Snoh Aalegra

Snoh Aalegra
Born	Shahrzad Fooladi (1987-09-13) September 13, 1987 Uppsala, Sweden
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Known for	R&B music

Snoh Sheri Nowrozi (born Shahrzad Fooladi on 13 September 1987), professionally recognized as Snoh Aalegra (), is an accomplished Swedish artist specializing in R&B music. Her initial album, Feels, debuted in 2017, followed by her sophomore release Ugh, Those Feels Again in 2019.

Early life

Aalegra entered the world in Uppsala, Sweden, to Persian parents originating from southern Iran. Her given name is the Persian equivalent of the character Scheherazade. Following her parents' separation, she was raised in Enköping with her mother before eventually moving to Stockholm. She began composing music at the age of nine.

2001–2012: Initial steps, Sheri persona, First Sign

At thirteen years old in 2001, Aalegra secured an artist development contract with Sony Music Sweden; however, she left the label without releasing any material.

Under the stage name Sheri in 2009, she launched her first single "Hit and Run," produced by Andreas Carlsson, which climbed to number 12 on the Swedish Single Charts. Her follow-up single, "U Got Me Good," achieved a peak position of number 2. On 6 April 2010, she unveiled her debut album First Sign through Universal Music Sweden, incorporating these singles alongside a rendition of Sade's "Smooth Operator."

2013–2018: Emergence as Snoh Aalegra and Feels

In 2013, Aalegra signed with ARTIUM Recordings, led by No I.D. By July 2014, she adopted the stage name Snoh Aalegra and appeared on Common's album Nobody's Smiling. Later that year, she released her debut single as Snoh, "Bad Things," featuring Common, along with the EP There Will Be Sunshine via ARTium/Epic Records.

Prince discovered her work and served as her mentor from 2014 until his passing in 2016. In February 2015, she legally changed her name to Snoh Nowrozi and incorporated "Aalegra" into her stage name to enhance distinctiveness and convey the meaning "joyful" in Italian. On 11 February 2015, she released "Emotional," produced by RZA. That same year, she lent vocals to Vince Staples' debut album Summertime '06.

The EP Don't Explain, launched on 8 April 2016 through ARTium Recordings, featured production from James Fauntleroy, No I.D., Boi-1da, Christian Rich, and DJ Dahi. This project included a cover of Billie Holiday’s "Don't Explain," guitar contributions by John Mayer on "Under the Influence," and a track penned by Sia. In 2017, she joined Daniel Caesar as a supporting act on his inaugural North American tour.

Her debut album under the Snoh Aalegra name, titled Feels, was released on 20 October 2017 and featured collaborations with Vince Staples, Vic Mensa, Logic, and Timbuktu. The record blends soul and R&B into what she describes as "cinematic soul." Notably, her song "Time" was sampled by Drake on his mixtape More Life. On 12 September 2018, her single "Nothing Burns Like the Cold," featuring Vince Staples and produced by Christian Rich, was selected for Apple's iPhone XS advertising campaign. During autumn 2018, she embarked on her first headlining North American tour with support from Mereba and Leven Kali.

2019–present: Ugh, Those Feels Again and Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies

August 2019 saw the release of Aalegra's second studio album, Ugh, Those Feels Again, through ARTium Recordings. Serving as a thematic continuation of Feels, this album reached number three on the Billboard R&B Album Sales chart, number six on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and number seventy-three on the Billboard 200. The track "I Want You Around" ascended to number one on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. Additionally, she contributed "Wolves Are Out Tonight," produced by Swizz Beatz, to the soundtrack of the 2019 EPIX series Godfather of Harlem. On 13 December 2019, she debuted the music video for "Whoa," featuring actor Michael B. Jordan. That fall, Aalegra headlined tours across Europe and North America supported by Baby Rose and Giveon, topping the Bandsintown + Billboard Global Rising Artists Index.

In February 2020, she performed a set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, highlighting significant songs from her repertoire. On 9 March 2020, she inked a deal with Roc Nation/Universal Music Group in collaboration with ARTium Records and subsequently released "Dying 4 Your Love" on 10 July as her first single under this agreement. During this period, she confirmed ongoing work on a new album.

Aalegra also appeared on "Last Time" from Giveon's EP When It's All Said and Done.

Her third studio album, Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies, was released on 9 July 2021 via ARTium Records and Roc Nation. Preceding this release were singles "Dying 4 Your Love" (June 2020) and "Lost You" (June 2021), both produced by Maneesh and No I.D.. She commenced the Ugh, These Temporary Highs Tour in Manchester in February 2022. This album garnered her nominations at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for "Lost You."

In 2023, Aalegra earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her rendition of "Do 4 Love." She continued to expand her presence in the R&B sphere with singles such as "Be My Summer" (July), "Sweet Tea" (August), and "Wait a Little Longer" (August).

Artistry

Aalegra identifies Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Brandy, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Robyn, and Mariah Carey as major inspirations in her musical style. She also acknowledges the influence of orchestral film scores and their arrangements on her unique sound. Her passion for music was ignited at the age of seven, largely influenced by Houston's The Bodyguard soundtrack.

Personal life

Following a short stay in London, Aalegra has made Los Angeles her home since 2012. She is fluent in Persian, Swedish, and English, and has conversational skills in Spanish.

Discography

Studio albums

• First Sign (2010, released under the name Sheri)
• Feels (2017)
• Ugh, Those Feels Again (2019)
• Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies (2021)

Tours

Headlining

• Feels Tour (2018)
• Ugh, A Mini Tour Again (2019)
• Ugh, These Temporary Highs Tour (2022)

Supporting

• Daniel Caesar – Freudian, a World Tour (2017)
• TIDAL X Brooklyn (2018)
• The Weeknd – After Hours til Dawn Tour (2022)

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work	Outcome	Ref
2015	Scandinavian Soul Music Awards	Best Soul/Pop Artist	Herself	Template:Nom
2019	Musikexportpriset	n/a		Template:Nom
	Skap	Soul		Template:Won
2020	Grammis	Album of the Year	Ugh, Those Feels Again	Template:Nom
		Artist of the Year	Herself	Template:Nom
	P3 Guld	Hip Hop/R&B of the Year		Template:Nom
	Soul Train Music Awards	Best New Artist		Template:Won
2021	iHeartRadio Music Awards	R&B Artist of the Year		Template:Nom
		Best New R&B Artist		Template:Won
2022	Denniz Pop Awards	Grand Prize		Template:Won
	Grammy Award	Best R&B Performance	"Lost You"	Template:Nom

|- |- rowspan="4"|Grammis |- Soul/R&B of the Year |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- Songwriter of the Year |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- Album of the Year |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- rowspan="2"| Artist of the Year |- rowspan="3"| Herself |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- rowspan="2"|P3 Guld |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- Hiphop/R&B of the Year |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |- 2023 |- Grammy Awards |- Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance#Best Traditional R&B Performance |- "Do 4 Love" |- |- style="text-align:center;"| |-

External links

• Official website
• Profile on AllMusic
• Artist page on Discogs
• IMDb profile