Mary Lambert

Mary Lambert had worked 25 days straight at her three restaurant jobs, when her whole life changed. An aspiring singer-songwriter, cellist, spoken word artist, and newly graduated with a degree in music composition, Mary Lambert was beginning to make a name for herself around Seattle. Almost cosmically, on her only day off that month she received a phone call from her friend, Hollis Wong-Wear, who was working with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their debut album. The duo were struggling to write a chorus for their new song, a marriage-equality anthem, called "Same Love". Lambert had a half day to write and record the hook. “The song already had a pragmatic brain,” she says. “I wanted to give it a heart and make a very simple statement that my love is valid and worthy, too.” The result is the transcendent chorus to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ double-platinum hit “Same Love,” which Lambert wrote from her vantage point of being both a Christian and a lesbian.

Writing and singing the hook led to Lambert’s first Grammy Award nominations (for “Song Of The Year” and “Album Of The Year”), as well as performing the song on the Grammy's stage alongside Madonna while 33 couples got married. She also performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Colbert Report, and additionally joined the duo for 2 years of touring. Her involvement also opened the door for Lambert to sign with Capitol Records, where she released her debut album "Heart on My Sleeve" in 2014. "Heart on My Sleeve" went on to debut at number 29 on the Billboard 200, and the smash single, "Secrets" found itself at number one on the dance charts and was RIAA-certified Gold gold last Summer.

Mary Lambert isn’t your typical major-label pop artist. Inspired by confessional folk singers as well as spoken-word performers, she is a brutally candid writer who deals directly in her art with her past traumas. Lambert was raised in an abusive home, attempted suicide at 17, and turned to drugs and alcohol before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Lambert also survived multiple sexual assaults throughout her childhood and adulthood. With that laundry list of trauma, you wouldn't expect Mary to be disarmingly hilarious, but she charms effortlessly, and the effect on her audience is apparent. When she performs, the room is either roaring with laughter, or chillingly silent, with concert-goers willingly traveling on an emotionally turbulent ride. She describes the shows as "safe spaces where crying is almost par for the course. My entire prerogative is about connection, about being present in all emotions, about making the world a little less lonely, and also, about making fart jokes."