Biography

Kelli Scarr is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer based in New York. She follows up her sophomore album Dangling Teeth (Silence Breaks, 2012) this spring with No Rush, an aural contemplation over a decade in the making. The album is a spiritual journey of genre-defying devotional songs, incorporating a meditative use of space and exploring what happens when reflection is both the inspiration for the creation, and the intention for the listener. Born and raised in California, Scarr began singing in church at a young age and later attended the Berklee College of Music before landing in New York City. She has explored her way through various projects and collaborations including the bands Moonraker and Salt & Samovar, as well as a stint writing, recording and touring with the musician Moby. She also ventured into film scoring and in 2010 received an Emmy nomination for her score to Jeremiah Zagar’s HBO documentary, In A Dream. Scarr’s debut solo album Piece was released on Silence Breaks records in 2010, followed by Dangling Teeth in 2012. From 2013 to 2015, she served as music supervisor and composed the score to the documentaries Advanced Style and Far Western. After a period of deep artistic reflection and hibernation, she re-emerged to collaborate with producer Nate Martinez on the album that would become No Rush. No Rush was released on April 6, 2021 on Scarr’s homegrown label, Vera Jean Music. Photos by Monik Geisel