Emily Wells is a performer, producer, singer, and composer known for her varied use of classical and modern instrumentation as well as her deft approach to live sampling at shows. Classically trained as a violinist, she also plays drums, keys, beat machines and whatever else she can fit in her road case. She lists Nina Simone, Biggie Smalls, and Bob Dylan as three of her biggest influences, and the varied styles reflect in her music. In 2008, she recorded her first album, The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties, picking up praise from sources as varied as NPR and SPIN, who compared her to “a feral, streetwise Nina Simone.” She is currently touring her sophomore album, 2012’s Mama.
