Nicole Wray partnered with Missy Elliott and Timbaland to deliver some of the most cutting-edge pop of the late 20th century, and has enjoyed a second act working closely with vintage soul specialist Leon Michels. As a teenager, under her first name, the singer scored a Top Ten hit in 1998 with "Make It Hot." Despite the breakthrough, Wray encountered various roadblocks as she continued to record solo material and contribute to the output of other artists. Over time, her voice became richer and a little grittier, ideal for retro-contemporary R&B. Beside Terri Walker and in collaboration with long-term producer Michels, she re-emerged as one-half of Lady, whose self-titled 2013 album has been followed by the Lady Wray LPs Queen Alone and Piece of Me, issued respectively in 2016 and 2022.

Born in Salinas, California and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Nicole Wray developed her singing talent in the church. She auditioned for Missy Elliott at the age of 15 and a few years later made her recorded debut as a featured guest on the fellow Virginian's "Gettaway," off the 1997 platinum album Supa Dupa Fly. The first artist signed to Elliott's Goldmind, Inc. -- with distribution from major-label Elektra -- Wray teamed with Elliott and Timbaland and the following June released her first solo single, "Make It Hot." The song nearly topped Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart and was one of 1998's biggest crossover hits, reaching number five on the Hot 100. The album of the same title -- which also featured the involvement of songwriter/producer Static Major, another heavy hitter -- would be Wray's only commercial full-length for nearly two decades. While she appeared on tracks such as Elliott's "All N My Grill," Kelis' "Wouldn't You Agree," and Cam'ron's "Family Ties," and co-wrote songs for artists such as Jesse Powell and Pam Dodi, she made two albums that were shelved. A set intended for the Roc-A-Fella label at least saw the release of the single "If I Was Your Girlfriend." Four songs from one of the projects would be self-released by Wray much later (in 2020) as the Electric Blue Effect EP.

After she took part in the sessions for the Black Keys' BlakRoc and Brothers, Wray independently issued the 2010 album Boss Chick. Additionally in 2011, recordings with producer 7 Aurelius were digitally issued as Dream Factory Sessions. Wray co-wrote over half of the songs on Lee Fields the Expressions' 2012 album Faithful Man, produced by Leon Michels. Near the end of 2012, she and Terri Walker first appeared as Lady with "Money," placed on the ninth volume of Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers series. A self-titled Lady album, likewise inspired by late-'60s and early-'70s soul, followed in 2013. Despite the album's warm reception, Walker split, but Wray continued to perform the material. As Lady Wray, she made another throwback-oriented full-length, Queen Alone, with some of the same musicians who worked on Lady, including Michels and Thomas Brenneck. The album was released on Michels' Big Crown label in September 2016. Continuing with Michels and Big Crown, Wray cut a batch of singles that arrived from 2019 through 2021 and led to the second Lady Wray album, Piece of Me, offered in January 2022. Its featured appearances were reserved for her father (a spoken part on "Beauty in the Fire") and daughter (on the eponymous acoustic ballad "Melody"). ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi