Emily Caroline Elbert (born December 21, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Elbert was a member of

Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Aw ...

's experimental jazz and theater project from 2015 to 2016. The band toured internationally and recorded '' Emily's D+Evolution''. In 2019, she joined the band of songwriter

Jenny Lewis Jennifer Diane Lewis (born January 8, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and keyboardist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley. Lewis gained prominence in the 1980s as a child ...

. In 2022 she joined

Jacob Collier Jacob Collier (born 2 August 1994) is a British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and educator. His music incorporates a combination of jazz and elements from other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reharmo ...

's band, undertaking a world tour. Elbert has also worked with

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...

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, and Bruno Major, and is currently in the touring band of Leon Bridges.

Biography

Elbert was born in Dallas, Texas. Early influences cited include

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the single "Fi ...

, and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. She recorded her first album ''Bright Side'' while in high school, paid for by local gigs and crowd-funding, and began touring the U.S. independently. At 18, Elbert was awarded a full scholarship to

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. While there, she continued to tour nationally and internationally, and released two more independent albums, ''Proof'', and ''Alive, In Love'', both of which were also crowd-funded. In 2010, '' Glamour'' magazine named Elbert one of their Top 10 College Women of the Year. In 2013, Elbert released ''Evolve'', an EP recorded at Brooklyn, New York's Mason Jar Music. Since then, Elbert released several singles: "Letting Go" (2016), "Here and Now" (2016) and "True Power" (2017), a protest song about

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, benefitting the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

. In a press release, Elbert spoke about "True Power": "My love for rhythm, harmony, and story sharing is woven in with my compassion for the Earth and its people. Songs can be powerful tools used in their defense... As a young, queer, woman, an environmentalist, and someone who believes in equality and human rights for people of all races, faiths, and cultural backgrounds, I can’t sit back and be a silent witness to injustice. ...Donald Trump may have bought and bullied his way into the presidency, but true power is in the hands of the people when they come together. That’s what this song is about." Elbert released a full album of music focused on social justice, ''We Who Believe in Freedom'', in October 2018. Her sixth independent album, ''Woven Together'', was released in August 2022. In 2023, Elbert joined

Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...

on a 10-date U.K. and Ireland tour, as her opening act.

Events and touring

Elbert has performed in more than 35 countries, and opened for artists including

, Emily King, Nick Hakim,

Big Thief Big Thief is an American indie folk band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015. The lineup comprises vocalist-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia. Founding bassist Max Oleartchik left the band in 2024 ...

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Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...

, Kaki King, The Wood Brothers, G. Love & Special Sauce,

Tuck & Patti Tuck & Patti are an American jazz duo consisting of guitarist William Charles "Tuck" Andress (born October 28, 1952, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) and singer Patricia "Patti" Cathcart Andress (born October 4, 1949, in San Francisco). Music career Guitaris ...

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician and actor. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for composing the song " Al Otro Lado del Río" f ...

, Bruno Major, Moonchild,

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock music, rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets (band), Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harriso ...

, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet,

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

. and

. As a supporting musician, Elbert has played in the touring bands of

, and Leon Bridges. She also performed on television specials and other events with

, and

, and in the opening sequence of

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's 2024 Beyoncé Bowl.

Discography

* ''Bright Side'' (Full Sun, 2006) * ''Proof'' (2010) * ''Alive, in Love'' (2011) * ''Evolve'' (2013) * ''Letting Go / Here and Now'' (2016) * ''True Power'' (2017) * ''We Who Believe in Freedom'' (2018) * ''Woven Together'' (2022)

As guest

* ''Via Zammata'' -

(2015) * ''Emily's D+Evolution'' -

(2016) * ''Dakar Suite'' - Leni Stern (2016)

As writer

* ''A Song for Every Moon'' - Bruno Major (2017) * ''To Let a Good Thing Die'' - Bruno Major (2020) * ''Columbo'' - Bruno Major (2023)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elbert, Emily 1988 births 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters American folk singers American soul singers American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American women jazz singers American jazz singers American women singer-songwriters Berklee College of Music alumni Guitarists from Texas Jazz musicians from Texas Living people Singers from Dallas People from Coppell, Texas American political artists Singer-songwriters from Texas