ASTORIA — Ara Lee announces the release of her debut album, “Born,” with a release show at KALA at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

Recorded earlier this year at Portland’s 8 Ball Studio by Rob Stroup (Tony Furtado, Debra Arlyn) and produced by Kathryn Claire, “Born” represents a decided step into the limelight for native New Yorker and long time back up singer Lee. With over 20 years as a vocalist under her belt, Lee has built a reputation around her ability to sing all kinds of music, but it took the prodding of long-time friend and colleague Claire to encourage her to record her own music.

“Ara has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard,” Claire says. “Her range and diversity is awe inspiring. She’s at home singing almost anything: classical, Celtic, folk, blues, R&B … it’s remarkable. But when I heard her original songs, I knew that she was more than just a phenomenal singer; she had something important to say.”

The result is a collection of chill-inducing songs that firmly establish Lee as a songwriter, and showcase what Lee does best: combining stripped-down acoustic instrumentation, lush gospel-rooted harmonies, and powerful soul-infused vocals.

The inspiration for the songs on the aptly named album came out of a year that Lee says was “surrounded by birth and death.” After a friend’s sudden passing and Lee’s subsequent pregnancy, she was inspired to capture the words and melodies that were swimming around in her head.

“It felt like the veil between worlds was thin … my friend went through one way, my daughter came through another, and these songs came through the same place. It felt important to get them out,” she says.

“Aho,” the initial track written to honor her friend’s death, is an arrangement of vocals and drums layered by producer Rob Stroup. Stroup said he’d never heard anything quite like it: “With ‘Aho,’ Ara taps into something more than a song. It is a spiritual. And not a old hymnal spiritual — something much more ancient and significant.”

Lee will be joined by Kathryn Claire, Christopher Hayes and Chris Riedl during the concert. KALA is located at 1017 Marine Drive.