Renee Holiday

Renee Holiday is ready for her rebirth. Beginning a new chapter in her career, the Seattle-bred singer-songwriter has flipped her life lessons into soulful hymns and fine-tuned her pen game and production following years of industry experience.

Emerging in 2011 with her experimental R&B EP Scatterbrain under Shaprece (a nod to her real name, Shaprece Renee Richardson) , Renee has leaned into her creativity, sticking to organic processes over standard formulas for song making. “I’m not married to one creative process,” she says. “However the spirit moves, I’m with it.”

Her eclectic tastes and spiritual journeys have since resulted in edgy yet smooth projects like 2014’s Molting – – an ethereal EP carried by melodies — and her 2016 debut C.O.A.L.S — a progressive album that showcases her range as a powerhouse vocalist on diverse soundscapes.

Early in her tenure, she built buzz as a featured guest on songs by Seattle-based hip-hop artists and performed the local festival circuit, garnering praise from The New York Times, Revolt and Spin among other outlets.

Today, her soulful swagger remains intact. Working alongside producer Roger Greenawalt (Iggy Pop, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Kweller) , Renee invokes the energy of an artist who not only feels at home in her melanin skin and complex circumstances but leaves room for conceptual storytelling. Look to her latest single and the nostalgic gem “Ain’t Got No Love,” where Renee’s vocals and emotions shine brighter.

“This is a rebirth. This is mature. This is well thought out. These are all of the lessons that I’ve learned through music, love, and patience,” she explains of her reintroduction, noting that her middle name “Renee” also translates to “rebirth.” “This is what I have to offer at this point in my life and in my career. Everything else was training to get to Renee Holiday.”

Raised in a musical household to the sounds of Stevie Wonder, Minnie Riperton and Al Green, Renee’s roots are embedded in soul. Her formal declaration to become a singer came at the age of five when she danced across her living room to a VHS tape of a Sade concert. Since then, she has been subconsciously preparing for a life of performance, participating in cheerleading, gymnastics, theater productions and school recitals as a young girl.

Renee recently took a brief hiatus from the spotlight during times of political turmoil in America to soak up wisdom, sort her feelings and remember her musical mission. “I needed to regroup and remember that my voice and message are both powerful and beautiful. If I continued to honor and stay true to my talents, the right people and opportunities would present themselves. I had to remember that song is my ministry. Music is how I communicate and through that gift, I’m going to reach who needs to be reached.”