Inside Lauren Hashian's Career And Life Married To The Rock
Many know Lauren Hashian as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's wife and mother to two of his children, but there is so much more to her story. A musician who has taken on several aspects of the industry, Hashian has worked as a singer, songwriter, producer, and music video director. For Hashian, music has always been a huge part of her life, and she remembers falling in love with singing way back when she was a little kid playing with her sister's karaoke machine. She told Vydia, "I started singing consistently when I was a kid in middle school. ... I loved that [karaoke machine] so much! I would pop in the best tape we had and sing along from beginning to end. The two earliest ones I remember were SWV and Bobby Brown."
From growing up with a bona fide rock star to going on a music competition reality series to finding her footing in the music industry to marrying one of Hollywood's biggest names, Hashian sure has worked hard to get to where she is today.
Lauren Hashian's dad was in a huge band
Lauren Hashian was born to a dad who knew what it was like to be a public figure, and a mother who understands what it's like to be married to a public figure. Her father, Sib Hashian, was a drummer for the rock band Boston. As a young musician, Lauren looked up to her dad and admired his dedication to his craft. "Seeing him practice every day, for me, it became part of my purpose — 'He practices every day, I should practice every day, too,'" she told Billboard. "And so I have been practicing on my own in my room for years."
She's also learned a lot from her mother, Suzanne Hashian. As Lauren wrote on Instagram in 2022, "You are so strong and you're such an inspiration of living life happily and to the fullest, you make us laugh, you drop loving knowledge and get deep with us in beautiful moments, and you always make us feel so loved."
Lauren's father died in March 2017, leaving behind a legacy that his daughter carries on with pride. In an Instagram tribute, she wrote, "I know you have the penthouse view now. Thank you for still being with us & walking with me in your new way."
She went to Emerson College
After growing up in a musical household, Lauren Hashian chose to attend Emerson College and forge her own path. There, she ended up connecting with a group of fellow artists and they started making music together. "Recording there was a ball and for us it was a good time!" she told Vydia in 2017. "At first, we were just playing around but then we joined forces to make a mixed tape and some more legit professional sounding tracks." As she recalled in Coveteur, after she and a rapper named Reality teamed up on a song that won a school showcase, she felt confident she was on the right path. So, she continued to keep at it and really hone her craft.
"[T]he level of professionalism and knowledge has definitely increased," she told Vydia. "I've learned how to engineer and partially produce the music in order to be more self-sufficient in the studio so that's changed the process in a positive way." Hashian would go on to work in the music departments of Warner Music Group and Paramount Pictures.
She was part of UPN show R U That Girl
There have been a lot of music competition reality TV shows over the years, and some, such as "American Idol" and "The Voice," have stood the test of time. Others, such as "R U the Girl," have come and gone. In the 2005 series, TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas held auditions for a chance to provide guest vocals on a forthcoming track. One of the hopeful singers? None other than Lauren Hashian.
In the first episode, T-Boz and Chilli called up Hashian and invited her to try out for the gig, noting that they were drawn to her personality. Hashian was a finalist, but ultimately did not win "R U the Girl."
Given that her dad was part of a legendary rock 'n' roll outfit, one might assume she would be interested in pursuing a rock career. However, Hashian's an R&B gal through and through. So, trying out for an iconic R&B group like TLC was probably nothing short of a dream come true. "I've always been drawn to the same type of music: beautiful R&B music. Being born in the '80s and growing up in the '90s, we had the best classic R&B groups—that's when R&B was at its pinnacle. It stuck with me and my sister, so her and I started writing music together," she shared with Coveteur.
She's found success writing songs with her sister
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lauren Hashian has some talented musicians for siblings. "[M]y brother is an incredible jazz pianist & my piano coach, my sister's an amazing songwriter & also my best friend and writing partner," she told Vydia in 2017. While some siblings might struggle with getting along in the studio (lookin' at you, Noel and Liam Gallagher), it sure sounds like Lauren and Aja Hashian get on incredibly well when it comes to making music. The two have teamed up on a number of songs, including YaBoi Shad's track "Only You" and "Go Hard" by Walter French. What's more, Aja is listed as the composer on Lauren's single "What You Want (DeJa Vu)."
Although her talent is undeniable and music is clearly in her blood, Lauren continues to be surprised by her success. "We were a musical family, but he would constantly say things like, 'You guys don't want to get into this business,' because he had faced a lot of challenges," she told Coveteur.
She met The Rock in 2006
Although they share their lives on social media and are seen at public events, Dwayne Johnson and Lauren Hashian have led a relatively private relationship. They first met in 2006 while he was working on the movie "The Game Plan," but they didn't get together until after Johnson and his first wife, Dany Garcia, finalized their divorce. Of his relationship with Hashian, Johnson told People in 2012, "I was so fortunate to have fallen in love once. To fall in love again? That's a hard thing to do twice in the position I'm in. I'm one lucky son of a b***h."
Hashian feels just as lucky as her now husband. When talking to Vydia about her career, she said The Rock has always been someone who she can look to for feedback and support. She described a relationship in which everything works both ways and he supports her career as much as she supports his. "He is an example of how anything you can imagine or dream up, you can do because he lives that way. ... Also, being in love is a very inspiring thing – ALL of our experiences, from the good to the fun to the sexy to even the not so good, provide great inspiration to write from."
Lauren Hashian and Dwayne Johnson share two kids
In 2015, Lauren Hashian and Dwayne Johnson welcomed their daughter Jasmine. "To experience creating a little life is just incredible," Hashian wrote on Instagram. "This beautiful cycle of life and womanhood beginning again." Jasmine is Hashian's first child and Johnson's second.
