Candice Ivory is a vocalist, composer, event curator, visual artist, and the creator of the music genre Avant Soul. Known as the Queen of Avant Soul or simply Iyalode, she has forged a unique path across disciplines over the past two decades.

Candice Ivory was born near Memphis, TN, to a family steeped in the musical traditions of the Mississippi Delta. Several family members belonged to prominent gospel groups such as the Salem Harmonizers, and her great-uncle Will Roy Sanders was an internationally known blues singer. With Sanders’ encouragement, she began performing professionally at 14, singing in jazz and blues bands led by Beale Street legends Billy Gibson, Calvin Newborn, and Charlie Wood. Ivory also joined the famed Memphis band CYC, whose members later worked with Justin Timberlake, Bobby “Blue” Bland, the Gamble Brothers Band, Tinsley Ellis, and the New Memphis Hepcats.

At 18, Ivory successfully auditioned for Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead residency at the Kennedy Center. While at Jazz Ahead, she met Carmen Lundy, who became her first voice teacher. Ivory continued her musical education at the New School University in New York, studying voice with Miles Griffith, Richard Harper, and Junior Mance while taking composition lessons with Cecil Bridgewater. By 21, Ivory had recorded her debut album, path – undefined. She composed all the music on path – undefined, a practice that she would follow on her subsequent albums, Questography and Love Music. In addition to composing and singing, she plays a wide array of instruments, from piano and organ to percussion.