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

Midnight At The Oasis
Renee Olstead Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows paintin' our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holdin' a half-moon
Shinin' just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust

Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
You don't have to answer
There's no need to speak
I'll be your belly dancer, prancer
And you can be my sheik

I know your Daddy's a sultan
A nomad known to all
With fifty girls to attend him, they all send him
Jump at his beck and call
But you won't need no harem, honey
When I'm by your side
And you won't need no camel, no no
When I take you for a ride
Come on, cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed

Got shadows paintin' our faces
And traces of romance in our heads

Overall Meaning

The song Midnight at the Oasis by Renee Olstead is a nostalgic and dreamy tune. The lyrics paint the picture of a romantic rendezvous in the desert under the moonlit sky. As the lovers slip away to a sand dune, "Shadows paintin' our faces, Traces of romance in our heads," the half-moon shines down on them creating an enchanting atmosphere. The lyrics also mention a cactus as their friend, who would point out the way, lending a mystic charm to the song.

The lyrics create an air of secrecy and intimacy, "You don't have to answer; there's no need to speak, I'll be your belly dancer, prancer, and you can be my sheik." The song is a romantic and sensual invitation to escape from the world and engage in a passionate affair. Although the lyrics mention the girl's father, a sultan having fifty girls at his beck and call, the couple has no need for the trappings of royalty, harem or camels. All they need is each other.

Line by Line Meaning

Midnight at the oasis
It is midnight and they are at a desert oasis

Send your camel to bed
Put the camel to bed for the night

Shadows paintin' our faces
Their faces are shadowed by the moonlight

Traces of romance in our heads
They are thinking romantically

Heaven's holdin' a half-moon
The moon is in the sky

Shinin' just for us
The moon seems to be shining just for them

Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
Let's go to a sand dune soon

And kick up a little dust
Let's raise some sand

Come on, Cactus is our friend
They like cactuses

He'll point out the way
The cactus will show them the way

Come on, till the evenin' ends
Let's stay out until the evening is over