Biography
Ashleigh Smith, based in Dallas, Texas, first gained notice as a jazz and R&B singer by winning the 2014 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She was born in LaGrange, Georgia, where her mother, a physical therapist, and her father, a former band director, fostered an early interest in music. As a teenager she became a committed performer shaped by Ella Fitzgerald along with Stevie Wonder and Prince. After high school she received a full-ride scholarship to Columbus State University in Georgia for classical training, but switched to the University of North Texas after attending a jazz camp there. Following completion of her undergraduate degree she spent several years as a backup vocalist for Chrisette Michele. Smith placed second in the inaugural Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2012; two years later she claimed first prize, earning $5,000 and a Concord Records contract. Also in 2014, given her background in pageants and community service, she was named Miss Black Texas USA. Her debut album for Concord, Sunkissed, appeared in 2016.
Albums
