Rebecca Renee Olstead (born June 18, 1989) is an American actress and singe… Read Full Bio ↴Rebecca Renee Olstead (born June 18, 1989) is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles in the TV sitcoms Still Standing as Lauren Miller and The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Madison Cooperstein. In addition, she has recorded five studio albums, primarily of jazz music.

Renee developed a great love for music at an early age and honed her voice by singing
along with the radio. Before long she was entering talent contests and appearing in
local musical productions. Her aspirations for stardom were documented on video and
became the subject of two E! television documentaries,
"The Making of a Child Star" and "The Journey Continues".

In 1995, Renee appeared in her first commercial, the award winning ad for Levi Jeans.
In 1998 she did a Segento Cheese commercial.

She made her first foray in TV in 1995 in "Streets Of Laredo".

In 1998, Renee appeared in the episode "Doodlebug" in "Touch By An Angel".

In 1999, she was seen in two shows, "Chicken Soup For The Soul" and "Providence".

In 1999, Renee’s first major motion picture roles were "The Insider",
starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, and "End Of Days" with
Arnold Schwarzenegger. And, in 2000, she appeared in "Space Cowboys".

In 2002, she had her first major role in the CBS comedy "Still Standing", a four year run.

But, by 2002, Renee’s second career, her singing career, began to take shape.
After she saw the movie "Pleasantville", she fell in love with Etta James’s "At Last",
which began a love affair with the music of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald,
Anita O’Day and the Great American Songbook.
Then Renee was able to perform with Eddie Reed’s Swing Band playing LA area clubs.
In September 2002, she released "By Request" to commemorate her club performances.
"At Last" being one of the tracks.

Renee gained the attention of Grammy Award winning producer David Foster
and subsequently signed a contract with the Warner Records label.
In 2003, 13 year old Renee performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival singing
"At Last" to an amazed jazz audience, who gave Renee a standing ovation.
Bill Cosby, whose jazz band backed Renee quipped that “she’s only 13
and knows only one song”.

Finally, in May 2004, all elements of Renee’s career came together.
On the "Still Standing" final episode, of the second season, she performed "Summertime",
in a dream sequence, the first track on her self-titled CD "Renee Olstead",
produced by David Foster, released that month.
The release started Renee on a whirlwind promotional tour starting with
the "Today Show" and "Jazz At Lincoln Center Spring Gala" in NYC.
Montreux Jazz Festival, as part of a European tour, David Letterman and
finally Oprah ended a busy 2004. Renee’s CD was #5 on the
Billboard Jazz Chart, for 2004, after many rave reviews.

In 2004, Renee recorded two songs for movie soundtracks.
She recorded "Merry Christmas In Love" for the Italian movie "Christmas In Love"
and "A Love That Will Last", a track on her CD, was used in "Princess Diary 2".
Also, in the summer of 2004, Renee’s next film "13 Going On 30" was released.

During and after the end of the "Still Standing" run, in the Spring of 2006,
Renee continued to perform her music around the world.
She performed in numerous charity events in the US.
Renee again toured Europe, this time with B.B. King, performed in Live 8,
in Berlin, and with Chris Botti and at the "Unite The Stars" charity event,
in South Africa.

Performance highlights include the "28th Gift Of Life Celebration" hosted
by George Lopez, with Renee performing "Midnight Man" with David Foster,
in 2007. The Java Jazz Festival, in 2008, "My Baby Just Cares For Me",
where Renee received the International Jazz Talent Award, and the "Hit Man:
David Foster And Friends" tribute to David Foster with Renee performing Through The Fire, in 2008.

In 2008, she recorded her third movie soundtrack with "Ain’t we Got Fun"
for the movie "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl".

TV came back in the picture, in 2008, as Renee was cast in the series
"The Secret Life Of The American Teenager" as Madison.
In the final episode, of the second season, again her two careers came together,
as Madison sang "Fly Me To The Moon" and
"Someone To Watch Over Me" at a wedding reception.

In 2009, Renee’s long awaited CD "Skylark", again produced by David Foster,
was released, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.

Discography:

2000: Stone Country
2000: Unleashed
2002: By Request
2004: Renee Olstead
2009: Skylark

Official Web Site: www.ReneeOlstead.com
Official Fan Site: www.ReneeOlstead.info

Hold Me Now
Renee Olstead Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How strange it feels to miss you
Standing right before you
Yet good times seem so far and few

I've begun pretending
Not to see an ending
But it's all coming in the view

So, hold me now, hold me fast
Pretend it's not gonna be the last time that we love
Hold me like we'll love forever

Hold me now
I can't believe we're making our last memories
It's not enough
Hold me like we'll love forever

It seems that you've grown tired
Of the one you once desired
But I've not wanted none but you

Oh, do you think you could find a way
To love me again someday?
There's nothing else that I can do

So, hold me now, hold me fast
Pretend it's not gonna be the last time that we love
Hold me like we'll love forever

Hold me now
I can't believe we're making our last memories
It's not enough
Hold me like we'll love forever

And now it seems
All that's left to dreams for arms to hold
I'm holding on but the love's already gone
So hold me now

Oh, so hold me now, hold me fast
Pretend that it's not gonna be the last time that we love
Hold me like we'll love forever

Hold me now
I can't believe we're making our last memories
It's not enough
Hold me like we'll love forever

Just hold me now

Hold me now
Just hold me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Renee Olstead's "Hold Me Now" are about a relationship that's on the verge of ending, and the pain of knowing that there's nothing that can be done to save it. The singer is standing right in front of the person they love, but they feel far away, and the good times they used to have together now seem like a distant memory. The singer is in denial of the truth and is pretending not to see the ending, but they know it's inevitable.

In the chorus, the singer implores their partner to hold them now and pretend that it's not going to be the last time they love. They want to hold onto the love they shared and make it last forever. The singer asks their partner if they could find a way to love them again someday, but they know deep down that there's nothing else they can do.

The song is a poignant reflection on the bittersweet experience of love and loss. It highlights the pain and the longing that comes with the end of a relationship and the struggle to let go.

Line by Line Meaning

How strange it feels to miss you
It's a confusing feeling to miss you despite standing right before you

Standing right before you
Being in close physical proximity to you

Yet good times seem so far and few
Despite having good times in the past, it's becoming rarer to have them now

I've begun pretending
I've started to act like everything is okay when it's not

Not to see an ending
Ignoring the inevitable conclusion of our relationship

But it's all coming in the view
Realizing that the end is near and becoming more clear

So, hold me now, hold me fast
Emotionally and physically embrace me

Pretend it's not gonna be the last time that we love
Act as if we will have this love forever

Hold me like we'll love forever
Hold me as if we have an infinite amount of time to love each other

I can't believe we're making our last memories
It's hard to accept that our moments together are dwindling

It seems that you've grown tired
It appears that you've lost interest