Emily Elbert

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Emily Elbert creates a breezy, yet dynamic hybrid of introspective folk, funky guitar rhythms, and unique song structures that glide nimbly between soul, blues, jazz, and rock. In addition to her own independent albums that include 2018′s socially conscious We Who Believe in Freedom and 2022′s exploratory Woven Together, Elbert is a well-respected collaborator and touring musician with credits ranging from work with Jacob Collier to Esperanza Spalding and Leon Bridges.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Elbert counts Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stevie Wonder, and James Taylor among her early influences. She released her debut album, 2006′s Bright Side, while still in high school and later attended Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music. While there, she continued to develop her genre-spanning sound, self-releasing a follow-up album, 2010′s Proof, and touring widely. 2011′s Alive, In Love showcased her dynamic live set, and she followed it in 2013 with the Evolve EP. Over the coming years, Elbert continued to write her own music and became a session player and collaborator with a diverse group of artists. After basing herself in Los Angeles, she joined Esperanza Spalding’s experimental jazz and theater project and appeared on the resulting 2016 album Emily's D+Evolution.
Following the 2016 presidential election, Elbert was inspired to write the 2017 protest song “True Power.” This led to 2018′s more politically and socially conscious We Who Believe in Freedom, her third studio album. She then focused on studio collaborations and became a touring musician with acts like Leon Bridges, Jenny Lewis, Lorde, Gwen Stefani, and Jacob Collier. Returning to her own music, she released 2022′s adventurous Woven Together, which touched on funk, folk, and psychedelic soul while exploring themes of community, gratitude, and transcendentalism. ~ Timothy Monger