ABOUT Lauren

Lauren Samonte (she/her), a.k.a. lavender__keys, is a Filipino-American pianist, keyboardist, accompanist, and teacher based in Dallas, Texas. She is most notably known for her work with alternative rock band The Deadly Beloved, which she co-founded with lead singer Xavier Bernazard in late 2022.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Samonte’s earliest opportunities playing music began at age 6 when she began piano lessons. She attended El Paso High School, where she became their choir’s accompanist at 16 years old. She was the first student to serve as an accompanist in their program’s history, and at the time, the only one in El Paso ISD. Samonte moved to Denton, Texas in 2017 to attend the University of North Texas College of Music, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in classical piano. She met many of her current collaborators during her time there, and her training eventually led her to the exploration of other genres like rock, R&B, pop, musical theater, and jazz. Samonte took classical piano lessons with Altynay Karsakpayeva and jazz piano lessons with Michael Clement, former pianist for the Grammy-winning UNT One O’Clock Jazz Band. Samonte eventually obtained her first private piano teaching position in 2018, then later began the Samonte Piano Studio in August 2019.

After graduating from UNT in 2021, she performed on the Danse Macabre tour with then-solo artist Xavier Bernazard in October 2022. It was on this tour that their band The Deadly Beloved came to fruition as they toured through the USA in Jacksonville, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and Houston. In the summer of 2024, they took The Deadly Beloved to perform at Ki Smith Gallery in New York City as well. Samonte also joined Yolanda Cruz & the Daydreamers in the summer of 2023, who also perform frequently in DFW and other Texas cities. Amongst the many venues Samonte has performend at in DFW, other artists she has performed with include Loners Club, Deya’Soul, Sabela Bee, and the former band Byway.

Lauren currently serves as a staff pianist for the Irving ISD Choral Department, in which she plays piano for Irving High School’s choirs and those of its surrounding middle schools. She continues to serve as a freelance accompanist and around DFW, having performed with both instrumentalists and vocalists alike.

Contact Lauren below, she’d love to collaborate with you.