Lacey Nicole Sturm (née Mosley) (born September 4, 1981, in Homestead, Florida) is an American singer-songwriter. She is the founder and former lead vocalist of the rock band Flyleaf.
Early Life[]
Lacey Sturm was born to her mother, Lori Mosley, a struggling musician, in 1981. Little is known of her deceased biological father, whom she never met. Though born in Homestead, she was raised in Arlington, Texas. She has one older brother and four younger siblings, two sisters and three brothers: Eric, Jazilyn, Phillip, Stephana, and Roman. At age ten, she began dabbling in drugs, and at thirteen fell into it even worse. "I was trying to figure out who I was and anything to separate me from my family, or to separate me from my situation at home was good to me," Sturm said."It was like a warzone going home."
At sixteen, Sturm was kicked out of her home after a fight with her mother that involved the police, and moved to Gulfport, Mississippi to live with her grandparents, Sid and Annie Roach. There she attended and later graduated from Gulfport High School.
During that same year, she went through bouts of depression and had suicidal tendencies. "I lost my boyfriend, I lost my brothers and sisters that I watched every day, and I lost my drugs that I did. I really felt like that was the end," she said. "So I decided to kill myself the next day."
Sturm left school early and when she finally arrived home, was met by her grandmother, who was supposed to be gone at that time. When her grandmother saw Sturm, they began to argue; her grandmother insisting she go to church. After trying to reason with her grandmother, Sturm ended up at church; the last place she wanted to be on "her last day alive"...
Learn more in 'The Reason'.
Flyleaf[]
After visiting her mother in Arlington, Sturm formed a new band and ended up staying in town rather than returning to Mississippi. Eventually, they disbanded and Sturm moved to Temple where she met Flyleaf's future drummer, James Culpepper. They began writing songs with Sturm on guitar as they searched for a bass player. Eventually, Jared Hartmann and Sameer Bhattacharya called and asked if she would like to audition for their band, Sporos. She ended up not getting the spot.
Later on, Sporos broke up, and Jared and Sameer joined James and Lacey in a band called Listen. They went through two bass players before Pat Seals joined and became Passerby in 2002. In 2004, due to legal reasons, they changed their name to Flyleaf. In between the formation of Listen and Passerby, Lacey was going through a poor marriage that ended in divorce after three years (2000 - 2003). Later that year, in 2003, Sturm and Culpepper began dating. In mid-2006, they amicably broke up for unknown reasons.
In 2012, Lacey recorded, performed, and filmed a music video with Flyleaf for the last time. In October of that year, Lacey announced she will no longer continue with Flyleaf.
"I have been beyond blessed to be in Flyleaf for the past ten years, touring with 4 amazing men and the Flyleaf crew, whom I love like my flesh and blood family. They have all given so much. It took everyone on our team to make the beauty in Flyleaf possible. I am honored to have met so many wonderful people who love Flyleaf music all over the world. Your incredible stories continue to inspire me. I am very thankful to have recently become a mom to one of the greatest blessings of my life, my son Jack. You may have also heard that we recently lost our brilliant sound engineer, Rich Caldwell, in a devastating car accident. Now, more than ever, I understand the phrase Memento Mori. I understand that, for me, living life to the fullest in this season means to step down as the lead singer for Flyleaf. I wish the best to Jared, Pat, Sameer and James and I know that as I continue to pursue the highest heights of what I am created for, it will free them all to pursue that for themselves too.
The guys will continue to tour and write music together. I’m so very grateful that they are able to do what they desire and that there is a beautiful and talented, warm hearted girl like Kristen May to sing for them. Because of this, you will all get a chance to see a new Flyleaf show and support the new album.
As I take this first step on a new journey, I pray that each one of you would pursue your highest calling with reckless abandon as well, understanding that sometimes the fullness of life comes in doing things that are only understood by you, God, and the special people God has put in your life that truly love you for you… not for what you do, but for who you are. I love you guys so much and in many ways, I will stay in touch. May God bless you all with healthy hearts, full of courage to weather the journey to your own ‘New Horizons."
Click here to see a list of awards and nominations received by Lacey.
Personal Life[]
In 2007, Lacey met Josh Sturm, the guitarist for the band Kairos, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at a Flyleaf show in Columbus, OH. Afterwards, he became Flyleaf's guitar tech until Lacey left the band. On September 6th, 2008, she married Josh in her backyard in Temple, TX and spent their honeymoon in her home. Shortly before Flyleaf released Remember to Live in 2010, Lacey announced that she and Josh were expecting a son in the Spring of 2011. In December of 2010, the Sturm's headed out to Josh's hometown of Pittsburgh, PA; where they now claim their residency. Their son, Joshua "Jack" Lewis Sturm, was born on April 9th, 2011. His middle name, Lewis, comes from one of Lacey's favorite authors, C. S. Lewis. On August 7th, 2013, Lacey gave birth to their second son Arrow David Sturm. On July 7th, 2018, Lacey gave birth to their third son, Atticus Isaac Sturm.
See a gallery of Lacey's tattoos here.