| Emily Elbert | |
|---|---|
Emily Elbert in New York City (Adam Jason Photography) |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Emily Caroline Elbert |
| Born | December 21, 1988 |
| Genres | Folk, soul, jazz, pop |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Self-released |
| Associated acts | Emily Elbert Trio, The Boston Boys, Noriko Terada |
| Website | www.emilyelbert.com |
Emily Caroline Elbert (born December 21, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter based in Boston, Massachusetts. In June 2006, she released her debut album of original music, Bright Side.[1] Elbert's second album, Proof,[2][3] was released on CD, iTunes and digitally in September 2010.
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The daughter of Jennifer and pianist Roland, Elbert was raised in Dallas and the Dallas suburb of Coppell, Texas. Growing up, she was exposed to a wide variety of music by her parents which instilled in her a fascination of the musical world. Emily spent her childhood listening to musicians such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and 60's radio, which had a significant impact on her musical development.[4]
A third-generation professional musician, Elbert began studying piano at an early age. As a teenager, she picked up a guitar and began to sing.[5] Her love of music drew her to the Berklee College of Music Five-Week Performance Program, which she paid for with live performances at local venues and sales of her first album.[6]
Proof, Elbert's second studio album, was released in September 2010 and is co-produced by Elbert and Berklee professor Stephen Webber. Accompanying Elbert on the album is an international cast of musicians from India, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and the U.S., including Berklee professor and Grammy-winning cellist Eugene Friesen, and Elbert's father Roland on piano.[7] According to Elbert, "the concept of Proof is based on a song on the CD where the chorus is "proof that there's love/proof that there's peace/proof we can be redeemed". That's a theme woven throughout the record — finding love and peace in the natural world, in relationships, in the mind, and even in life's really tough situations."[8]
With over 300,000 views as of early 2011, Elbert's cover of Michael Jackson's Thriller is one of her most popular YouTube videos.[9]
Elbert currently attends Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts on a full-tuition scholarship.[10]
Elbert has toured across the US and internationally,[11] and has opened for G. Love & Special Sauce, Kaki King, Patty Larkin, Kate Voegele, The Wood Brothers, Marcia Ball and Ben Taylor.[12] She was a featured performer at the 2008 International Folk Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee and the musical guest on several episodes of “Good Morning Texas.”[13] Elbert toured with The Boston Boys, playing at Heavy Rotation Records' 11th Annual Epic Event on February 9 at Berklee[14] and throughout Texas in early 2011. She also toured on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in 2011.[15]
On her 18th birthday, Texas Instruments licensed videos of two of Elbert's songs to demonstrate their new video cell phones throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.[16]
Elbert's songwriting and music has been recognized numerous times throughout her career.[17] Glamour Magazine named Elbert one of their Top 10 College Women of 2010. In 2009, she won the Burnsong Contest in Scotland and was part of the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase. She was a 2008 New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival and a Boston Folk Festival Songwriting Finalist, and named Best New Artist of the Year by WUMB Radio in Boston. Elbert was selected as one of four female vocalists in the 2007 Gibson-Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble which performed at the Grammys in Los Angeles[18] and took first place in the 2007 Texas Music Project’s "Texas 10 Under 20" Contest.[19] Elbert won Berklee’s 2006 Summer Performing Songwriter Contest and was named 2006 Rookie of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.