Melody Gardot | |
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 Melody Gardot performing live inBerlin, Germany, 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Melody Gardot (1985-02-02)February 2, 1985 (age 41) New Jersey, United States |
| Origin | Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, United States |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
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| Website | www |
| Musical career | |
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Melody Gardot (/ˈmɛlədiɡɑːrˈdoʊ/); born February 2, 1985) is an Americanjazz singer, songwriter, and musician, widely considered as one of the best contemporary jazz vocalists of her generation. She is known for her smokycontralto voice, understated vocal delivery, and a musical style that blendsjazz withblues,bossa nova,folk, andpop influences. Gardot first gained attention in the mid-2000s and achieved international recognition with albums such asWorrisome Heart (2006),My One and Only Thrill (2009),The Absence (2012),Currency of Man (2015), andSunset in the Blue (2020).
At the age of 19, Gardot was struck by a car and sustained a serioushead injury, an event that proved pivotal in shaping her life and career. During her rehabilitation, music played a critical role in her recovery, leading her to become a strong advocate ofmusic therapy.[1] She has since visited hospitals and universities to discuss the therapeutic benefits of music in neurological and physical rehabilitation. In 2012, Gardot lent her name to a music therapy program inNew Jersey.[2]
Gardot often performs seated and wearing dark sunglasses to reduce sensory stimulation related to lingering effects of her injuries. Throughout her career, she has toured extensively acrossEurope,North America, andAsia, collaborating with jazz ensembles andorchestras. Her work is frequently noted for its cinematic atmosphere, lyrical intimacy, and the revival of classic jazz aesthetics within a contemporary framework.
Gardot was born in New Jersey and was brought up by her grandparents. Her grandmother was a Polish immigrant. Her mother, a photographer, traveled often, so they had few possessions and lived out of suitcases.[3][4] Gardot studied fashion at theCommunity College of Philadelphia.[5]
While riding her bicycle in Philadelphia in November 2003,[6][7] Gardot was struck by a car and sustained head, spinal, and pelvic injuries.[1] Confined to a hospital bed for a year, she needed to relearn simple tasks and was leftoversensitive to light andsound.[3] Suffering from short- and long-term memory loss, she struggled with her sense of time.[8][9]
Encouraged by a physician who believed music would help heal her brain, Gardot learned to hum, then to sing into a tape recorder, and eventually to write songs.[10]
For several years, she traveled with a physiotherapist and carried atranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulator to reduce pain.[3][9]
Given her oversensitivity to sound, she chose quieter music. On the treadmill, she listened tobossa nova byStan Getz, specifically "The Girl from Ipanema". Unable to sit comfortably at the piano, she learned to play guitar on her back.[4] During her recovery, she wrote songs that became part of the self-produced EPSome Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions.[11] Gardot was reluctant to record her songs at first, stating that they were too private for the public to hear, but relented and allowed her songs to be played on a Philadelphia radio station.[4]
Gardot is aBuddhist,[12][8][13]macrobiotic cook,[14] and humanitarian.[15] She speaks fluent French and Spanish in addition to her native English and considers herself a "citizen of the world".[16]
Gardot began studying music at the age of nine and was exposed early to a wide range of musical styles. As a teenager, she developed as a live performer, playing piano in bars and clubs aroundPhiladelphia by the age of 16. Performing several nights a week, she insisted on playing only music she admired, drawing on influences that ranged from classic pop and jazz artists such asThe Mamas & the Papas andDuke Ellington to alternative rock acts includingRadiohead.[17]
At the age of 19, Gardot was seriously injured in a road accident and spent an extended period in hospital. During her recovery, she learned to play the guitar and began writing songs as part of her rehabilitation throughmusic therapy. These early recordings were initially released as digital downloads oniTunes and later compiled on the EPSome Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005). She began performing this material at small venues in Philadelphia, where her understated vocal style and introspective songwriting attracted increasing attention.
Gardot’s growing reputation led to interest from staff atWXPN, a public radio station operated by theUniversity of Pennsylvania. Encouraged to submit a demo, her recordings eventually reached representatives of theUniversal Music Group.[3] She subsequently signed withVerve Records, marking a transition from independent artist to major-label recording musician.
Her debut studio album,Worrisome Heart (2006), presented a minimalist, jazz-oriented sound that emphasized mood, restraint, and emotional subtlety. The album was well received by critics and established her as a distinctive new voice in contemporary jazz. Gardot achieved broader international success with her second album,My One and Only Thrill (2009), produced byLarry Klein. Featuring orchestral arrangements and a more polished production, the album brought her significant commercial recognition, particularly in Europe, and positioned her as a leading figure in modern vocal jazz.
Gardot continued to evolve artistically withThe Absence (2012), an album influenced by her travels inSouth America andNorth Africa. Drawing on elements ofbossa nova,Latin music, andworld music, the record expanded her sonic palette while maintaining her characteristic introspective tone. Her subsequent release,Currency of Man (2015), marked a shift toward a stronger emphasis onblues andsoul, incorporating themes of social awareness and personal reflection.
In 2020, Gardot releasedSunset in the Blue, recorded with producerLarry Klein and arrangerVince Mendoza. The album blended orchestral jazz textures with contemporary songwriting and was noted for its mature, reflective character. Throughout her career, Gardot has maintained a strong presence as a live performer, touring extensively acrossEurope,North America, andAsia, and appearing at major jazz festivals and concert halls.
