Biography
Nicole Wray first gained notice through partnerships with Missy Elliott and Timbaland that shaped forward-thinking pop near the close of the 1990s, then later aligned with Leon Michels, a specialist in vintage soul sounds. While still a teenager performing under her given name, she reached the Top Ten in 1998 via the single "Make It Hot." Subsequent attempts to issue solo recordings and appear on other artists' projects met repeated obstacles, even as her vocal style deepened and acquired a rawer texture suited to updated yet retro-tinged R&B. Teaming with Terri Walker and longtime producer Michels, she resurfaced as half of the duo Lady; that self-titled 2013 release preceded the Lady Wray albums Queen Alone and Piece of Me, which appeared in 2016 and 2022.
Born in Salinas, California and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Wray honed her voice through church performances. At fifteen she auditioned for Missy Elliott, and several years afterward contributed guest vocals to Elliott's "Gettaway," a track from the 1997 platinum-certified album Supa Dupa Fly. The first act signed to Elliott's Goldmind, Inc. imprint, distributed through Elektra, Wray joined forces with Elliott and Timbaland to issue her debut solo single, "Make It Hot," the following June. That recording climbed to number two on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart and ranked among 1998's strongest crossover successes at number five on the Hot 100. The accompanying album Make It Hot, which also involved songwriter/producer Static Major, remained her sole commercially released full-length for nearly two decades. Although she guested on Elliott's "All N My Grill," Kelis' "Wouldn't You Agree," and Cam'ron's "Family Ties," and supplied songwriting for Jesse Powell and Pam & Dodi, two of her own albums stayed unreleased; material planned for Roc-A-Fella at least yielded the single "If I Was Your Girlfriend." Four tracks from one shelved project eventually surfaced in 2020 as the self-released EP Electric Blue Effect.
After participating in the BlakRoc and Brothers sessions for the Black Keys, Wray put out the independent album Boss Chick in 2010. The following year, further recordings made with producer 7 Aurelius appeared digitally as Dream Factory Sessions. She co-wrote more than half the material on Lee Fields & the Expressions' 2012 album Faithful Man, helmed by Leon Michels. Late in 2012, Wray and Terri Walker debuted as Lady with the track "Money," featured on volume nine of Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers compilation. A self-titled Lady album, steeped in late-'60s and early-'70s soul, arrived in 2013. Despite favorable response, Walker departed, yet Wray kept performing the songs. Recording as Lady Wray and again working with Michels, Thomas Brenneck, and other musicians from the earlier project, she delivered the throwback-oriented Queen Alone on Michels' Big Crown label in September 2016. Remaining with Michels and Big Crown, she issued a series of singles between 2019 and 2021 that culminated in the January 2022 album Piece of Me; its guest spots were limited to spoken contributions from her father on "Beauty in the Fire" and vocals from her daughter on the acoustic ballad "Melody."
Born in Salinas, California and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Wray honed her voice through church performances. At fifteen she auditioned for Missy Elliott, and several years afterward contributed guest vocals to Elliott's "Gettaway," a track from the 1997 platinum-certified album Supa Dupa Fly. The first act signed to Elliott's Goldmind, Inc. imprint, distributed through Elektra, Wray joined forces with Elliott and Timbaland to issue her debut solo single, "Make It Hot," the following June. That recording climbed to number two on Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart and ranked among 1998's strongest crossover successes at number five on the Hot 100. The accompanying album Make It Hot, which also involved songwriter/producer Static Major, remained her sole commercially released full-length for nearly two decades. Although she guested on Elliott's "All N My Grill," Kelis' "Wouldn't You Agree," and Cam'ron's "Family Ties," and supplied songwriting for Jesse Powell and Pam & Dodi, two of her own albums stayed unreleased; material planned for Roc-A-Fella at least yielded the single "If I Was Your Girlfriend." Four tracks from one shelved project eventually surfaced in 2020 as the self-released EP Electric Blue Effect.
After participating in the BlakRoc and Brothers sessions for the Black Keys, Wray put out the independent album Boss Chick in 2010. The following year, further recordings made with producer 7 Aurelius appeared digitally as Dream Factory Sessions. She co-wrote more than half the material on Lee Fields & the Expressions' 2012 album Faithful Man, helmed by Leon Michels. Late in 2012, Wray and Terri Walker debuted as Lady with the track "Money," featured on volume nine of Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers compilation. A self-titled Lady album, steeped in late-'60s and early-'70s soul, arrived in 2013. Despite favorable response, Walker departed, yet Wray kept performing the songs. Recording as Lady Wray and again working with Michels, Thomas Brenneck, and other musicians from the earlier project, she delivered the throwback-oriented Queen Alone on Michels' Big Crown label in September 2016. Remaining with Michels and Big Crown, she issued a series of singles between 2019 and 2021 that culminated in the January 2022 album Piece of Me; its guest spots were limited to spoken contributions from her father on "Beauty in the Fire" and vocals from her daughter on the acoustic ballad "Melody."
Albums
Cover Girl
2026
Piece of Me
2022
Piece Of Me
2022
Queen Alone
2016
Lady (Instrumentals)
2015
Good Lovin Remix EP
2014
Singles
