Ashleigh Smith

Dallas, Texas-based Ashleigh Smith is a gifted jazz and R&B vocalist who first came to prominence as the winner of the 2014 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Born in LaGrange, Georgia, Smith was interested in music from a young age, and by her teens, she was a dedicated performer influenced by her love of jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald as well as classic R&B icons like Stevie Wonder and Prince. In 2012, she competed in the inaugural year of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and ultimately finished in second place. Undeterred, she returned to the competition in 2014 and won. Also in 2014, Smith was crowned Miss Black Texas USA. In 2016, she delivered her debut full-length album for Concord, Sunkissed. ~ Matt Collar