Norah Jones made her mark in music with the release of Come Away With Me in 2002 and went on to produce several platinum-selling albums throughout the 00s; however, her creative muse began waning towards its conclusion.
She accepted a sublease in Manhattan and ended her studies at North Texas University.
Her Music
Norah Jones first emerged onto the music scene with her 2002 Blue Note debut Come Away With Me. Since then, she has made critically and commercially successful albums that combine jazz with soul, country, Americana, modern light jazz, pop and beyond.
She grew up in Texas and credits her mother, a schoolteacher, with opening up the arts to her. Additionally, Etta James, Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin became her major influences, shaping the sound she created herself.
Today, Norah sits down with one-of-a-kind singer/songwriter/bass player Cat Popper (known for playing with Ryan Adams, Grace Potter and Jack White among many other artists) for live stripped down versions of her original songs and even performs a duet version of one her festive tunes!
Music plays an integral part in Norah’s personal life as well. Her relationship with Josh Ritter, an actor and director, centers around their shared interest in songwriting and performing.
Her Personal Life
Norah Jones has established herself as one of the premier musicians of her generation. Her 2002 debut album Come Away With Me was an overwhelming success and earned two Grammy awards: album of the year (“Come Away With Me”) and song of the year (“Don’t Know Why”).
Norah hails from Dallas where she sang in church choirs and took piano lessons. At University of North Texas – known for its exceptional musical programs – Norah earned Down Beat Student Music Awards in 1996 and 1997 for vocal performance and composition, beginning her professional singing career with the UNT Jazz Singers.
Norah Jones began performing professionally after moving to New York City in 1999. A year later she released her debut album and has continued releasing music ever since – from rootsy Until You Come Home (2006) to pop-flavored Little Broken Hearts with Danger Mouse in 2012. Additionally she created her popular podcast Norah Jones Is Playing Along where she hosts candid conversations and musical collaborations between musicians of various kinds.
Her Career
Norah Jones has made her mark on music ever since her 2002 breakthrough album, Come Away With Me. Her restless creative spirit has led her to explore different sounds, collaborate with other musicians and expand her musical horizons. Visions reveals a return to Norah’s roots through funk and psychedelic influences.
She’s collaborated with everyone from jazz icon Wayne Shorter and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, to singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, proving her versatility as an artist. Additionally, she collaborated with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane on his Grammy nominated 2011 debut studio album Music Is Better Than Words.
Join us as we pay tribute to Norah’s career with songs from her legendary catalogue and some new material from her latest release. We’ll also take a look back at her journey and see how she continues to break genre boundaries and win over audiences all around the world.
Her Albums
Jones won a Grammy award for Best New Artist with her 2002 release Come Away With Me. It established her unique acoustic pop and jazz hybrid sound. Since then she has released five more albums as well as appearing on records by artists such as Ryan Adams, Okkervil River and Modest Mouse.
Jones worked closely with veteran producer Danger Mouse on her 2012 release Little Broken Hearts to craft an intriguing concept album without feeling forced or repetitive. Additionally, songs like “Running,” which explores Jones’ personal relationships were included on this record.
Jones turned to haunting electro arrangements and soulful-pop sounds on her 2019 release Begin Again, such as “My Heart Is Full.” Additionally, Jones collaborated with Anoushka Shankar (daughter of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar) for their duet of “Traces of You.” Begin Again was Norah’s first album since her 2018 debut and released via Blue Note Records.