Renée Elise Goldsberry: 2025

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Every artistic project that Renée Elise Goldsberry touches seems to turn into exactly what her namesake points to: gold. She’s a true triple threat (triple might not even do it justice – it might be more like quadruple or quintuple) who has made a name for herself on New York City stages, in television shows, and in critically acclaimed films.

Goldsberry is probably best known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway production (and film) of “Hamilton” and winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a musical.

However, the San Jose, California-born actress graced the stage long before “Hamilton” took the world by storm, with a résumé that includes “Rent” and “The Color Purple.” She also starred in the Netflix original series, “Girls5eva” and the 2019 film, “Waves.”

In 2025, Goldsberry added to her long list of creative accomplishments with the release of her debut album, Who I Really Am. The project is an autobiographical exploration of her life up until this point. Most importantly, it is a celebration of not just her awards, accolades and success, but also the trials, tribulations, and obstacles that she has faced along her professional and personal journey.

The 13-track album features 11 songs written by Goldsberry, along with additional songs written in collaboration with her friends: the composers and songwriters Lin-Manuel Miranda of "Hamilton" and fellow "Girls5eva" co-star Sara Bareilles.

While fans can certainly quench their thirst for musical theater by listening to Goldsberry’s flawless vocals on this record, it is also filled with the sounds from her childhood that influenced her love of music, spanning jazz, blues, disco, funk and R&B.

For this "FUV Live" session — and Goldsberry's first visit to Studio A — she brought along her talented band — guitarist Steven Walker, bassist Jeff Hanley, drummer Jamie Eblen and keyboardist Christopher McCarthy — as well as a trio of ferocious backing vocalists: Kristina Miller, Adee David, and Nikisha Williams.

Goldsberry played a three-song set from Who I Really Am: the title track, “Staring,” and “Smiling.”

She also chatted with me about self-acceptance, the pursuit of joy, and who she really is: simply herself.

[Recorded: 6/25/25; Engineered by Jim O'Hara with Erin Merriman, Matthew Ellersick, and Holden Buckley. Produced by Meghan Suma. Videographers: Adithi Vimalanathan, Therese Burgo, and Olivia Iannaccone.]