A touring and studio singer for some of the top R&B and pop artists of the 2010s, Norelle had sung with John Legend, Demi Lovato, and Anderson .Paak before stepping forward as a soloist. Her debut album, 2021's A Story About Love, featured her own sophisticated, romantic R&B style while exploring intimate themes presented as track subtitles.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Ashley Norelle Simpson sang from an early age, and since then has wanted to be a singer. She broke into the industry as a backing vocalist in 2008. Touring with the likes of Rihanna, Demi Lovato, and Nicki Minaj over the course of the following decade, she also contributed vocals to such notable releases as John Legend and the Roots' Wake Up! (2010), Vesta's Seven (2013), and Flying Lotus' Flamagra (2019). In the late 2010s, she sang on Anderson .Paak's albums Oxnard and Ventura (Grammy winner for Best R&B Album).

Norelle emerged as a solo artist around that time, issuing an EP of Sade covers, Love, Norelle, in early 2018, and her original song "Planted (Vulnerability)" was featured on the BET series "Games People Play" the following year. With production led by Dami Adeoye, her full-length songwriting debut, A Story About Love, followed in 2021. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi