Wright, who was of African American heritage, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States,[5] in 1946, and started singing at the age of four.

Her father, Lordian Wright, served in the Korean War and Syreeta and her sister Kim[6] were raised by their mother Essie and their grandmother.

A year later, Edward Holland of the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes' songs.

Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child" and for Ross' version of "Something On My Mind", released on her self-titled debut album.

When Diana Ross left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy considered replacing her with Wright, but offered the place in the group to Jean Terrell.

Wright also sang background on records by the Supremes and by Martha and the Vandellas, notably singing the chorus to the group's modest hit single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing".

[5] In 1974, Wright was again reassigned, this time to the Motown label proper (in the U.S.), and issued her second release, the aptly titled Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta that June.

During this period Syreeta also made vocal contributions to two albums by American jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz - Juju Man (1976) and Music Is My Sanctuary (1977).

[5] Wright and Preston provided the soundtrack of the film and their first collaboration, "With You I'm Born Again", resulted in an international hit reaching number-four US and number-two UK in early 1980.

[9] The success of the song led Motown to renew Wright's contract, which was due to expire that year, with neither side looking to renegotiate.

During that same time period, she added vocals to the theme song for the Canadian slasher-horror flick Happy Birthday to Me, known for starring Little House on the Prairie′s Melissa Sue Anderson.

Wright then issued The Spell in 1983 produced by Jermaine Jackson,[5] and left Motown two years later after collaborating with Smokey Robinson for the soundtrack to Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon in 1985.

[5] In 1993, she joined the national touring cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in the role of Mary Magdalene, alongside original film stars Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson.

[18] Wright died in 2004 of congestive heart failure, a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatments she was receiving for breast and bone cancer.