Stacey Kent

Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer in the mold of the greats, with a legion of fans and a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million, more than half a billion streams, plus Platinum-, Double-Gold and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions. Her worldwide fan base is testimony to her ability to cut to the emotional heart of her songs with delicately nuanced interpretations that transcend borders and defy categorization.

Her unique multilingual repertoire includes originals written by Jim Tomlinson, her saxophonist/producer/composer/arranger husband, in collaboration with the Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, with whom they have worked since 2006. She has also recorded with Brazilian legends Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi and the celebrated French string quartet, the Quatuor Ébène.

Kent paid her dues in the jazz clubs of London before releasing a series of albums for the Candid label, beginning with Close Your Eyes in 1997. Those early albums brought her to the attention of a worldwide audience, resulting in appearances on US television and radio with shows like CBS Sunday Morning and NPR’s All Things Considered. Awards followed, with Stacey winning Jazz Vocalist of the Year at the BBC Jazz Awards. The Boy Next Door (2003) was Stacey’s last Candid release and her first album to achieve Gold status.

During this period, Stacey cemented her reputation as a singer capable of putting a distinctive stamp on an impressive repertoire of standards. Her ability to communicate emotion through a nuanced and minimalist approach was showcased on Jim Tomlinson’s album, The Lyric (Token), which was awarded Album of The Year at the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards. This album brought her to the attention of Blue Note records, with whom she signed in 2007. With each successive album, Stacey’s style has become more honed as her artistic outlook has broadened, leading her beyond the Great American Songbook to French chanson and Brazilian music which form an ever-larger part of her repertoire.