Mary Lambert at SXSW 2014

Mary Lambert (@marylambertsing) first gained everyone's attention as the sweet, yet commanding female voice in Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Same Love." Her EP, Welcome to the Age of My Body, features the key component of that song, a fully formed version of "She Keeps Me Warm."

If that song doesn't already touch you, her backstory will: Mary is a brutally candid writer who deals directly in her art with a series of misfortunes and childhood horrors nobody deserves to deal with. But because Mary wants to lift people up, not bring them down, she balances her life with healthy doses of humor. She is upbeat, funny, and engaging, a bright star of a person. The 24-year-old lives in Seattle now, and performs as a spoken-word poet as well as a singer, pianist, guitarist and cellist.

Mary braved a rainy day with us and jumped on board with our last-minute plan to shoot her performance of "She Keeps Me Warm" in a vintage RV parked behind the South by San Jose stage. (Thanks, Mary, and thanks to SXSJ!)

A full-length debut album is due from Mary this Spring. More at marylambertsings.com.

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