Lady Wray is the performance name of US R&B and hip hop singer Nicole Wray, a singer-songwriter born in 1981 and associated with Salinas in the United States. She develops a sound rooted in R&B, soul and retro-influenced songwriting, drawing on church singing, talent shows and classic soul traditions.

Career

Wray begins performing at a young age and first builds her reputation in the late 1990s. She breaks through after attracting Missy Elliott’s attention and signing to The Goldmind, Inc., an Elektra Records affiliate. Her debut single, “Make It Hot,” appears in 1998 and establishes her as a new R&B artist.

As her work develops, her style shifts away from her early hip hop and R&B material towards a more soulful, vintage sound shaped by 1960s and 1970s R&B and soul. She uses the Lady Wray name for this later solo direction.

Recording work

Lady Wray releases the album Queen Alone in 2016. The record includes “Get Ready” and presents her as a contemporary soul singer working with a classic feel. She is associated with Playmaker Music, LLC.

Style

Her singing is characterised by a strong range and a church-influenced tone. Her work is identified with soul, R&B and singer-songwriter traditions, and her vocal delivery is central to her profile as an artist.