Irish R&B singer Laura Izibor first really achieved public recognition in 2006 after winning the Hope for 2006 award at that year's Meteor Music Award ceremony. Shortly following this breakout moment, Izibor also performed at the Electric Picnic festival, as well as the Music Ireland '07 event the following year.
Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, to a working-class family, Laura Izibor became interested in music as a teenager, drawn to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, and Candi Staton. Similar to Amy Winehouse, Laura has also pointed to Donny Hathaway as an influence on her songwriting; while there have also been comparisons between Izibor's music and that of Corinne Bailey Rae.
These great artists became the influences that led Izibor to become a pianist and composer, and her talent blossomed. At age 15 she won a national competition called 2FM Song Contest, and two years later Laura began working on her debut album. The process took four years to complete, traveling to Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York, to record her debut album after turning 17.
During this same time, Izibor sharpened her skills through extensive live performances, opening for acts such as James Brown, The Roots, and Angie Stone. In her homeland, she has become affectionately known as "The Soul Of Ireland", and in 2009 Laura was also selected to open John Legend's tour.
It is said that the gift of natural talent will usually find its way to the surface, even in an unexpected place and time. Dublin, Ireland in 1987 was not a typical location for a future soul performer, but that is where and when Laura Izibor was born, and her start began to rise. One of five children, Laura was drawn to music early on, and by her teen years was taking in all of the classic 60s and 70s soul sounds that she could get her hands on.