Like most artists, Nicole Wray’s life in music has always reflected her real life. As a fifteen-year-old in Virginia, she auditioned for Missy Elliot in her mother’s home. Even then, with her voice so full and arresting—Missy signed her on the spot. Later, in 1998, merely two years after that tryout, she had a debut solo album and a single that smashed up radio and TV, quickly going gold. But back then—young and unsure—Nicole was essentially following someone else’s lead, signing the lyrics they wrote for her and in the way they wanted them sung. Fast forward to now, after a few fits and starts with other labels and projects, and you’ll find a very different Nicole Wray. Today, she’s a mother, a wife, and living for herself and her family. So naturally, this evolution followed into her music: she sings how she wants to, expertly writing lyrics for herself and others. To hear her tell it, it’s these things—and most importantly, an unflinching self-belief that help lead a young and raw Virginian singer named Nicole to become Lady Wray. The most recent step for Lady Wray is her latest album, released on Brooklyn’s Big Crown Records. Called ‘Piece Of Me’, the record is on the one hand—a continuation, picking up where Lady Wray and label co-owner/producer Leon Michels left off with her project Queen Alone. But ‘Piece Of Me’ is also a kind of homecoming for Lady Wray. That first record sonically showcased the dexterous range of Lady Wray’s voice and songwriting by leaning toward soul & R&B with tinges of hip-hop. On Piece of Me, it’s still R&B with a heavy dose of soul, but you’ll hear boom-bap-smacked drums and chunky basslines front-and-center, all creating a head-noddingly dense backdrop for Lady Wray to traverse, much like the era in which she was first introduced to us. In some ways, Piece of Me is like a Big-Crown-ification of late 90s R&B and Lady Wray is right at home.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Nicole ahead of the Lady Wray event that is going to provide a much needed soul-lift to the Play Circle at the Wisconsin Union Theater on February 29th. I have long been a fan of Nicole’s powerful and commanding voice. She can control time with this talent. We get to hear from her what she intends to brinG to Madison for a special and intimate evening. We talk heavily about the creation of her album ‘Piece Of Me’ and her wonderful relationship with her label, her family, Big Crown Records, and how much both her ancestors and her in-her-belly baby helped form, shape and gave strength to her. We chat about label mate Suprise Chef‘s remix of one of her tunes and it is a joy to hear her give props to anyone who has ever touched any piece of her project. We talk about late Summer 2024 and a dream event to be, we pinched ourselves and yep it’s still true, and to wrap up the fun time we had toGether, Nicole build a setlist of vocal phenoms, and she sure does slide right in there nicely.
