Snoh Aalegra

Background

Snoh Aalegra was born in Uppsala, Sweden, to Persian parents who came from the southern part of Iran. Her birth name was Shahrzad Fooladi before she took her mother’s last name, Nowrozi, at 12 years old, following her parents’ divorce. Aalegra was then raised by her mother, who took her along when she moved to Enköping, the place where young Aalegra grew up before finally moving to Stockholm. In 2001, the then 13 years old Aalegra signed with Sony Music Sweden for an artist development deal, but she later left without releasing any music. Her music career began in 2009 when she debuted her first single, ‘Hit and Run,’ on February 16, 2009, under the mononym Sheri. The song, produced by Swedish songwriter and producer Andreas Carlsson, reached No. 12 on the Swedish Single Charts. Her next single, ‘U Got Me Good,’ was released on December 4, 2009, and rose further up the rank to number two. She released her first studio album, “First Sign,” on April 6, 2010. Aalegra lived in London for a short while before settling in Los Angeles in 2012. She signed into ARTium Recordings in 2013, a label belonging to Ernest Dion Wilson, an American R&B and hip hop record producer widely known by the stage name No I.D.

Her debut under the name Snoh Aalegra took place in July 2014 with her appearance on American rapper Common’s ‘Hustle Harder,’ a song in the latter’s 10th studio album, “Nobody’s Smiling.” Her debut single under this new name followed in October 2014 with the song ‘Bad Things’ and her debut E.P. “There Will Be Sunshine,” released on November 17, 2014. Aalegra’s talent was discovered by the late Prince Rogers Nelson that year, who subsequently mentored her until he passed away in 2016. Aalegra announced that she changed her legal name to Snoh Nowrozi in February 2015. She released a new single this year on February 11, 2015, titled ‘Emotional.’ Through ARTium Recordings, she released another E.P., “Don’t Explain,” on April 8, 2016, in which she collaborated with John Mayer and Sia. Aalegra had her first North American tour in 2017. She released her debut album as “Snoh Aalegra” on October 20, 2017, titled “Feels,” a cinematic soul with a nostalgic blend of the soul genre and R&B. Christian Rich and Vince Staples produced her next single on September 12, 2018, ‘Nothing Burns Like the Cold,’ which was later used for iPhone XS announcement video and commercials by Apple. With support from Leven Kali and Mereba, she headlined her first tour in North America during the fall of 2018.

Aalegra released her next album, “Ugh, Those Feels Again,” in August 2019. It ranked third on the Billboard R&B Album Sales and sixth on the Billboard Top R&B Albums. A single in the album, ‘I Want You Around,’ was first on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. On December 13, 2019, Aalegra starred in the music video of her single ‘Whoa’ with actor Michael B. Jordan. She headlined a European and North American tour in the fall of 2019 with Baby Rose and Giveon, placing first on the Bandsintown + Billboard Global Rising Artists Index.

In a partnership with ARTium Records, her current label, Aalegra signed a recording contract on March 9, 2020, with Roc Nation/Universal Music Group. Her first single under both labels was titled ‘Dying 4 Your Love,’ while her first album with ARTium Records and Roc Nation was released the next year on July 9, 2021, “Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies.” Her “Ugh, These Temporary Highs Tour” started in Manchester, United Kingdom, on February 13, 2022, which would be followed by a U.S. tour in March.