Emily West

With her engaging stage presence and alto vocals, it didn't take long for singer/songwriter Emily West to get a foothold in Nashville's country music scene. The youngest of four children, West was born in Waterloo, Iowa, where she discovered Patsy Cline at a young age and began taking voice lessons from a local rock singer. Inspired to pursue a career in country music, she began making regular trips to Nashville and worked to finish high school early. She graduated in 2000 and quickly moved to Nashville, where she signed a publishing deal with the local Warner-Chapell company and caught the ear of producer Mike Dungan, who signed her to Capitol Records Nashville. A self-titled four-song EP was released via the Internet in late 2007, and the debut single "Rocks in Your Shoes" hit the Billboard country charts in 2008. In 2010, she charted again with "Blue Sky," a duet with Keith Urban, and a second EP, I Hate You I Love You, arrived in 2011. After a few television appearances, including a 2012 episode of the ABC drama Body of Proof, West competed in the 2014 season of the NBC talent show America's Got Talent, where she performed covers of hit songs ranging from Sia's "Chandelier" to the Moody Blues's "Nights in White Satin" before finishing as runner-up. The exposure led to a record deal with Sony Masterworks, which released her official full-length debut, All for You, in August 2015. Trading country for a more classic pop vocalist delivery, the album included studio versions of her covers from the talent show, as well as a duet version of "True Colors" with Cyndi Lauper and four original tunes.