Born Esther Fitzgerald, Esther Fitz began her music career as Fitz Marie, originally a gospel singer from Cleveland, Ohio. Esther Fitz was raised in church, being the child of Pastor Kim Fitzgerald and singer/songwriter Elaine Fitzgerald. Fitz began singing as early as two years old. By third grade she was already writing music and starting girl groups, both with her sisters and with her friends at school. During high school, she was in musicals such as "Seussical the Musical", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Uncles Phil's Diner" to name a few in addition to gospel choir. After high school Esther Fitz continued singing at open mics throughout Cleveland. Unfortunately at age 19, Esther Fitz was diagnosed with laryngitis which left her unable to sing for months. Afterwards, she was unsure if she would ever be able to sing the same again. The amount of time it took her to recover was much longer than expected, but she didn’t let it discourage her. Convinced that she wouldn't let anything stop her, Esther Fitz searched for a music school that could help her to retrain her voice. It was on this search that she came across a music school by the name of Lakeland School of Music, and more importantly Allan Licht. When Fitz showed up for her first consultation Allan Licht was convinced that she was special. After covering "No One" by Alicia Keys, accompanied by Licht on piano, she was invited to participate in the making of Licht's final album. It was then that Esther Fitz and Allan Licht recorded "The Closer I Get to You". The success of the record set off the spike in her career. She began vocal coaching with Licht until she was introduced to The Fine Arts Association of Willoughby and opera coach Phyllis Spiers. After training for a while in opera, Esther Fitz left the Arts Association and began pursuing an independent music career. She began auditioning for TV shows like America's Got Talent and The Voice. To her dismay, she was constantly rejected. It seemed as if she wasn’t making any progress, but she remained positive and persistent. It was then that she ran into Evan McDuffie, an engineer and hip hop artist from Cleveland as well. McDuffie convinced Fitz to begin work on her own project, which she did. A few days later she wrote and recorded her first single entitled "If You Don't Love Me." The support and success of this single only further inspired Fitz. Just two weeks later she had both written and recorded her second and third songs "Typical Love Song" and "Come Back to Me." Her project was pronounced to be released by May 30, 2014, but in her pursuit to accept all musical opportunities presented, she auditioned for The National Singing Star for Cleveland. Between her success in the competition and schooling, the release date for her EP was moved back one month. Esther Fitz was pronounced a runner up in the The National Singing Star, winning both a spot in a headline show at, infamous jazz club, Night Town and studio time at Reel Time Studios, one of the top recording studios in Cleveland. This just inspired her further. Just before leaving for vacation she completed the fourth track for her album "Till Sunrise." On vacation Esther Fitz was still dream chasing at Disney World. She was disappointed and slightly discouraged after arriving to Hollywood Studios only to find that auditions for The American Idol Experience were closed for the day and she didn’t have a ticket to come back. Fitz's mother, Elaine, noticed how badly she wanted the opportunity so she bought her another ticket for the next day. When Fitz returned the next day, she was informed that all the positions for the show had already been filled. Determined, she asked to audition anyway. Upon auditioning, Fitz was accepted into the semifinals for the next day. The following day, Esther Fitz had the most uplifting moment of her entire vacation. She was given tickets to return the next day for both her and her mother, where she graced the American Idol Experience's stage singing "Listen" from the movie Dreamgirls. Although she did not win, the energy and positivity from the experience still illuminated her and she returned to Cleveland with new ideas. After moving the dates several times, finally, on her birthday, August 26, 2014, Esther Fitz had a gift to present to the world; a 6 track EP titled "Phases of Love." The project displayed a wide variety of music from Neo-Soul, to Pop, to R&B. The success of the album was documented on websites such as IAMFROMCLEVELAND.COM and NOSCIFI.COM. As she continues rolling towards her musical goals, her fans stay on their toes anticipating her next release.
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