Career Profile: Jazz Singer Home
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What I Do: Billie Holiday . . . Ella Fitzgerald . . . Diana Krall. These are just a few of the great jazz singers who inspire me. Like them, I, too, sing jazz professionally. I’m the lead vocalist for a jazz trio that performs in clubs all over the country. I enjoy singing everything from ballads to scat. When we’re not on the road performing, I still stay busy. I work with a renowned teacher to enhance my vocal skills. Our trio gets together to rehearse and learn new music. We also deal with the business side of performing – meeting with agents to discuss bookings and consulting with accountants to track our finances.

Best and Hardest Parts of My Job: Music is my passion. I feel truly blessed to spend time doing what I love most – singing that great American art form called jazz. I also enjoy meeting our fans when we’re touring. Although I’m doing well now, it wasn’t easy at first. Like many singers and musicians, I had to do other jobs to support myself as a singer. There’s a lot of uncertainty in this business, and you have to work very hard to succeed. And a generous helping of luck certainly doesn’t hurt!

How I Got Started: I come from a musical family and grew up listening to everything from opera to show tunes to jazz. I sang in choirs and took singing lessons, too. My favorite music was always jazz. When I went to college, I majored in vocal performance with a concentration in jazz. I decided to pursue a professional singing career and moved to a major city after graduation. After several years of performing in clubs around the city, my career really took off when I was hired as the lead vocalist of a jazz trio.