Emily West

With her commanding stage presence and alto range, singer/songwriter Emily West quickly secured a place in Nashville’s country scene. Born in Waterloo, Iowa, as the youngest of four siblings, she encountered Patsy Cline early and studied voice with a local rock singer. Drawn toward a country career, she began shuttling to Nashville while rushing to complete high school, graduating in 2000 and relocating there at once. A publishing agreement with Warner-Chapell followed, and producer Mike Dungan signed her to Capitol Records Nashville. Her self-titled four-song EP appeared online in late 2007, and the single “Rocks in Your Shoes” reached the Billboard country charts in 2008. Two years later she returned to the charts with the Keith Urban duet “Blue Sky,” then issued the EP I Hate You I Love You in 2011. After scattered television spots, among them a 2012 episode of the ABC series Body of Proof, she joined the 2014 season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Her performances ranged from covers of Sia’s “Chandelier” to the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin,” and she finished as runner-up. The resulting visibility earned her a contract with Sony Masterworks, which issued her full-length debut, All for You, in August 2015. Shifting from country to a classic pop vocal approach, the album featured studio recordings of her competition covers, a duet version of “True Colors” with Cyndi Lauper, and four original songs.