Like other long-running recording artists, Gardot’s career has been marked by continual stylistic development rather than adherence to a single musical phase. Her body of work reflects a balance between tradition and innovation, combining classic jazz sensibilities with modern influences and personal narrative, and has contributed to her sustained critical and international recognition.[18]
Gardot is regarded as one of the most distinctive and influential jazz vocalists of the early 21st century, praised for her hushed vocal delivery, restrained emotional expression, and synthesis of traditional jazz with blues, folk, and contemporary pop elements. Critics frequently compare her phrasing and tonal subtlety to classic singers such asBillie Holiday,Peggy Lee, andNina Simone, while emphasizing her modern songwriting sensibility and cinematic atmosphere.[19][20]
Gardot’s career is often cited as emblematic of the 21st-century revival of vocal jazz, particularly inEurope, where she has achieved sustained commercial and critical success. Her albums have regularly charted inFrance,Germany,Italy, and theNetherlands, and she has been credited with introducing a younger and more diverse audience to jazz music in non-English-speaking markets.[21][22]
A central element of Gardot’s legacy is the role music played in her recovery following a near-fatal road accident at age 19. Her rehabilitation process—during which music was prescribed as a neurological therapy—has made her a widely cited case study in discussions ofmusic therapy and neuroplasticity. She has spoken extensively at hospitals, universities, and medical conferences about the therapeutic value of music in physical and cognitive recovery.[23]
In recognition of her advocacy, a music therapy program inNew Jersey was named in her honor in 2012, marking a rare instance of a contemporary recording artist being institutionally associated with therapeutic practice.[24] Her story is frequently referenced in academic literature addressing the intersection of art, medicine, and trauma recovery.[25]
Gardot’s visual presentation has also become an enduring part of her artistic identity. Her use of dark sunglasses during performances—initially a medical necessity due to photophobia—has since been interpreted as a symbol of introspection and emotional privacy, influencing stage aesthetics among contemporary jazz and singer-songwriter performers.[26]
Musically, Gardot is often cited by emerging jazz and crossover artists for her emphasis on space, silence, and emotional understatement rather than vocal virtuosity. Scholars and critics have noted that her work challenges dominant trends toward technical excess, instead prioritizing narrative intimacy and mood.[27]
In popular and scholarly discourse alike, Gardot is recognized as a bridge between classic jazz traditions and contemporary songwriting, leaving a lasting imprint on modern vocal jazz, therapeutic music advocacy, and the global perception of jazz as a living and evolving art form.[28]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BBC Jazz Awards | Best International Artist | — | Nominated |
| 2010 | Echo Awards | International Female Jazz Singer of the Year | Won | |
| 2010 | Victoires de la Musique | Album of the Year – Jazz | My One and Only Thrill | Nominated |
| 2010 | NRJ Music Awards | International Breakthrough of the Year | — | Nominated |
| 2011 | Prix Django Reinhardt | International Jazz Artist | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Victoires du Jazz | Vocal Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2013 | BBC Jazz Awards | Best International Jazz Act | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Jazz FM Awards | International Jazz Act of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Grammy Awards | Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical | Currency of Man | Nominated |
| DownBeat Critics Poll | Rising Star – Vocalist | — | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Echo Awards | International Female Jazz Singer of the Year | Won | |
| 2017 | Jazz FM Awards | International Jazz Act of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Académie Charles Cros | Coup de cœur (Critics’ Choice) | Live in Europe | Won |
| 2019 | Victoires du Jazz | Album of the Year – Vocal Jazz | Sunset in the Blue | Nominated |
| 2020 | Jazz Awards | Best International Vocal Album | Won | |
| 2021 | Académie Charles Cros | Grand Prix du Disque | Won | |
| 2022 | French Jazz Academy | Best International Vocal Album | Nominated | |
| 2025 | Jazz FM Awards | Golden | Won |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [29] | AUS [30] | AUT [31] | FRA [32] | GER [33] | JPN [34] | NLD [35] | NOR [36] | SWE [37] | UK [38] | ||||
| Worrisome Heart | 80 | 93 | — | 8 | 44 | 86 | — | 31 | 25 | 172 |
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| My One and Only Thrill |
| 42 | 23 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 12 | ||
| The Absence |
| 33 | 43 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 22 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
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| Currency of Man |
| 124 | 80 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 59 | 12 | 14 | — | 31 | ||
| Sunset in the Blue |
| —[A] | — | 13 | 18 | 27 | 88 | — | — | — | 40 | ||
| Entre eux deux (with Philippe Powell) |
| — | — | 66 | 17 | 22 | — | 17 | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Current [50] | US Jazz [52] | AUT [31] | FRA [32] | GER [33] | JPN [34] | NLD [35] | ||
| Live in Europe |
| 97 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 162 | 152 |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (FL) [53] | BEL (WA) [53] | FRA [32] | ||
| The Essential Melody Gardot |
| 171 | 137 | 44 |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Jazz [52] | ||
| Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions |
| — |
| Live from SoHo |
| 2 |
| Bye Bye Blackbird |
| — |
| A Night with Melody EP |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||
Gardot appears on the following songs, on vocals and occasionally piano or guitar, by other artists:
When she was 19 a road accident nearly ended Melody Gardot's life – and started her acclaimed singing career. Eight years on, she still can't escape the pain but it hasn't stopped her traveling the world to record her third album
