Mary Lambert

Mary Danielle Lambert (born May 3, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter and spoken word artist.

She worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on a track on their album The Heist.

Lambert is the featured artist of their LGBTQ rights single, "Same Love".

Her contributions to "Same Love" draw upon her experiences as "a lesbian growing up in a tumultuous, Christian upbringing."

Originally from Everett, Washington, Lambert attended Mariner High School between 2003 and 2007.

Her mother is also a recording artist.

She was raised as a Pentecostal Christian, but her family was expelled from the church when she was six years old because her mother had come out as a lesbian.

Later Lambert became an evangelical Christian, attending Mars Hill Church beginning when she was in high school.

She struggled for many years to Reconcile her Christianity and her sexuality, even after coming out as a lesbian at the age of 17.

She has concluded after some time that being gay does not conflict with Christianity and that condemnation of gay people is antithetical to the Christian message.

Lambert was sexually abused by her father and others as a child, and she has described herself as "ending up being a depressed eight-year-old".

She taught herself how to play piano and write songs at age 6 as an escape from her traumatic and abusive household.

Her poetry and music often discuss her early childhood traumas, sexual abuse, body image, bipolar disorder, and her sexuality.

Lambert married her partner of four years, Wyatt Paige Hermansen, on October 22, 2022.

On January 26, 2024, Lambert announced via social media her separation from Hermansen.

She lives in Seattle.

Lambert moved to Seattle in 2007 studying at Cornish College of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in composition.

In 2008, Lambert represented Seattle, Washington in Brave New Voices International Poetry Competition, which was filmed on HBO.

She co-founded Seattle's Collegiate team in 2009 and competed at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.

Her debut EP, Letters Don't Talk, was released on July 17, 2012, and peaked at number 18 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts.

In 2012, Lambert co-wrote and provided vocals for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's single "Same Love".

A music video was released on October 2, 2012, and as of August 2018, it had over 200 million views on YouTube.

Lambert took the content she created for "Same Love" and used it to develop the song "She Keeps Me Warm" which she released on July 30, 2013.

A music video was released on Vevo on August 24.

Lambert's songs which are often emotional are sometimes considered a mix of Adele, Tori Amos and James Blake.

Her shows are described as "safe spaces where crying is acceptable and even encouraged."

On December 17, 2013, Lambert released her second EP, Welcome to the Age of My Body, under Capitol Records.

Subsequently, in 2013, "Same Love" was awarded double Platinum certification in the US by RIAA.

The track earned continued success when it became a top ten single in six countries.

In January 2013, Lambert independently released a book of poetry titled 500 Tips for Fat Girls.

The book has received positive reviews, with one critic stating that it was "moving and strikingly original exploration".

In the summer of 2013, Lambert released her solo debut single, "She Keeps Me Warm", which samples the chorus that she wrote for "Same Love".

A music video was released on August 24 of that same year on Lambert's Vevo.

As of December 2013, the "She Keeps Me Warm" music video had reached over two million views.

On December 17, 2013, Lambert released her debut major label extended play Welcome to the Age of My Body under Capitol Records.

The EP features a new version of "She Keeps Me Warm" entitled "Body Love", which was broken into two parts.

The track was also featured on her last EP, Letters Don't Talk, along with a new song entitled "Sarasvati".

On December 18, 2013, Lambert announced on her website that her debut album had been scheduled for release in early 2014.

Lambert's studio album Heart on My Sleeve was released on October 14, 2014, and debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200.

Lambert performed at the 2016 Gay Christian Network Conference in Houston, Texas, an annual conference that draws over 1300 LGBT people from around the world, on January 8, 2016.