Norah Jones has realized her dreams. When most 20-somethings pursue music careers, their hopes include success and fulfillment – two goals which Norah Jones has attained.
She has performed with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl; appeared in director Kar Wai Wong’s film My Blueberry Nights; and recorded an album called Foreverly together with Green Day punk rocker Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
Biographical Information
Norah Jones emerged onto the music scene at age 23 with her debut album, Come Away With Me. A gentle blend of jazz, folk and pop, Come Away With Me was a top seller and won multiple Grammy awards including album of the year for its ballad “Don’t Know Why”.
Norah Shankar grew up in Dallas suburbia singing in church choirs and taking piano lessons before eventually attending Interlochen Arts Camp and Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Arts where she won Down Beat’s Best Student Vocalist award twice (1996) and 1997 respectively.
As her solo career expanded, so too did her appearances on Dancing with the Stars and The Late Show with David Letterman. Her album, The Fall (2009) – which addressed her recent breakup – expanded her musical palette by including moody electric instrumentation that hinted of rock and soul music; Day Breaks (2016) and Pick Me Up Off the Floor (2022) brought back her trademark sound of softly-sung piano-driven jazz.
Albums
Norah Jones first came into prominence with her 2002 release Come Away With Me, her self-described “moody little record”, which captured audiences around the globe and garnered nine GRAMMY wins.
After taking a short hiatus from jazz-influenced releases, Jones returned with Visions in 2013. It marked her return to jazz-influenced sounds while still drawing influence from country, pop, and rock music genres.
The album closes with an appropriately named track ‘That’s Life,’ an appropriate end for an album which documents an exciting and eventful time in Jones’ life. Lyrically speaking, its lyrics reflect on both its ups and downs but also celebrate all those small joyous moments which comprise life itself.
Norah released a live album entitled ‘Til We Meet Again,’ recorded at eight venues around the world and featuring duos and quartets in 2022. This recording showcases Norah’s exquisite musicianship as well as her intimate connection with audiences across all 8 venues; additionally it contains a heartfelt cover of Chris Cornell’s ‘Black Hole Sun’ recorded shortly after his passing.
Tours
Norah Jones has become known for her soft yet seductive voice, gentle vibes and love of all things old-school – these have long been her trademarks as an artist. However, just like any musician must make changes from time to time in order to remain fresh, Norah Jones makes one on her ninth studio album Visions.
Visions is 2020’s most celebratory collection yet. The 12-track set explores spring’s return, life’s rewards and seeing light at the end of tunnel.
On The Blue Note album, nine-time Grammy winner Sarah Brightman collaborates with producer/multi-instrumentalist Leon Michels (El Michels Affair, Lee Fields & The Expressions), along with many talented musicians – the title itself speaks volumes! Her signature piano sound effortlessly merges country, indie-pop, rock and jazz genres for an extraordinary listening experience.
Collaborations
Norah has collaborated with several musicians over time. Most notably in 2020 she joined forces with Leon Michels (of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings fame) to release Visions; an album of funky yet gently psychedelic garage soul featuring Jones’ sultry vocals set against fuzz guitars, off-kilter drums, and vintage keyboards.
Jones performed alongside her half-sister Anoushka Shankar’s Traces of You album. Additionally, Jones has appeared in numerous soundtracks such as Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor (2005) and Ryan Adams & the Cardinals’ Jacksonville City Nights (2006).
Norah Jones made her film debut alongside Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz in Kar Wai Wong’s Blueberry Nights in 2007. Since then she has hosted an audio podcast entitled Norah Jones is Playing Along in which she engages with various guests for candid discussions and musical collaborations; episodes collected into collections like Begin Again were recently released as collections.