Holly Figueroa

Holly Figueroa, who sings, writes songs, and plays guitar, arrived at college fully determined to set aside her musical goals in favor of training as a physician. That path proved short-lived.

She grew up in a modest community beyond Toledo, Ohio. Midway through high school she joined a youth choir, which led to performances and a European tour; by then she was already composing her own material. Following graduation she received a partial scholarship in music to Ohio State, yet soon changed majors to pre-med in pursuit of steadier prospects. To cover expenses she worked as both a portrait photographer and a nursing assistant while also taking jobs as a karaoke jockey and a backup vocalist for local groups in Columbus. The arrival of a husband and daughter prompted her to abandon medical studies altogether.

After a rewarding period devoted to raising her child at home, Figueroa felt compelled to return to songwriting. She collaborated on new material with Jake Thompson and Ray Fairbanks. In 1998 she finished her first album, Three Chord Plea, which includes the songs “I Don’t Know You,” “Passed,” “Heat of the Day,” and “A Thousand Times.” That same year she founded Indiegirl, an organization supporting independent female artists, and began performing across the United States alongside Barbara Kessler, Caroline Aiken, Colleen Sexton, Jonathan Kingham, and additional musicians.

Her sound, which fuses blues, folk, and rock with occasional traces of jazz, drew notice from reviewers and led to features in Billboard, Seventeen, the Hartford Advocate, and the Los Angeles Times.