Arts & Entertainment

Songstress Comes Home for Green After Dark

Tampa native Lauren Diamond will make a guest appearance at the Odessa Organic Farmers' Market event Saturday, Oct. 5.

Visitors to this month’s Green After Dark at the Odessa Organic Farmers’ Market will get a special treat courtesy of Tampa native Lauren Diamond.

The songstress returns to town for an Oct. 5 performance after spending years pursuing her dream of making it in the Big Apple.

Diamond, 31, was born and raised in Tampa and attended Gaither High School. She followed her dreams to New York City at the age of 18 and has been living there ever since.

Find out what's happening in Westchasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While Diamond has a busy schedule between working on a master’s degree in post-secondary education and performing weekly at the W Hotel in Times Square, she couldn’t say no when market founder John Ciani asked her to come home for Saturday’s event.

“It was important to do this,” Diamond said. “I value what John does. It's a really cool concept, and I want to support it and be a part of it. And, to perform in my hometown is really great to.”

Find out what's happening in Westchasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Performing for that hometown crowd is something Diamond said she’s really looking forward to.

“Being that it's my hometown I'm hoping to see a lot of people and friends I know,” she said.

Diamond plays acoustic guitar and sings. She favors soul, pop and funk and says people tell her she sounds a lot like Norah Jones. While she does perform some covers, Diamond said original music is her passion.

“I feel like I let out more when I do my own stuff,” she explained.

Her original work can be heard on her newly released EP, “In the Rough.” It’s available for download on iTunes, Spotify, CD Baby and Amazon. She also appears on the “Occupy Album.”

For a chance to hear her live, stop by Green After Dark. The event starts at 5 p.m. at the 8701 Gunn Highway market. There’s no charge to attend, but guests might want to bring some cash along for fresh organic produce and the food trucks that will also be on hand.

To find out more about Diamond and her music, visit her website or check out her Facebook page.

More details about the market are available on its Facebook page.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Westchase