Avery*Sunshine is an American singer, actress and pianist from Chester, Pennsylvania. She sings in soul, neo-soul, R&B and jazz, and her own description of her sound refers to “jazzgosoul”.

Early life and training

She grows up in Chester, where she sings in church and leads and directs choirs. She is a former member of the Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir and develops both her voice and piano playing in her hometown before moving to Atlanta, Georgia to study at Spelman College.

Groups, collaborations and stage work

In Atlanta, she forms the duo DaisyRew with Maia Wilson, her Spelman classmate and later Broadway performer. She also contributes vocals to the soundtrack for Paramount Pictures’ The Fighting Temptations. In 2005, she works as lead keyboardist for Tyler Perry’s stage play Meet the Browns. She later serves as choral director for a production of Dreamgirls led by Jennifer Holliday at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta.

Career highlights

Avery*Sunshine performs at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and at private events during the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. Her music is shaped in collaboration with Dana Johnson, a classically trained guitarist, lyricist and producer who creates her backing tracks.

Songwriting and themes

Her songs draw on personal experience, including divorce, motherhood, ageing, being mean to a partner, single life, love before meeting a partner, and faith. She describes her work as a way to encourage healing and conversation, and she associates it with the idea of “Get Your Shine On!”