Sy Smith

"Sy Smith is one of the most versatile and compelling vocal artists anywhere around." - HuffPost

You've heard her with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti. You've heard her on the viral video Al Green hit song "Let's Stay Together" as she reimagines it with the legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo. You've heard her poignant self-produced singles "Perspective" and "Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete" on Stevie Wonder’s Radio Free KJLH in Los Angeles.

You may have even seen her early in her career backing artists like Whitney Houston, Brandy, Macy Gray or later with The Foreign Exchange or Sheila E, but if you've never seen Sy Smith's solo performances, you are in for a rare treat!

Sy Smith has long since solidified her place in the world of underground soul music (she’s often called “the hardest working woman in underground soul”). This Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and producer helped cultivate the nu-soul scene in that city more than 10 years ago, a scene which now easily boasts some of the most progressive artists of that genre to date, some of whom came directly from Smith’s own band line-ups (including Thundercat and Kamasi Washington). Her catalog includes 5 studio albums and have been heralded by critics around the world for Smith’s lyrical dexterity, her vocal whimsy (often colored with a very distinctive rhythmic swing that’s all her own) and her ability to spin a story like few others in soul music. Listeners often remark on Smith’s vocal range, which moves effortlessly from a speakeasy, gritty alto all the way to a stratospheric soprano whistle register reminiscent of the late Minnie Riperton.