Meet the Artist: Michael Schwartzkopf

Raised in a nurturing, musically-enriched household with her two sisters in LaGrange, Georgia, Ashleigh Smith seemed destined to become a musician. Her mother sang constantly even though she’s a physical therapist by trade, while her father is a pianist and former school band director. Ashleigh’s grandfather played jazz saxophone, her grandmother played classical piano and sang, and an uncle played jazz trumpet. At the age of four, she began singing along with records her father played. “I would just imitate everything. When I heard Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘How High the Moon,’ that was it for me,” she recalls. Ashleigh also absorbed the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Bill Withers, and Sting during her early years. Those touchstones, and several others, echo on her 2016 Concord debut album, Sunkissed, produced by Chris Dunn and Nigel Rivers. In choosing the covers to include on the album, she was mindful of exploring fresh terrain. That explains her winning renditions of Hall & Oates’ classic, “Sara Smile” and Chrisette Michele’s soul ballad, “Love Is You.” Other tracks include an R&B-inflected makeover of the Beatles’ gem, “Blackbird,” and a mesmerizing a capella version of “Pure Imagination,” which features Ashleigh harmonizing with herself via various overdubs. Those covers are juxtaposed with enticing originals, many of which she cowrote with bassist Nigel Rivers and guitarist Joel Cross. As a songwriter, Ashleigh explores themes of romantic heartache (“Best Friends,” “Into the Blue,” and “Brokenhearted Girl”), self-empowerment (“Sunkissed”), and universal love (“The World Is Calling”). Before she won the 2014 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, Ashleigh studied classical music at Columbus State University in Georgia on a full-ride scholarship. After attending a jazz camp at the prestigious University of North Texas, she transferred there and transformed her music focus in the rigorous jazz studies program. She won three DownBeat awards, one as a soloist and two as a member of the UNT Jazz Singers. Ashleigh graduated from UNT with a Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies.

As a background vocalist for Grammy-winning R&B artist Chrisette Michelle, Ashleigh knows how to work the stage whether she’s with an ensemble or singing solo. She has sung with the world-renowned group The Manhattan Transfer and jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks, performing across the U.S. and Northern Ireland.

In May 2020, Ashleigh released a single, “In the Rain,” featuring Chantae Cann. It reached No. 1 on the “Indie Soul Charts” for two weeks. With the ability, style and grace to move from jazz, R&B, neo-soul, and funk, Ashleigh’s charisma, sincerity, and energy make her a starlet worth watching.

ASHLEIGH SMITH

Photo: Kauwuane Burton

ASHLEIGH SMITH

SOPRANO

Holiday Pops November 28 & 29, 2021

“As a background vocalist for Grammy-winning R&B artist Chrisette Michelle, Ashleigh knows how to work the stage whether she’s with an ensemble or singing solo.”