Lizz Wright

Born in 1980 in Hahira, Georgia, American singer Lizz Wright grew up in a pastor's family and discovered music through gospel and church choirs before turning to jazz while studying in Atlanta. Spotted on the American jazz scene in the early 2000s, she signed with Verve and released her debut album, 'Salt', in 2003, where a repertoire of reworked standards and original compositions established a blend of jazz, soul and gospel. 'Dreaming Wide Awake' (2005) and 'The Orchard' (2008) broadened this framework toward a more folk‑inflected, intimate aesthetic, while 'Fellowship' (2010) returned to an explicitly spiritual coloration. With 'Freedom & Surrender' (2015) and 'Grace' (2017), Wright emphasized the soul and roots dimension of her writing, incorporating covers of American songs shaped by the U.S. South. The live album 'Holding Space' (2022) documents her stage work between jazz clubs and international festivals, and 'Shadow' (2024) continues the trajectory in which ballads, spirituals and folk influences intersect in an acoustic, hushed register deeply rooted in African‑American tradition.