Hope Waits possesses that rare talent that is born of challenge, pain and heart.  Raised on the banks of Bayou Desaird in Monroe, Louisiana, her story eerily parallels those of many of the great blues and soul singers whose essence she reflects.  The seventh of 12 children born to an alcoholic father and a manic depressive mother, Hope and her siblings shared a dark childhood filled with poverty, abuse and neglect.

Sheltered from secular music in her youth, Hope learned to sing in church choirs while secretly soaking in artists such as Bonnie Raitt and Whitney Houston.  She quickly learned how to raft a tune out of her difficult upbringing by writing songs underneath her bed for fear that her mother would hear them.  Unable to sing those songs, her passion stayed locked deep inside until leaving home at 15 to live with an older sister in South Carolina.  Once away from her oppressive and abusive home life, Hope was able to explore the desire to express herself through song.  it was then that she first heard the iconic voice of the woman who quickly became her musical idol - Billie Holiday.

While Hope was beginning to find herself both personally and musically in South Carolina, tragedy struck back home in Louisiana when her mother was brutally murdered by an unknown assailant - a cold case that remains unsolved.  With the loss of her mother, Hope had a moment of revelation that she would not let life pass her by and began to fully pursue her passion.

Chance brought her into Los Angeles’ Chessvolt Studios where she met producer Peter Malick (Norah Jones) and his business partner Douglas Grossman.  The two immediately recognized the timeless qualities of her voice and brought her in to record her debut album Introducing Hope Waits.  With Malick at the helm, Hope delivers an album so full of maturity and passion that it belies the fact that this is a debut.  In addition to the 10 tracks produced by Malick, the digital release features two songs produced by David Kalish (Rickie Lee Jones, Tracy Chapman) and Barrie Maguire (Amos Lee, The Wallflowers).

DownBeat Magazine gave the album a glowing four-star review stating, “Hope Waits effortlessly transcends influences and comparisons with a fully formed and highly personalized vision  and approach.”  Allmusic called the album “atmospheric, intense and often hypnotic.”  While Honest Tune proclaims “Hope Waits possesses a rare combination of ability, class and grace, qualities that could well make her the modern day equivalent of Billie Holiday.”  She was also featured in ELLE Magazine (Brazil) as one of the top five female singers who are a “must listen”.  The album’s opening track, Jackie Wilson’s “I’ll Be Satisfied”, found its way to Putumayo World Music who included it on their Women of Jazz release alongside songs by Melody Gardot and Madeleine Peyroux.

With her debut album, Hope Waits is beginning to put her struggles behind her and a bright future is starting to unravel.  Her story of triumph and redemption has begun.