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Alicia WallerVocalist · Composer
Alicia Waller

Jazz. Soul. A world of sound.

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Vocalist · Soprano · ComposerPress kit · aliciawaller.com

AliciaWaller

“Waller is a singular force, lyrically and compositionally.”
Ivana Ng · DownBeat Magazine

Alicia Waller is a genre-expanding vocalist, composer, and bandleader recognized for a contemporary fusion sound.

Latest release

Louder, Then · May 2026

Voice

Soprano

Debut EP

Some Hidden Treasure · 2020

01Biography

A voice all
her own.

Alicia Waller in profile wearing a cream suit against a deep brown backdrop.
Alicia Waller

Alicia Waller is a genre-expanding vocalist, composer, and bandleader recognized for a contemporary fusion sound. Known for the luminous warmth of her voice, she creates a rich, expressive tapestry that has been praised for its splendor, creativity, and depth.

With a background as a classical soprano, Waller began exploring original work with the four-song EP, Some Hidden Treasure in 2020. Hailed as “surprising and significant” by All About Jazz, the imaginative release established her creative path at the intersection of jazz, soul, and vernacular music. She released her debut studio album, Louder, Then in 2026 to further acclaim, with DownBeat Magazine describing her as “a singular force, lyrically and compositionally.”

Waller launched Louder, Then with her first European tour, performing in Barcelona and Berlin; as well as performances across the United States at venues including the Muckenthaler Cultural Center (Fullerton, CA), ASU Kerr (Scottsdale, AZ), Chelsea Table + Stage (New York, NY), and Ki Smith Art Gallery (New York, NY). Further performance highlights have included the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Kennedy Center, BRIC Arts Media House, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of the City of New York, Jamaica Performing Arts Center, South Jazz Kitchen, and the Nuyorican Poets Café. Waller has additionally been featured on television and radio broadcast programming including Good Night, New York, BronxNet, and WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart.

She is a recipient of numerous awards, including acknowledgments from Chamber Music America, the NYC Women’s Fund, NYSCA, American Composers Forum, and New Music USA. Waller received her undergraduate degree in vocal performance from the University of Maryland and graduate degree from New York University, Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Soon after completing her graduate work, her work and process were featured in the documentary series What Moves You? by SkyHour. The documentary short explores her desire to examine sounds capturing the depth and beauty of the human experience.

Behind Louder, Then

Alicia Waller’s bold album Louder, Then has announced the arrival of a major new creative voice in music.

It takes a long, winding creative journey to forge an artist with the power and soul of Alicia Waller. A songwriter and vocalist with a plush, verdant sound, she introduces herself with her first full-length album 'Louder, Then.' Released on May 29, 2026, it’s steeped in her love of contemporary R&B and jazz, filtered through a global array of influences in and outside of music.

With a master’s degree from New York University in international relations and music diplomacy she’s traveled around the world, investigating how music can serve as a bridge between cultures. Her curiosity has taken her to Portugal, where she absorbed the blues-like laments of fado, to the Middle East, which stoked her interest in Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language that spread across the Mediterranean after Jews were expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century. Not coincidentally, she’s also obsessed with flamenco. Louder, Then flows out of Waller’s explorations, diving deep into her own culture's music from her distinctly global perspective.

Louder, Then represents a creative leap by an artist embracing her multiplicity, and her power as a vocalist and a woman. Steeped in soul, conceived in dialogue with a welter of musical idioms that evolved as protean emotional expression, Waller’s music sounds unlike anything else on the scene.

02Selected press

In good company.

Alicia Waller beside a window draped in sheer fabric, in warm daylight.
“Exceptional 21st century blues and soul...”
Piotr OrlovRaspberry Fields
“Waller is a singular force, lyrically and compositionally.”
Ivana NgDownBeat Magazine
“Alicia Waller achieves a rich synthesis between her splendid luminous voice and the expressiveness of soul.”
Angelo LeonardiAll About Jazz
“A surprising and significant debut. We await the next installment.”
Angelo LeonardiAll About Jazz
“The musicianship is superb, with her warm, rich soprano propelling the momentum....Alicia Waller's debut release proves you really can have it all, along with a stylish and sophisticated sense of songwriting and composition that makes it memorable.”
Anya WassenbergArts & Culture Maven
“Waller was trained in classical voice and operatic performance, giving her vocals an irreplaceable rigor and richness that’s beautifully enhanced by her backing jazz instrumentalists.”
Serena ZetsWashington City Paper

03Discography

On record.

Cover of Louder, Then: Alicia Waller seated on the floor in a pleated cream gown against a sienna ground.

The latest release2026

Louder, Then

Her first full-length studio album, steeped in contemporary R&B and jazz and filtered through a global array of influences.

Album · May 29, 2026

Cover of Some Hidden Treasure by Alicia Waller & The Excursion.

EP2020

Some Hidden Treasure

The four-song EP at the intersection of jazz, soul, and vernacular music. Alicia Waller & The Excursion.

EP · February 14, 2020 · innova Recordings

04Film & performance

See. Hear. Feel.

05Live

In the room.

Alicia Waller singing into a microphone with a bassist and guitarist behind her, photographed in black and white.

On stage

The next
encounter.

Find upcoming performances and follow Alicia on Bandsintown.

Inquire about a performance

Performance highlights

  • Jamboree2026
  • b-flat Jazz Club2026
  • Muckenthaler Cultural Center2026
  • The Kennedy Center2025
  • South Jazz Kitchen2025
  • Museum of the City of New York2023
  • Museum of Modern Art2023
  • Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture2022
  • BRIC Arts Media House2022
  • Jamaica Performing Arts Center2022

06Recognition

An artist of note.

Awards & support

  • Chamber Music America
  • NYC Women’s Fund
  • NYSCANew York State Council on the Arts
  • American Composers Forum
  • New Music USA
  • LMCCLower Manhattan Cultural Council

Study

New York University

Gallatin School of Individualized StudyM.A., International Relations & Music Diplomacy

University of Maryland

B.M., Vocal Performance

Teaching

Wagner College

Department of TheatreVoice Faculty

On film

What Moves You?

SkyHour

A documentary short on her work and process, and on sounds that capture the depth and beauty of the human experience.

Watch the documentary

07Booking & press

Let’s make
an evening.

Alicia Waller in a gold pleated dress, hand at her collarbone, looking away from camera.
Photograph · Kendra Irene