Biography

With the release of her 2017 single "STFU & Hold Me," Liz Huett made the leap from backup singer to the spotlight. Prior to "STFU & Hold Me," Huett worked behind the scenes in the music industry, earning a big break singing on Taylor Swift's 2010 album, Speak Now. This set her down the path that led to a contract with Interscope, a deal that bore its first fruits in the summer of 2017 with "STFU & Hold Me." Raised in the Southern California city of Riverside, Huett was adopted as a baby and raised by a family who encouraged her performing ambitions. She began appearing in movies and film as a tween, showing up in the 1998 Kurt Russell film Soldier and Bryan Cranston's 1999 directorial debut, Last Chance. The occasional role followed into the mid-2000s, but Huett turned her attention to music around that time. Taylor Swift wound up being pivotal to Huett's success. Huett initially met Swift at a meet-and-greet, then they crossed paths while Liz was working at a local radio station. They once again crossed paths when Huett was a contestant on the 2008 reality competition Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann, which featured a guest appearance by Swift. The relationship turned professional when Huett joined Swift as a backup singer for the Fearless tour. In 2010 she appeared on three songs on Swift's Speak Now album and supported Taylor on the ensuing tour. The Swift connection helped push Huett toward her own solo career. Although she continued to sing background on occasion -- she appears on A Rocket to the Moon's 2013 album, Wild & Free, and Crowder's 2014 LP, Neon Steeple -- Huett signed a deal with Warner Chappell, penning pop and country songs and placing the song "Put My Heart Down" on Sara Evans' 2014 album, Slow Me Down. Next, Huett landed a deal with Interscope Records. In 2017 she appeared on the soundtrack to Leap! -- a retitled American release of the animated 2016 French family film Ballerina -- singing "Rainbow," but her big release was the August single "STFU & Hold Me." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine