BIO
Erin Ivey is a singer-songwriter whose intimate, confessional style, expressive voice, and emotionally powerful performances have won her a loyal following, national endorsements from Guild and Gretsch, and artist grants to create new work.
Texas Monthly has called her a "superstar." Austin.com dubbed her the "queen of Austin songwriters." Roxy calls her "the darling of Austin's legendary music scene" and according to KUTX, Ivey has "quietly become one of our city's biggest critical successes."
In 2020, Texas Music Magazine named Erin's breakout album Broken Gold one of 20 "albums that defined Texas music over the past 2 decades."
Raised in Annapolis, Maryland at the U.S. Naval Academy, Erin moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas. She started playing open mics at the renowned Cactus Cafe and has since performed countless shows around the world in various solo and band scenarios, sharing stages with Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, HEART, Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Ralph Stanley, Stanley Jordan, and many others.
Her latest album, Solace in the Wild, was produced by film composer and guitarist Chuck Pinnell. This cinematic folk gem hit #5 on the international Folk Radio charts. It was on the 64th GRAMMY ballot for Best Folk Album, alongside the single “Dust Bowl,” up for Best American Roots Song, and it made the Austin American-Statesman's annual Top 10.
Erin's work has been featured in Forbes, HuffPost, and Adweek, in films, ads, and TV shows including Suits, The Client List, Coach Snoop, E! News, and numerous Hallmark movies. She has received artist grants from Black Fret, the City of Austin, and Howlin' Dog Music Group, as well as national guitar and mandolin sponsorships from Guild and Gretsch, and a signature electric guitar from Skermetta Guitars. In 2009, the mayor of Austin declared April 29th "Erin Ivey Day."
Her five studio albums feature diverse collaborators including Tosca String Quartet, R&B/dub organ trio The Finest Kind, and rapper Mic Flo. She wrote and produced the acclaimed interdisciplinary "Kaleidoscope Project" at The Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin and has collaborated with Blue Lapis Light aerial dance company and DiverseSpace Dance Theater. Erin's voice can be heard on albums by Christopher Cross, Moonlight Towers, Ryan Harkrider, Quiet Company, Mount Pressmore, and lots more.
A frequent Critic's Pick at SXSW, Erin was the first artist-in-residence at Rumblefish in Portland, OR. She was the only woman selected for the Red Bull Music Lab in Dallas, TX and was part of the first international Mashibeats Web3 Creator Club.
Erin is active in the arts community, serving on the Board of Governors for the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy and the Advisory Board for This Is Noteworthy. She speaks on industry panels at the intersections of creativity, culture, and commerce for organizations such as The GRAMMY Museum, INBOUND Conference, 343 Labs, and Folk Alliance International.
She also facilitates songwriting, creativity, and project management workshops, as well as volunteering as a songwriting and music business mentor at Song Rise Arts and GRAMMY U.
Ivey's adventurousness stands out in a town saturated with singer-songwriters. -Austin Chronicle
It says a great deal when Austin's legendary music scene considers you its darling, but such is the case for velvet-voiced Erin Ivey. -Roxy
One of the most talented vocalists I've heard. -John Aielli, Eklektikos
Makes me cry and smile in the same breath. - Carrie Elkin, singer-songwriter and recording artist
The queen of Austin singer songwriters. -Gina Sigillito, Austin.com
Truly remarkable. -Jeffrey Sisk, The Daily News
I'd kill for a purr like that. -Luciana Lopez, The Oregonian
Gorgeous, haunting voice. -Tom Buckley, Texas Music Magazine
Ivey’s made countless jaws drop and eyes water with her luminous vocal presence and impressive range. -Jack Anderson, KUTX NPR Radio
So endearing and warm you wanna go back for seconds! -Perez Hilton