Haun makes it from TV to stage
Published Oct. 20, 2006
Often, ubiquitous tween stars in the process of expanding their careers will have difficulties making the transition into adulthood.
"I didn't have a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do," Lindsey Haun said. "Music was just something that I thought everybody did. Music was always around so I thought it was just something that you do, like playing Legos."
But country singer Haun has allowed for her careers in both acting and music to flourish, trading in roles in made-for-television movies such as the Disney Channel's "The Color of Friendship" and "Brave New Girl," (based on the autobiography of Britney Spears) for feature films like "Broken Bridges," which was released in select theaters this past September.
In addition to a budding film career, Haun, now 22, is touring the country as the opening act for her Broken Bridges co-star, country music juggernaut Toby Keith, on his Hookin' Up and Hangin' Out Tour. She has been signed to his label, Show Dog Nashville, which will release her debut album in 2007. The duo will take the stage Oct. 22 at Mizzou Arena.
While still very involved in acting, Haun developed a strong love of music at an early age. Her mother was a dancer and her father, Jimmy Haun, was a guitarist for the '80s soft rock group Air Supply.
She wrote her first complete song at age 11 and began playing gigs and exploring the Los Angeles rock scene at 15, using the revenue she earned from acting to fund recording sessions. The exposure led to her role as Dixie Deeton, the daughter of a struggling country singer (played by Keith), in Bridges. After collaborating with Keith on the soundtrack, she joined him on tour.
The one-two punch of the film's release and the arena tour has given Haun plenty of exposure this year. This can be attributed, in part, to Keith's guidance and influence. Not only has he promoted her on this tour and his record label, but Haun has learned plenty about performing and the industry from a fellow musician.
"What I really have learned from Toby is a confidence within myself," Haun said. "He's like this guru on tour, and every time I go to him with a question or something I don't understand, the answer that he gives me is so simple and so right."
Along with the completion of Keith's tour and the release of her album next year, Haun said she hopes to find new creative outlets, including directing music videos and possibly owning her own record label.
Her career goals might be varied and lofty, but her ultimate aspiration is much more simple.
"I want to be in a place of power to make a difference in the world. I want to be able to help people," Haun said. "I want to be in a position where I can create or be the voice for people who don't have a voice."
While Lindsey Haun's commitment to her art is driven by a desire to use her position as an artist to be an ambassador of goodwill, in the process she is also becoming an ambassador for the increasingly popular world of contemporary country music.
"I think that country music is finally being seen again the way that it was seen 20 or 30 years ago as the 'storytellers' genre,'" she said. "And people really love that, people love storytelling ... It's one of the oldest arts in human history, and country music really taps into that. It speaks to that first style of learning, that first communication."
Lindsey Haun
Performing with: Toby Keith
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22
Where: Mizzou Arena
Price: $17.50 (students), $37.25-$57.25 (full price)