Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer was born on August 26, 1993, in Harvey, Illinois, and raised in Robbins, Illinois, to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former actors. Palmer showed vocal promise as a five-year-old when she belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir. A year later, the singer-actress had a solo in her kindergarten play but, to her mom's dismay, the mic had not been adjusted to suit her daughter's height.