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Brittany Howard
Howard singing passionately
Howard performing with Alabama Shakes in London, 2016
Background information
Birth name Brittany Amber Howard
Born (1988-10-02) October 2, 1988 (age 36)
Athens, Alabama, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • drums
  • bass
Years active 2009 (2009)–present
Labels

Brittany Amber Howard was born on October 2, 1988. She is an American musician from Athens, Alabama. She became famous in the early 2010s. She was the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the band Alabama Shakes.

With Alabama Shakes, she won four Grammy Awards. This included the award for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2018, Alabama Shakes announced they were taking a break. In 2019, Brittany Howard released her first solo album, Jaime. This album was highly praised. It received seven Grammy nominations and won Best Rock Song for "Stay High". Her next album, What Now, came out in February 2024. Alabama Shakes announced a reunion tour for July to September 2025.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Brittany Howard was born in Athens, Alabama. She was one of two daughters. Her older sister, Jaime, taught her to write poetry and play the piano. Jaime sadly passed away in 1998. Brittany had the same eye condition as her sister but survived. She has partial blindness in one eye.

Brittany started playing the guitar when she was 13. She loved listening to albums by Dionne Warwick and Elvis Presley. These artists inspired her to write her own song lyrics.

High School and Musical Influences

Brittany went to East Limestone High School. There, she met Zac Cockrell, who would later be the bassist for Alabama Shakes. In high school, Brittany started listening to rock music from the 1970s. She enjoyed bands like Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. She said listening to Pink Floyd "blew her mind." She then got into other classic rock bands like Yes and Cream.

After high school, Brittany worked for the United States Postal Service. She later became a full-time musician.

Brittany Howard's Music Career

Alabama Shakes - 16720670360
Brittany Howard performing with Alabama Shakes in 2014

Brittany Howard is most known as the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band Alabama Shakes. The band first formed as "The Shakes." Brittany and bassist Zac Cockrell started playing songs together. Drummer Steve Johnson joined them. Later, guitarist Heath Fogg completed the band.

The band began playing shows in bars in Alabama. They recorded their first album, Boys & Girls. They signed with ATO Records. Boys & Girls was released in 2012. It received great reviews and many Grammy Award nominations.

Success with Alabama Shakes

In April 2015, Alabama Shakes released their second album, Sound & Color. It became number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Music critics gave it very good reviews. The band performed on popular TV shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

At Lollapalooza in 2015, Brittany Howard was invited to sing "Get Back" with Paul McCartney. She also performed at a ceremony for Eddie Murphy. In 2015, she received the "Powerhouse" Award from Billboard's Women in Music.

Brittany Howard and Paul McCartney
Brittany Howard performing with Alabama Shakes at Lollapalooza 2015

Other Music Projects

Brittany Howard is also a singer in the band Bermuda Triangle. She formed this band in Nashville in 2017 with Jesse Lafser and Becca Mancari. Their first live show was in July 2017. They released their first song, "Rosey," in September 2017. The trio later went on a small tour in the southern United States.

Sundance Film Festival 2024 - Britanny Howard-104A1997
Howard talking about her new album at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January 2024

In June 2019, Brittany Howard announced her first solo album, Jaime. It was released on September 20, 2019. She also announced a tour in North America and Europe. Critics loved Jaime. One review called it an "exceptional solo debut." On July 16, 2019, she released the music video for her song "Stay High." It featured actor Terry Crews.

In October 2023, she released the song "What Now" from her second album, What Now. In the same year, Rolling Stone magazine listed her among the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

In 2024, Brittany Howard announced a tour with British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. She also made her acting debut in the animated movie Thelma the Unicorn. It was released on Netflix on May 17, 2024. Her personality, hair, and songs helped inspire her character in the film.

In late November 2024, Brittany Howard announced a new music project called KUMITE. KUMITE was scheduled to play their first show in Nashville in January 2025. In 2024, she also helped write a song called "Pale Pale Moon" with Ludwig Göransson. This song was featured in the film Sinners.

