Emily Hurd is a prolific Chicago-based songwriter, singer, and pianist. She is known for her ability to embody several realms within the pop singing spectrum, from delicate country lilting to full fledged belting. Hurd’s music is best described as a mix of rock piano, soul singing, folk songwriting, and intelligent bluegrass rhyme schemes. Hurd first entered the music scene in 2005 when she and many of the staff members from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music created her first original album. She has currently produced eleven full-length studio albums and is working on her latest- Soul Car. Her songs have been finalists in three international songwriting competitions: NPR’s NewSong Music Contest, The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and The Unisong International Songwriting Competition. Her song “Help Me To Understand” was featured in the 2011 season of CBS’s NCIS crime series, and "I Don't Know How To Leave You Alone" was featured in the 2013 season of 90210. "When I Come Home" was featured on TV's The Good Wife in 2013. Originally from Rockford, Illinois, Hurd has been touring her native Midwest and both coasts of the U.S. for years. She has developed a no-excuses performance savvy; what you hear is what she is. She is the quintessential indie national act, performing for growing pockets of loyal followers who revel in her clever rhymes and honest showmanship. Her supporters in the Southeastern states have started an annual event called “Emilyfest,” providing Hurd and her band with an open barn down in a holler of rural North Carolina. Backed by a band, Hurd blasts through her tunes with soul. She has shared the stage with Bettye Lavette, Sam Bush, and Irma Thomas, to name a few. On her own, she candidly roots her audience into her storytelling, and has opened as a solo act for the likes of Roger McGuinn, Pete Seeger, and Raul Midon. As a child, Emily spent most of her upbringing immersed in music. She still counts Hoagie Carmichael, Kris Kristofferson, and Scott Joplin as her biggest musical influences. Through high school, culinary school, and later while getting her BA in Music Business from Columbia College in Chicago, Hurd developed a fondness for Lyle Lovett, John Prine, and Bonnie Raitt. Her past discography includes: "the best-loved," 2013, "Burn Like a Field" (Stone Blind Valentine, 2013) "Any Given Day, 2012," "Long Lost Ghosts, 2012," "Tins & Pins & Peppermints, 2010, "Daytime Fireflies," 2010, "A Cache In The Warehouse Floor," 2008, "Love In Flats," 2007, "Barefoot Session," 2006, "Potent One," 2006, and "Lines," 2005.