Two years later, The Rock posted a photo of Jasmine on Instagram and made a big announcement: he and Hashian were expecting another daughter. In April 2018, the couple welcomed Tiana to the world. In an emotional Instagram post, Johnson opened up about being present for the birth and celebrated his wife's strength. "[I]f you really want to understand the single most powerful and primal moment life will ever offer – watch your child being born," he wrote. "Its a life changer and the respect and admiration you have for a woman, will forever be boundless."
Since becoming a mom, Hashian has been even more motivated her to take creative risks. "You're leading by example and that inspired me musically, because if I don't want Jasmine to be afraid of following her heart and if I want her to give 110% in anything positive in her life including her work or dreams, then I have to too," she shared with Vydia.
She married Dwayne Johnson in 2019
As far as their relationship timeline goes, Lauren Hashian and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson haven't kept things totally traditional. They dated, moved in together, and had their daughters all before they said "I do." But for all intents and purposes, they were official long before they made it official-official. "I just refer to her as my wife all the time. So a lot of people are like, 'Oh, did you get married?'" the WWE legend told ET in 2018. "I'm like, 'No. Easy. Don't rush big daddy." Big daddy indeed didn't rush. The two tied the knot in August 2019, over a decade after they first started dating.
Though it may seem like Johnson is beyond busy with working on a dozen different projects at any given moment, the WWE star finds whatever time he can to be with his loved ones. As he explained to The Insider, "The key for me has been to make sure that I keep my family very close, so the family has to come with me [to set]. We're going to all these locations. We're shooting and we're working, so that's my anchor."
Lauren Hashian wrote a song for Dwayne Johnson
A year after she and Dwayne Johnson got hitched, Lauren Hashian released a song dedicated to her husband called "Step Into a Love Like This." Per Billboard, she said in a statement, "Having been together for more than a decade, I wanted him to feel how much that day and our entire life together has meant to me. It was emotional for me to reflect on the amazing years we've spent together with so much gratitude and to also think about our new future we get to build." Though she didn't share the song with the world until 2020, she actually wrote and recorded it ahead of their wedding and played it for Johnson the day of their nuptials.
Hashian told American Songwriter that she reached out to Naz Tokio, Mike Zombie, and James Kang and got to work on "Step Into a Love Like This" just weeks before the wedding. "Making the song was easier than finding a dress and a ring," she quipped.
"Step Into A Love Like This" wasn't the last time Hashian made a song for her husband. In 2021, her track "Find Your Glory" was featured in one of The Rock's TV spots. "Dwayne was thrilled to call me and my co-writers to see if we could collaborate for this commercial that would be showing during the Olympics," Hashian told E! News. Johnson sure seemed happy with the end result, writing on Instagram, "[T]here's some real soul and mana in these powerful words."
She released Love...and Other Things (Side A)
While music was something she was passionate about from an early age, Lauren Hashian told Coveteur that there was a time she figured she'd end up following a more conventional career path. And while she stepped away from making music for a spell, it ultimately reeled her back in. After putting out a few singles, such as "Ride the Wave" featuring Natalie Martinez and Naz Tokio, she released her very first EP, 2021's "Love...and Other Things (Side A)."
Hashian has said that having children is what made her really want to get back into music and give it another try. "I was too shy of a kid, and I really wasn't not shy until ... I became a mother," she told Billboard. "And then I felt way more confident in my own body and my own feelings. It was like, 'Well, you can't be scared of anything anymore, because you don't want to teach your kids that, right?'"
Collaboration has been a huge part of Hashian's working process, and that includes looking to her husband for feedback and encouragement. "Most of the time when I'm making music, he is the very first person who hears anything, so he's heard the good, the bad, the ugly," she shared.
She directed a music video For Black Adam
In addition to their work in the TV ad world, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Lauren Hashian have joined creative forces for the silver screen. Per Billboard, Hashian co-wrote the song that was featured in the end credits for "Red Notice," a 2021 action comedy starring her other half. The following year, Hashian directed the music video for Eric Zayne's "Exile," the end credits song for "Black Adam," a DC movie starring — you guessed it — Johnson. "I felt especially grateful to work with so many people who are family and chosen family on this project. From my husband, Dwayne, to the producers of the film who are like family, to Eric who is like a brother and the rest of our music team," she told Find Your Sounds. Hashian also co-wrote the song with Zayne and Naz Tokio.
Once again, Johnson was pleased as punch with his longtime love's work. "My one ask to Lauren, Naz & Eric was for them to deliver a powerful song that was commensurate with the power and attitude of the character of BLACK ADAM and people all over the world who REFUSE to be held down," he wrote on Instagram. "Man did they ever deliver."
She performed the national anthem at an NFL game
Being asked to perform the national anthem at a major event is a dream for many singers. For Lauren Hashian, that dream came true in December 2022 when she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks game at SoFi Stadium. Dwayne Johnson and both their daughters were on the field as she sang. Following the event, the WWE star shared a video on Facebook of himself holding their babies. "As a father, it rocked my soul to hold our little ones in this milestone moment, as I could literally feel their proud energy and vibration for their mama singing – they felt it," he said.
This wasn't the first time Hashian performed in front of a crowd at a sporting event. In August 2022, she sang and danced at New Jersey's Red Bull Arena before the match between the NY Red Bulls and Barcelona. And, of course, Johnson was there on the sidelines to cheer on his other half. "And having my real life Superman (or should I say Black Adam) ... Not only there supporting us but WORKING from those sidelines," she wrote on Instagram. Talk about a rock-solid foundation.