Emily Elbert

Emily Elbert (born December 21, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Los Angeles, California. She has independently released five albums: Bright Side (2006), Proof (2010), and Alive, In Love (2011), Evolve (2013), and We Who Believe in Freedom (2018), as well as numerous singles.

Elbert was a member of Esperanza Spalding's experimental jazz and theater project from 2015-2016. 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 Mike Gordon of Phish, Dweezil Zappa, and Leni Stern, and Bruno Major.

Biography

Elbert was born in Dallas, Texas. Early influences cited include Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Jimi Hendrix. 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. 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, benefitting the American Civil Liberties Union. 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's fifth album, We Who Believe in Freedom, was released in October 2018. The project features original music and cover songs focused on social justice.

Events and touring

Elbert has performed in more than 30 countries, and opened for Emily King, Richie Havens, G. Love & Special Sauce, Victor Wooten, Leon Russell, Kaki King, The Wood Brothers, Tuck & Patti, Jorge Drexler, Nneka, Crystal Bowersox, Big Thief, Bruno Major, Moonchild, Nick Hakim, Robben Ford, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and Joan Osborne. She has also performed on television and radio programs and led workshops for students in the U.S. and Asia.

Discography

• Bright Side (2006)
• Proof (2010)
• Alive, in Love (2011)
• Evolve (2013)
• Letting Go / Here and Now (2016)
• True Power (2017)
• We Who Believe in Freedom (2018)

Singles

• Letting Go (2016)
• Here and Now (2016)
• True Power (2017)
• Service (2019)

As guest

• Emily's D+Evolution - Esperanza Spalding (2016)
• Dakar Suite - Leni Stern (2016)
• Via Zammata - Dweezil Zappa (2015)