Musical Influences

Brittany Howard has said that many artists have influenced her music. These include Led Zeppelin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, David Bowie, Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Björk, Gil Scott-Heron, Freddie Mercury, and Tina Turner.

Awards and Nominations

Brittany Howard has been nominated for and won several awards for her music.

Year Award Category Nominated Work Result
2019 Rober Award Music Prize Best Female Artist Herself Nominated
Best R&B Nominated
Album of the Year Jaime Nominated
UK Music Video Award Best Rock Video - International "Stay High" Nominated
2020 Grammy Award Best Rock Song "History Repeats" Nominated
Best Rock Performance Nominated
GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Music Artist Jaime Nominated
Americana Music Honors & Awards Artist of the Year Herself Nominated
Song of the Year "Stay High" Nominated
Album of the Year Jaime Nominated
Libera Award Album of the Year Nominated
2021 Grammy Award Best Rock Performance "Stay High" Nominated
Best Rock Song Won
Best Alternative Music Album Jaime Nominated
Best R&B Performance "Goat Head" Nominated
Best American Roots Performance "Short and Sweet" Nominated
Libera Award Best Sync Usage "You'll Never Walk Alone" Nominated
2022 Best Dance Record "Stay High again.." Nominated
Best R&B Record Jaime (Reimagined) Nominated

Discography

Brittany Howard discography
Releases
Studio albums 2
Extended plays 4
Singles 16
Remix albums 1

Studio Albums

List of studio albums
Title Details
Jaime
What Now
  • Released: February 9, 2024
  • Label: Island
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download

Remix Albums

Title Details
Jaime (Reimagined)
  • Released: July 23, 2021
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: LP, digital download, streaming

Extended Plays (EPs)

Title Details
Spotify Singles
  • Released: April 15, 2020
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: streaming
Live at Sound Emporium
  • Released: August 29, 2020
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: LP
Jaime (The Remixes)
  • Released: September 17, 2020
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: Digital download
Live from East West Studios
  • Released: May 7, 2021
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

As Lead Artist

Title Year Album
"I Wonder" (with Ruby Amanfu) 2012 Non-album single
"History Repeats" 2019 Jaime
"Stay High"
"He Loves Me" 2020
"You'll Never Walk Alone" Non-album single
"Stay High again.." (with Joy Anonymous and Fred again..) 2021 Jaime (Reimagined)
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" Non-album single
"Presence" (Little Dragon Remix) Jaime (Reimagined)
"Tomorrow" (BadBadNotGood Remix)
"Checks and Balances" (from the Netflix series We the People) Non-album single
"Stay High" (Childish Gambino remix) Jaime (Reimagined)
"Running with the Angels" (with Tia P.) 2022 Non-album single
"What Now" 2023 What Now
"Red Flags"
"Prove It to You" 2024
"Power to Undo"

As Featured Artist

Title Year Album
"Higher" (Thad Cockrell featuring Brittany Howard) 2020 If In Case You Feel the Same

Other Songs and Appearances

List of other songs and guest appearances
Title Year Other Artist(s) Album
"For You Alone" 2011 Matt Stephens Matt Stephens
"West on Train" 2013 Turk Tresize Soul Casino
"Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" My Morning Jacket, Merrill Garbus Red Hot + Fela
"I Feel Free" 2015 N/A Joy (Music from the Motion Picture)
"Darkness and Light" 2016 John Legend Darkness and Light
"Higher" 2020 Thad Cockrell If In Case You Feel The Same
"Shining Star" 2022 Verdine White Minions: Rise of Gru (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Fire Inside" 2024 N/A Thelma the Unicorn: Soundtrack From The Netflix Film
"Walk of Fame" 2025 Miley Cyrus Something Beautiful

With Alabama Shakes

  • Boys & Girls (2012)
  • Sound & Color (2015)

With Bermuda Triangle

  • Brittany Howard also plays acoustic guitar and double bass for the trio Bermuda Triangle.

See also

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