Mary Lambert (singer)

Early life

Originally from Everett, Washington, Lambert attended Mariner High School between 2003 and 2007. Her mother is also a recording artist.

She was raised as a Pentecostal, but her family was expelled from the church when she was six after her mother came out as lesbian. Lambert later became an Evangelical Christian, attending Mars Hill Church beginning when she was in high school. She struggled for many years to reconcile her Christianity and her sexuality, even after coming out as lesbian at the age of 17. She eventually concluded that homosexuality does not conflict with Christianity, and that condemnation of gay people is antithetical to the Christian message.

Lambert was sexually abused by her father and others as a child, and has described herself as "end[ing] up being a depressed eight-year-old". Lambert taught herself how to play piano and write songs at age 6, as an escape from her traumatic and abusive household. Lambert is known to be revealing in her poetry and music, often discussing her early childhood traumas, sexual abuse, body image, bipolar disorder, and her sexuality. Lambert lives in Seattle, WA.

Lambert moved to Seattle in 2007 where she studied at Cornish College of the Arts, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition.

2008–11: Career beginnings and spoken word poetry

Lambert represented Seattle, Washington, in Brave New Voices International Poetry Competition in 2008, which was filmed on HBO. She co-founded Seattle's Collegiate team in 2009, and competed at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.

2012–13: Breakthrough with "Same Love" and 500 Tips for Fat Girls

In 2012, Lambert co-wrote and provided vocals for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's single "Same Love". In 2013 "Same Love" reached double platinum in the U.S. and became a top ten single in six countries. A music video was released on October 2, 2012, and as of December 2013 it has over 100 million views on YouTube.

In January 2013, Lambert independently released a book of poetry titled 500 Tips for Fat Girls. The book has received positive reviews, with one critic stating that it was "moving and strikingly original exploration". In the summer of 2013, Lambert released her solo debut single, "She Keeps Me Warm", which samples the chorus that she wrote for "Same Love". A music video was released on August 24 of that same year on Lambert's Vevo. As of December 2013, the "She Keeps Me Warm" music video has reached over two million views.

On December 17, 2013, Lambert released her debut major label extended play Welcome to the Age of My Body under Capitol Records. The EP features a new version of "She Keeps Me Warm"; "Body Love", which was broken into two parts and was also featured on her last EP, Letters Don't Talk; and a new song, "Sarasvati".

On December 18, 2013, Lambert announced on her website that her debut album is scheduled for release in the Spring of 2014.

2014–present: Heart On My Sleeve and upcoming second studio album

For the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Lambert was nominated for two awards, one for Song of the Year for "Same Love" and the other for Album of the Year for The Heist as a featured artist. On January 26, 2014, Lambert performed "Same Love" alongside Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. During their performance, Queen Latifah read marriage vows for 33 couples on stage. Shortly after Latifah read the vows, Madonna came on stage and began singing with Lambert. After the performances, Lambert's debut single "She Keeps Me Warm" started gaining more airplay and selling more copies. Radio play of "She Keeps Me Warm" reportedly increased by 24%.

On February 9, 2014, Lambert announced on her official website that she was filming a video for "Body Love". On March 17, 2014, Lambert announced on her website that she would be touring with Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson. Eric Rosse is producing Lambert's debut album.

A music video for Lambert's "Body Love" Part 1 and 2 was released on April 22, 2014. As of May 8, the video has received over 220 thousand views on VEVO.

In 2014, Lambert was included as part of The Advocate's annual "40 under 40" list. In December 2014, Lambert took part in a United Nations panel for promotion of diversity within families.

In October 2014, Lambert's debut album Heart on My Sleeve was released and included the hit "Secrets" which peaked at number one on the U.S. Dance chart.

She is working on her new album. In July 2016 Lambert released a single titled "Hang Out With You" and a music video for the song. She is a featured artist on the single "Hands", a tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting.

Musical style

Lambert wrote every song on her first two extended plays, Letters Don't Talk and Welcome To the Age of My Body. Lambert's songwriting style has often been compared to Adele, Tori Amos, Bon Iver, and James Blake. Lambert stated in a Huffington Post interview that her music and poetry contain "A lot of darkness, and sadness and grief." Lambert primarily writes about her early childhood traumas, sexual abuse, body image, bipolar disorder, and her sexuality. The "Same Love" chorus draws on Lambert's experiences as a lesbian growing up in a tumultuous, Christian upbringing. The repeating line, "Not crying on Sundays," for example, echoes the way she felt after leaving Sunday services in the Evangelical church. Lambert wrote the chorus's hook in two hours. "Body Love" and "Sarasvati" both feature Lambert using a talk-rhythm singing style.

When asked why she wrote the chorus for "Same Love", Lambert said that she wanted to write a song that was "genuine and authentic to my experience."

Stage

Lambert's live performances are described as "safe spaces where crying is acceptable and even encouraged."

Tours