Emily Ann Saliers, born on July 22, 1963, is an American singer-songwriter and musician, widely recognized as one half of the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls. She sings soprano and plays lead guitar, along with various other instruments like the banjo, piano, mandolin, ukulele, and bouzouki. Saliers met her Indigo Girls partner, Amy Ray, in elementary school in Decatur, Georgia, where she was raised. The two began performing together in high school, eventually forming the Indigo Girls while attending Emory University.
Beyond her work with the Indigo Girls, Saliers has engaged in diverse projects. She composed her first film score in 2004 for the short film, One Weekend a Month. In 2017, she released her first solo album, Murmuration Nation. Saliers has also co-written a book with her father, Don Saliers, titled A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice. Moreover, Saliers is venturing into musical theater, having written the score for a new musical titled "Starstruck," which is set to premiere at Bucks County Playhouse in February 2026.
The Indigo Girls remain active, with Saliers noting in 2024 that they may begin working on new music towards the end of 2025. In addition to touring and symphony performances, the Indigo Girls' music has found renewed popularity after their song "Closer to Fine" was featured in the 2023 film Barbie. Saliers is also balancing her career with family life, as she has a daughter born in 2012.