The Artist
What you’ll want to know…
The Artist
Soul & Power.
Like a zillion other people, bluesy-funky-soul-sister Edy Blu had her heart broken.
“I fell for someone who was already in a relationship,” says Edy. “I was vulnerable and exposed, but I decided not to be afraid. I hurt, but I resisted that primal urge to close my heart (I also resisted the man–I don’t move like that). I realized being hurt and being damaged are two different things.”
This inspired the concept of her debut EP Heart Opener, released May 20, 2016, a catchy, danceable collection that serves as a meditation on what comes from living with an open heart.
Part of what comes is vulnerability and risk, which Edy says is cool with her. “My motto is ‘Thrive in the new.’” Her EP, a lively collection of four folk/soul songs, is reflective of a fresh start for herself as a singer-songwriter in her new home, the musically inventive Washington, D.C. (think Chuck Brown’s go-go beats and Donny Hathaway’s stirring lyricism).
A country girl with an urban edge, Edy Blu’s music pairs catchy grooves with lyrics so authentic you feel vulnerable listening. Edy’s enchanting voice is timeless and her energy magnetic and grounded. Think the R&B sensibilities and stage presence of Erykah Badu meeting the love child of Dolly Parton and Bob Marley.
So keep your heart open, thrive in the new…and look out for Edy Blu.
The Artistry
Edy Blu wrote her material on her guitar after moving to D.C., but it was the process of getting the songs produced that confirmed the EP’s central idea that life works best when you keep your heart open. While traveling in Barcelona during the summer of 2015, Edy met producer and multi-instrumentalist Raul Del Moral; they immediately ‘clicked,’ and within weeks the entire EP was recorded at his studio. When Sarao Music, a Universal Music subsidiary in Barcelona, heard the project, Edy and Raul were immediately commissioned to record a concept album of pop-soul music for commercial licensing. Radio Friendly was released in November 2016.
Edy Blu’s soulful, rootsy vibe and energizing live performances have been garnering fans from DC to NYC right on out to the west coast. In May 2016, she released her debut extended play album, Heart Opener, a catchy, danceable meditation on what comes from living with an open heart.
Lyrically wise and always danceable, Edy Blu’s music is on the rise.
Touring in an RV, Edy hit the West Coast starting September 2016. The Heart Opener Fall Tour featured cities such as Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Austin. It was built around the concept of taking risks and being vulnerable; she played acoustically and with local musicians she met on the road, creating together around her original compositions.
2016 Tour
- Portland, OR
- Del Norte County, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Austin, TX
- Asheville, NC
Releases
- Released debut recording project, Heart Opener, in May 2016. This project was recorded in Barcelona, Spain in Sept. 2015. Listen to Heart Opener
- Released debut album, Radio Friendly, in November 2016. This album was a commissioned songwriting project for Sarao Music, a subsidiary of Universal Music in Barcelona, Spain. Listen to Radio Friendly
Notable Performances
- Cancer survivor, Performed for Lights of Hope, American Cancer Society Action Network (9/13/16), NBC News 4 Article
- Toured with military documentary film, The Hornet’s Nest in 2013, performing in Dallas, TX, NYC, and Napa Valley Film Festival in CA.
- Featured on reggae, soul group See-I’s second album, Knowledge Shine Bright on the lead single which she co-wrote, Queen of Sheba.
- Performed at notable DC venues such as the Kennedy Center, Rock & Roll Hotel, 18th Street Lounge, and Bohemian Caverns.
Edy Blu – Drunk Man in a Bush | Sofar Washington, DC
See-I | Queen of Sheba ft. Edy Blu
