Renee Elise Goldsberry Will Release Debut Album; Listen to the First Track Now

Tony and Grammy Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry will release her debut album Who I Really Am on June 6. The album marks Goldsberry’s return to sharing her own stories through original music.

Ahead of the album's release, Goldsberry has released the first single “Staring”—a modern proclamation of a belty blues song, brimming with passion, humor, and the thrill of instant connection. Listen to “Staring” on Spotify below:

"For years, I’ve poured my heart into bringing other people’s vision to life—on Broadway, in the studio, and on screen," says Goldsberry. "But this moment is mine. These songs are deeply personal—drawn from the full range of my experiences, from joy to heartbreak, and everything in between. They represent a new beginning—one I’ve been quietly building toward for a long time."

Her new beginning unfolds across thirteen original songs—eleven written by Goldsberry—that explore love, heartbreak, creative independence, and self-discovery. Among the album’s many highlights is the bold, brassy title track, a declaration of identity that sets the tone for the record; “Don’t Want to Love You,” a spare and emotionally rich ballad written by Goldsberry’s Girls5eva co-star Sara Bareilles; and “Smiling,” an R&B-leaning goodbye anthem that she calls, “sunshine on a bad-ass bass line.”

Another standout moment is a new, guitar-led version of “Satisfied,” the Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned number that became Goldsberry’s signature song in Hamilton. After hearing guitarist Rod Castro (Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, among other credits) play the melody during a studio session, Goldsberry was inspired to include the arrangement she now performs in concert. The track was debuted by Miranda at the United Palace Theater earlier this year to kick off the celebration of Hamilton’s 10th anniversary, and the performance quickly went viral. The album’s release coincides with the forthcoming anniversary, tying together the legacy of Hamilton with the next phase of Goldsberry’s career as a solo artist and songwriter.

Who I Really Am arrives on the heels of another incredibly personal project, Satisfied, a documentary about Goldsberry’s life that premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Executive produced by Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, and Amblin Entertainment, the film features interviews with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana DeBose, and Goldsberry herself, and explores how she has navigated motherhood, fame, grief, and artistic reinvention amid the Hamilton juggernaut.

Goldsberry most recently starred in the acclaimed comedy series, Girls5Eva, for which she earned multiple Critics Choice and TCA Award nominations for her hilarious performance as the deliciously self-obsessed “Wickie Roy.” She is perhaps best known for her Tony- and Grammy-winning performance as “Angelica Schuyler” in the Broadway phenom Hamilton (celebrating its 10th anniversary this year), which also earned her an Emmy nomination for Disney+’s filmed version. Her Broadway credits include iconic musicals Rent, The Color Purple, and The Lion King, among countless theater performances. On screen, she has starred in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Good Wife, Waves, Altered Carbon, Albany Road, She-Hulk, and her breakout, two-time Daytime Emmy-nominated role as “Evangeline Williamson” on One Life to Live. As a singer and actress, she made her television debut as one of Vonda Shepard’s backup singers across all five seasons of Ally McBeal.

Who I Really Am Tracklist:

1. Who I Really Am
2. Twinkle
3. Staring
4. Met Someone
5. Love Returned
6. Normal
7. Enough (Moving Target)
8. Don’t Want to Love You
9. Satisfied
10. Smiling
11. You’re So Close
12. Skate Song
13. You Can Do Anything