared in the film as Lauryn James. Unfortunately, the film tanked at the box office. The critics did appreciate the performances of the actors but criticized the style in which the film was made. Though Lauryn was cast as a child artist, she managed to attract the attention of other directors.