LADY WRAY + Brainstory
Wednesday, August 9th, 2023
7:00PM All Ages
Lady Wray is making music on her own terms. With an almighty voice, soul-stirring lyrics, and a magnetic personality, the singer-songwriter continues to elevate her artistry while pushing the boundaries of soul and R&B.. Lady Wray’s music reflects her appreciation for her family, her faith, and her renewed love for herself—all of which drive her anticipated third album Cover Girl (out September 26 via Big Crown Records).
The celebratory Cover Girl takes listeners on a free-spirited joyride glittered with ‘60s and ’70s-inspired soul and disco, ‘90s hip-hop and R&B, and gospel. Following the healing journey that was 2022’s Piece of Me, the singer has performed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and NPR’s Tiny Desk, spent ample time on the road touring, and was sampled on London electronic producer Fred Again’s 2024 album, Ten Days. After this period of growth, Lady Wray is now ready to let her hair down and embrace all of what life has to offer her. The singer reunited with producer Leon Michels for the record, who helped fuse the singer’s raw soul sensibility with a modern R&B sound. The outcome of Cover Girl is effortless, a reflection of the pair’s longtime collaboration that extends over a decade.
“I’ve gravitated more towards love and self-care with this album. Piece of Me was realizing that I was going to be a mother, and all those feelings were on my heart,” Lady Wray says. “Now I’m able to sit back and be a real boss. I got my career, my motherhood, and my marriage by the horns. I’ve grown into this more self-aware and beautiful flower for Cover Girl.”
Lady Wray’s revived bliss is best captured in the album’s lead single, “You’re Gonna Win”. A call back to the carefree Studio 54 era, the groovy track celebrates love on—and beyond— the dancefloor. “I do not care who came before me / After me they’ll be none / Say it loud no one can measure / You’re my favorite company”, she teases before the choir takes the chorus to delightful heights. “This song is my night out. This is my sexy time,” Lady Wray explains. “I can get dressed, call my friends, and we’re gonna go out, dance, and have a great time.”
Love is a major driving force on Cover Girl, as seen with “Time” and “My Best Step”—two adoring odes to Lady Wray’s husband. Wrapped in ‘60s-inspired soul, both of these tunes are a testament to love’s hardships, with Lady Wray’s tender vocals beaming with admiration for her relationship.
Cover Girl’s title track is one of the album’s most vulnerable moments. The piano-driven ballad puts Lady Wray’s powerful, church-refined vocals on full display as she details the discovery of finding herself again: “I lost myself trying to please someone else / I want to be me again.”
“It stems from a nickname that a family friend gave to me as a kid. She would always call me ‘Cover Girl’, because my hair would be done and I had on the cutest outfits. I was a little lady!” Lady Wray explains. “As I grew up and got into the music business, I lost that happy part of me. I see that happiness in my daughter, who’s just beautiful, talented, and smart. ‘Cover Girl’ is me going back to that little girl. It’s about getting back to loving yourself, healing, and taking things one day at a time.”
Lady Wray’s diaristic approach to music started at an early age, singing in the church choir at age 8. At home, her parents introduced her to the inspiring sounds of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, The Clark Sisters, and Shirley Caesar. Lady Wray’s father was also a singer: “He had a very distinctive voice, and I feel like the ancestors had given it to him, like they did with me. He passed the torch down to me, and I’m going to keep it going.”
At age 16, Wray was introduced to Missy Elliott. Her impressive on-the-spot performance in her living room of SWV’s “Weak” led to her becoming the first recording artist on Elliott’s The Goldmind Inc. label. “Make It Hot”, the lead single from her 1998 debut album of the same name, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2010, Wray received an enlightening career shift when she provided unforgettable vocals on The Black Keys’ 2010 album, Brothers. “When I worked with these guys, they put me in the forefront. And I hadn’t felt that in so long,” Lady Wray says. “I always felt like Cinderella. I know I have what it takes, but I’m in the basement, and they won’t let me out. They shined this light on me. A light bulb went off in my head and I said, ‘This is what I’m gonna do’”.
Following that moment, Lady Wray signed to Big Crown Records in 2016 and released two retro-rooted albums—2016’s Queen Alone and 2022’s Piece of Me. After surviving industry road bumps and trying to find her voice, the new album Cover Girl is a reminder that her ancestral talent was there all along.
“You need to rule your own world. Don’t let anybody get in your way. You rock with your dreams until the wheels fall off,” Lady Wray says. “That’s what I’ve been doing with my career since 1998. I know who I am and what I bring to the table. It’s been a heck of a journey, and I feel so happy to be making the best music of my life.”
Brainstory
Brainstory’s new album Sounds Good, simply put, lives up to its name.
Based in L.A. but hailing from the Inland Empire’s own Rialto, CA, two-thirds of Brainstory, Kevin and Tony Martin are
brothers by blood, while Eric Hagstrom is a brother through their music and long term friendship. While the group’s
initial connection comes from the heady mixture of jazz-performance-focused music school and the grind of playing
local shows, their bond has been strengthened through countless hours on the road touring and the making of two
studio records—2019’s debut full-length, Buck, followed by 2021’s Ripe EP. “Being on the road, doing our own tours,
and backing incredible people like Lady Wray, has sharpened our skills and really revved us up for this record,” Kevin
says. “It’s been four years since our last full length record, and with everything that’s happened since, it’s like we’ve
been catching up to ourselves.” That’s one way to describe change: catching up to oneself. Each member of
Brainstory has gone through shifts, both personally and musically, and all of that thread through this record.
Since they started the band they have constantly faced situations that forced them to rise to the occasion. They got
signed to Big Crown Records, they stepped up their game. Covid happened, they learned to record themselves. They
started touring a ton sharing the stage with the likes of Lady Wray and they got their live show super tight. All of this
time spent grinding and growing has certainly paid off. The path to take their art to the next level is clearer than ever
and once again, they are here for it. If there is one thing that is abundantly clear on this album, it’s that Brainstory
leveled up.
Part of their evolution is undoubtedly attributed to having access to and working constantly in their own studio in Long
Beach. Another major factor is that their brotherhood has expanded. “I’ve been playing music with my brother all my
life and now with Eric for a long time,” Tony tells us. “Leon, though, is like another brother I’ve just met.”
Leon Michels, Big Crown’s co-owner, produced this record and applied his unmistakable golden touch in crucial ways.
One glaring example is “Peach Optimo.” “When we brought that song in, it was originally at double-time to what’s on
the record,” Eric explains. “And Leon said, ‘Let’s do it half-time.’ So we played it a few times, then nailed it in one
take. We were just like, ‘Damn—that sounds so good.” Another example of how gracefully they work together is
Leon’s encouragement of Kevin’s Delfonics-style singing on “Gift of Life.” The B-side of Sounds Good’s first single,
that manages to be drop dead gorgeous, haunting, and profound all at once. “I have never done that on a record
before, singing like that,” Kevin admits. “It was a little uncomfortable at first, but, again, Leon’s like, ‘No, it sounds
good!'” The other member of the Brainstory brotherhood whose contributions are essential, is studio engineer legend
Jens Jungkurth who controls the tones and textures of the music. “That’s what you’re hearing, our connection, the fun
moments, the little details,” Kevin describes. “This record isn’t half what it is without them—and it made us want to
match that effort.”
It’s easy to say that the music industry can be short on lasting, genuine relationships. However, for Brainstory, from
day one it’s been about standing by each other, for each other. Their friendship started the group, and now, this
expanded brotherhood is supporting them to push it further. The stars have aligned for them to take a big and well
deserved step with this new album, and you can hear it in their music—music that just Sounds Good.
