Lady Wray by Shervin Lainez
"takes listeners back to the roots of R&B" Billboard
“that kind of irresistible, honey-dipped voice one can only be born with” The New York Times Magazine
"Nicole Wray's solo act shepherds '60s and '70s R&B styles into the present" NPR
“Hard Times” https://lnk.to/LadyWrayHardTimes
Cover Girl PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER
(August 11, 2025) - Today, Lady Wray shares the latest offering from her forthcoming new album with “Hard Times”. From its opening drum beats, Lady Wray’s new single beckons listeners to the dancefloor, with a triumphant, feel good anthem that collides contemporary R&B and classic soul with cheeky flashes of disco flair. Despite the dour foreshadowing of the song’s title, “Hard Times” is an uplifting statement of perseverance and holding on to one’s joy, a driving theme of Nicole’s new album Cover Girl, out September 26th via Big Crown Records.
Cover Girl elevates Wray’s artistry as the latest product of her decade-spanning partnership with Grammy Award winning producer Leon Michels (Clairo, Norah Jones, Freddie Gibbs). Together, Wray and Michels have crafted a joyful, revitalized vision of Wray’s sound, which draws from several of her formative musical influences, ‘60s and ‘70s-inspired soul and disco, ‘90s hip-hop and R&B, and gospel. Cover Girl also captures Wray turning the focus of her writing inward, looking back fondly on herself as a little girl as she’s grown as a mother in the years since 2022’s Piece of Me, living vivaciously with the same warmth she sees watching her daughter grow up.
Lady Wray’s North American tour begins September 18th in Kingston, NY, and she’ll be playing shows across the continent including dates in New York City, Toronto, Chicago, and LA, before concluding in Austin, Texas on November 22nd. Remaining tickets are available at ladynicolewray.com.
Following a series of industry road bumps and the doubts that can come with finding your footing when beginning a career in music at just 16, Lady Wray reclaimed the spirit she first brought to music singing in her hometown church choir. Her two previous albums on Big Crown Records, 2016’s Queen Alone and 2022’s Piece of Me, saw her reimagine her identity as a musician exactly how she wanted to be seen, and the latter of which led to her late night TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (performing “Come On In”) and perform a rousting NPR Tiny Desk Concert. With Cover Girl, Nicole is letting her hair down, continuing her decade-spanning partnership with Leon Michels to infuse the raw soul and gospel power in her voice with a self-assured collection of contemporary R&B, soul and funk songs that speak to her joy and the revived bliss of this stage of her career.
Listen to “Hard Times” above, see below for Lady Wray’s upcoming North American tour dates and more album details, and stay tuned for more from Lady Wray coming soon.
Lady Wray 2025 Live Dates
8/23 - Seattle, WA @ Bell Street Park
9/28 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s 9/29 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage 9/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry 10/2 - New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 10/3 - Hamden, CT @ SPACE Ballroom 10/4 - Amherst, MA @ The Drake 10/5 - Portland, ME @ Oxbow 10/7 - Montreal, QC @ Bar le Riz 10/8 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club 10/10 - Louisville, KY @ Whirling Tiger 10/11 - Nashville, TN @ Fogg Street 10/13 - Milwaukee, WI @ High Noon Saloon 10/14 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/6 - San Diego, CA, CA @ Quartyard 11/7 - Riverside, CA @ Farm House Collective 11/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room 11/9 - San Francisco @ The Chapel 11/11 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater 11/12 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl 11/14 - Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theater Pub 11/15 - Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club 11/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 11/18 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 11/20 - Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips 11/21 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 11/22 - Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn | 
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