Norah Jones, Grammy-award winning vocalist and pianist who creates melodious yet sublime music. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn with their two children.
She has recorded albums spanning jazz to pop to country genres in the past and also made appearances on other musicians’ albums as a guest artist – leading her to enjoy an immensely successful career that continues to flourish.
Geetali Norah Jones Shankar
Geetali Norah Jones Shankar, better known by her stage name Norah Jones, is a multi-GRAMMY award winning pianist and singer-songwriter. Jones first achieved prominence following the release of her 2002 album Come Away With Me which mixed acoustic pop with jazz influences; selling over 18 million copies worldwide and winning her multiple Grammy awards. Since then she has produced albums as well as collaborated with Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Foo Fighters and Outkast; performing at MusiCares Person of the Year tribute concerts honoring Bob Dylan as well as performing at MusiCares Person of the Year tribute concerts celebrating Bob Dylan himself!
Norah Shankar was born in New York City to Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar and American concert producer Sue Jones and raised with her mother Sue Jones in Grapevine, Texas. Attended Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts before attending and graduating from the University of North Texas with a jazz piano major.
Though commonly perceived as a pop artist, Norah remains deeply rooted in jazz music citing Billie Holiday and Nina Simone among her major influences. Norah recently collaborated with Brian Burton of Danger Mouse (former lead guitarist of Danger Mouse) on Little Broken Hearts which demonstrated her ability to blend genres. Additionally she collaborated with Anoushka Shankar (half sister) on her 2013 album Traces of You which also showcased this versatility.
Born January 22, 1981
Norah Jones rose to stardom with her instant-hit debut Come Away With Me, an effortless blend of jazz, folk and soul music that sold over four million copies and was widely lauded both critically and publicly. This album propelled Norah into contemporary music’s forefront and earned her inclusion on several “Best New Artist” lists both domestically and abroad.
Jones began work on her second album Feels Like Home early 2000. To immerse herself in Manhattan’s vibrant music scene, she subleased an apartment in Greenwich Village for one year while subletting another one nearby in Greenwich Village to sublet. Additionally, she joined trip-hop group Wax Poetic and went on tour with guitarist Charlie Hunter.
After graduating from Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, Norah attended the University of North Texas where she studied jazz piano and sang with their Jazz Singers ensemble. During her sophomore year she decided to take advantage of an unexpected performance opportunity in New York City and was soon signed to Blue Note Records’ roster of jazz labels.
Not Too Late was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2007, making history by featuring Jones writing every song for herself as well as playing both piano and guitar on it.
Died May 21, 2017
Norah Jones first came into prominence with her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me and quickly won over critics and fans with its blend of contemporary jazz, folk music and country soundscapes. Since then she has sold more than 52 million albums worldwide and received nine Grammy Award wins – an astounding achievement indeed!
Norah Jones Shankar adopted her current stage name of Norah at 16 when she changed from Geetali. Since then she has become one of the best-selling artists of her era. Growing up in Dallas suburb, Jones began singing school choir and band choir before attending Booker T. Washington High School for Performing Arts before eventually enrolling at University of North Texas to sing with their Jazz Singers ensemble.
After her breakthrough, she released the critically acclaimed albums Feels Like Home (2004) and Sunrise (2008), as well as appearing in Blueberry Nights movie and recording songs for various TV shows and movie soundtracks.
Little Broken Hearts marked Norah Jones’ 2024 release as she made a transition towards rock-oriented production, featuring indie musicians such as Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff as guests. On her 2020 album Begin Again, Jones returned to her acoustic roots while working alongside half-sister Anoushka Shankar on collaborations. Additionally, 2022 marked the debut of Norah Jones Is Playing Along–an online podcast where candid conversations and musical collaborations took place between her favorite artists and her audience members.