With a soft, lilting voice that belies her strong and powerful spirit, Emily Elbert is at home in the spotlight, as well as in the shadows of a stellar list of performers. Emily was born in Dallas in 1988 and came of age in a digital society that she learned to use to her advantage.
Emily recorded her first album Bright Side while in high school, paid for by local gigs and crowdfunding, and began touring the U.S. independently. At 18, she was awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. While there, she continued to tour nationally and internationally, and released two more independent albums, Proof (2010), and Alive, In Love (2011), both crowd-funded.
In 2010, Glamour magazine named Emily Elbert one of their “Top 10 College Women of the Year.” In 2013, she released Evolve, an EP recorded at Brooklyn, New York’s Mason Jar Music. In 2018 she released We Who Believe in Freedom, a project featuring original music and cover songs focused on social justice.
“My love for rhythm, harmony, and story sharing is woven in with my compassion for the Earth and its people” she remarked.
Though she counts Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix among her inspirations, Emily’s composition and delivery offer sweet and earthy flavors of Joni Mitchell fused with Eartha Kitt. Her unique styling makes her a popular choice among A-listers looking for new band members.
Emily was a member of Esperanza Spalding’s experimental jazz and theater project from 2015 to 2016. The band toured internationally and recorded one album, Emily’s D+Evolution. In 2019, she joined the band of songwriter Jenny Lewis. Elbert has also contributed to projects led by Jacob Collier, Lorde, Gwen Stefani, Jenny Lewis, Leon Bridges, Sara Bareilles, Mike Gordon of Phish, Dweezil Zappa and Bruno Major.
Emily Elbert released her sixth album, Woven Together, in summer 2022.
