Lizz Wright
About this Artist
Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. Wright is one of the great modern American singers with an illustrious 20-year career transcending social divides with her offer of love and deep sense of humanity.
Wright culls inspiration from her Southern upbringing in Georgia where she was the musical director of a small church of which her father was the pastor. The call and response singing with the church congregation was her first brush with music. Soon she would traverse the Great American Songbook on her path to becoming a beloved international treasure.
At the age of 22, Wright first made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the 2003 release of her debut album, Salt, which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. She went on to record for Universal Music Group and released the albums Dreaming Wide Awake (2005), The Orchard (2008), and Fellowship (2010). On Concord, Wright released Freedom & Surrender (2016) – featuring the single “Lean In,” which landed on President Obama’s Summer 2016 playlist – and Grace (2017).
In 2020, Lizz Wright took her culinary skills as a graduate of Dr. Annemarie Colbin’s Natural Gourmet Institute of New York to Carver 47 Food & Wellness Market (C47) on the South Side of Chicago. She summons her Southern upbringing in Georgia and 20 years of European touring to inform the nutrient-forward menu at the beloved Chicago café and market. Housed inside the distinguished Little Black Pearl Art & Design Academy (North Kenwood, Chicago) founded by innovative Chicago business leader and designer Monica Haslip, Carver 47 operates in homage to the market’s fundamental dignitary, the legendary Dr. George Washington Carver.
Wright launched her own independent record company, Blues & Greens Records (LINK), with the June 2022 release of Holding Space, a brilliant live album (produced by Christian Ulbrich) capturing a Berlin, Germany concert in 2018; as well as a companion short film, Holding Space, produced by Monica Haslip and Lynne Earls. Her innovative label venture is designed with a business model where artists are positioned to build wholesome careers. After 20 years of major label contracts, Wright now owns her master recordings for the first time in her career. Blues & Greens Records creates a healthy ecosystem for Wright with sustainable and sound business practices at the forefront.
In 2024, Wright will release her studio debut album, Shadow, produced by Chris Bruce and executive produced by Lizz Wright on Blues & Greens Records (with licensing/distribution through Lightyear Entertainment/Virgin Music). Wright pens five originals as she celebrates the intimacy of romantic love, loss, community, and healing.
On Shadow, Wright works with renowned engineer Ryan Freeland who recorded Grace and has also worked with music legend Bonnie Raitt. Shadow features acclaimed artists Angelique Kidjo and Meshell Ndegeocello. Anchored by acoustic guitars and layered with string quartets, harp, Carnatic Indian classical strings, gospel vocals, and bare emotion, Shadow presents Lizz in a gentle and triumphant light.