Emily Lazar, the only female mastering engineer to win a GRAMMY Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, has one mission in life -- to make music sound better. In her ceiling-breaking career, Lazar has put the final polish on more than 4,000 albums for a hugely diverse group of chart-topping musical luminaries including, The Beatles, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Beck, Coldplay, Vampire Weekend, Panic! At The Disco, Sia, The Chainsmokers, Lou Reed, RZA, Maggie Rogers, The Killers, Dolly Parton, Natalie Merchant, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Little Big Town, Tiësto, Jeff Buckley, Haim, Wu Tang Clan, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Liz Phair, Santana, Alanis Morissette, Vanessa Carlton, Clairo, Rhiannon Giddens, Sonic Youth, and many more. This year, Lazar’s fingerprints were on the recordings of multiple GRAMMY nominees, including her own nomination for the Album of the Year GRAMMY alongside Vampire Weekend for their album Father Of The Bride, which was nominated for a total of three GRAMMYs (Album of The Year, Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song). She also mastered recordings for the following nominated artists: Maggie Rogers (Best New Artist), Little Big Town (Best Country Duo/Group Performance), Dolly Parton/Linda Perry (Best Song for Visual Media), Songs of Our Native Daughters (Best American Roots Song), and Jacob Collier (Best Arrangement Instrumental or A Capella).

“Streaming has been great for the music industry, but it’s been a disaster for sound quality,” says Lazar. “Fortunately as new technologies and more bandwidth become available, DSPs are finally starting to offer innovations in HD, Ultra HD and even 3D sound, which will enable music fans to hear exactly what artists create in the studio. There’s a revolution in sonic quality coming, and I’m honored to be a big part of it.”

Lazar’s passion for integrating music with technology has been the driving force behind her success and she recognizes the integral role mastering plays in the creative musical process. Combining old-school style with an intuitive and youthful knowledge of both music and technology, Lazar captures the magic that can only be created in the right studio by the right people. Her attention to detail and demand for artistic integrity is evident throughout her extensive body of work. Lazar has broken multiple glass ceilings throughout her career and her work can be heard on numerous GRAMMY winning recordings. In 2012, she was the first female mastering engineer to be nominated in the Album of the Year category for Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light. Again, breaking barriers, Lazar was the first female mastering engineer to be nominated in the Record of the Year category in 2015 for Sia’s "Chandelier.” In 2016, she blazed yet another trail for aspiring female engineers everywhere by earning the first female mastering engineer nomination for the GRAMMY in the Best Engineered Album Non-Classical category for Bird and the Bee’s Recreational Love. In 2019, Lazar made history as the first female mastering engineer to win the GRAMMY for Best Engineered Album Non-Classical category for Beck’s album Colors. In addition to Lazar’s mastering credits, she is an adept mix engineer. She has mixed songs for accomplished artists such as: Vampire Weekend, Hamilton Leithauser, and Tiësto. Ever forward-looking, her keen interest in pushing technical boundaries led her to venture into the world of mixing and mastering multichannel audio for Surround Sound and Immersive Audio. Most recently, Lazar worked directly with Giles Martin on the 50th Anniversary release of The Beatles’ legendary album, Abbey Road, and was charged with mastering the completely newly created surround sound mixes. She also mixed and mastered the surround sound album of Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams. Lazar consistently continues to explore and expand sonically and served as Sound Designer for The Atlantic Theater’s production of This Ain’t No Disco, a rock musical from the creators of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She has also mastered original soundtracks for feature films including: Dolly Parton’s Dumplin’, This Is The End, (Dave Grohl’s) Sound City: Real to Reel, Get Him to The Greek, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Original Cast Album, The Punisher, Training Day, American Psycho, Lucky Number Slevin, and Pokemon: The First Movie and Boys Don’t Cry. She has also put the finishing touches on the broadcast audio for NBC’s Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special, Heroes (NBC) and Six Feet Under (HBO). Equally as important as any accolade or success, Lazar gives back to the music industry and frequently speaks on college/university campuses as well as at music and tech industry conferences. In addition to her non-industry related charity work, Lazar volunteers as a mentor to young aspiring engineers. She was recently elected Trustee of The Recording Academy and serves on the Board of Governors for their New York Chapter where she was the Co-Chair of the NY Producers & Engineers Wing. Additionally, Lazar serves on the Recording Academy’s National Producers & Engineers Wing Steering Committee, as well as the National Advisory Council. Born and raised in New York, Lazar spent her formative years surrounded by music. Coinciding with years of playing in bands, Lazar attended Skidmore College, earning a BA in Creative Writing and Music. After working in a few legendary recording studios, Lazar attended NYU to pursue her Masters in Music Technology. In 1996 she joined the faculty and taught graduate level coursework. In 1997 Lazar founded The Lodge, a world-renowned mastering, mixing and specialized recording facility. Equipped with state-of-the art equipment and out-of-the-box ideology, The Lodge attracts the industry’s most esteemed artists as well as its most prominent newcomers.