Norah Jones (/ˈnɔːrə/NOR-ə; bornGeethali Shankar, March 30, 1979)[2] is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023[update], has sold more than 53 million records worldwide.[3]Billboard named her the topjazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won tenGrammy Awards[4] and was ranked 60th onBillboard magazine's Artists of the 2000s Decade chart.[5]
Jones was born Geethali Shankar on March 30, 1979, inManhattan, New York City, to American concert producer Sue Jones and IndianBengali musicianRavi Shankar.[2][10]
After her parents separated in 1986, Jones lived with her mother, growing up inGrapevine, Texas. As a child, Jones began singing in church and also took piano and voice lessons. She and her mother lived inAnchorage, Alaska when she was eleven years old.[11] She attended Colleyville Middle School andGrapevine High School before transferring toBooker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts inDallas. Her music took its first form early on in the local Methodist Church where she regularly sang solos. While in high school, she sang in the school choir, participated in band, and played the alto saxophone. At the age of 16, with both parents' consent, she officially changed her name to Norah Jones.[2][12][13]
Jones always had an affinity for the music ofBill Evans andBillie Holiday, among other "oldies". She once said: "My mom had this eight-album Billie Holiday set; I picked out one disc that I liked and played that over and over again."[14]
Jones attendedInterlochen Center for the Arts during the summers. While at high school, she won theDown Beat Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996).[15]
Jones attended theUniversity of North Texas (UNT), where she majored in jazz piano and sang with the UNT Jazz Singers. During this time, she had a chance meeting with future collaboratorJesse Harris. She gave a ride to a band playing at the university whose members happened to be friends of Harris. He was on a cross-countryroad trip with friend and futureLittle Willies memberRichard Julian, and stopped to see the band play. After meeting Jones, Harris started sending herlead sheets of his songs.
In 1999, Jones left Texas for New York City. Less than a year later, she started a band with Harris, and her recordings with them were bestsellers.[16]
As Peter Malick states in the liner notes, "I started looking for a singer who might be open to recording [my latest songs] for me. On a Tuesday night, I walked into the Living Room just as the singer announced the last song of the set. The Dinah Washington classic 'Since I Fell for You' filled the room and I was struck breathless. Here, in the tradition of Billie Holiday, was a stunningly beautiful, blues infused voice. This was my first contact with Norah Jones."[21] Malick asked her to participate in sessions at Room 9 from Outer Space inSouth Boston, during August and September 2000. They recorded Malick's songs "New York City", "Strange Transmissions", "Deceptively Yours" and "Things You Don't Have to Do" in addition to cover versions of "All Your Love" by Sam Maghett and "Heart of Mine" by Bob Dylan. These songs became the albumNew York City (Koch, 2003) by the Peter Malick Group Featuring Norah Jones.[21]
After moving to New York City, Jones signed toBlue Note, a label owned byEMI Group. The signing came as an indirect result of her performing as lead singer for the JC Hopkins Biggish Band. Shell White, who was the wife ofJ. C. Hopkins, worked forEMI Publishing and gave Jones's three-track demo toBruce Lundvall, the label's president, and Brian Bacchus, its artists and repertoire agent (A&R). The demo contained two jazz standards and a song byJesse Harris. The two executives agreed that Jones had potential. Despite their misgivings about the direction of her music, they signed her to the label. Bacchus toldHitQuarters, "We let her find her own direction ... We knew that if she could develop her songwriting and we could find great songs, it would work."[22]
Bacchus thought producer and engineerJay Newland's experience in jazz, blues, rock, country, and folk music would give a "feeling for her sound". Jones and Newland recorded nine demo tracks on October 8 and 9, 2000.[23] Four appeared on the samplerFirst Sessions, released on May 30, 2001, with the rest were set aside for her debut album.[22]Come Away with Me (2002) was praised for its blend of acoustic pop with soul and jazz.[24] Debuting at No. 139, it reached No. 1 on the U.S.Billboard 200. The single "Don't Know Why" hit No. 1 on theTop 40 Adult Recurrents in 2003 and No. 30 in theBillboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. At the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003, Jones was nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won five:Best New Artist,Album of the Year,Best Pop Vocal Album,Record of the Year, andBest Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Know Why". This tiedLauryn Hill andAlicia Keys for most Grammy Awards received by a female artist in one night. Jesse Harris won Song of the Year for "Don't Know Why", whileArif Mardin wonProducer of the Year. The album wonBest Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[7]Come Away with Me was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for having sold one million copies. In February 2005, it was certified diamond for selling ten million copies.[25]
2004–2009:Feels like Home,Not Too Late andThe Fall
Feels like Home (2004) debuted at the top of the charts in at least 16 countries, including Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.[26] At the47th Grammy Awards in 2005, the album was nominated for three Grammys, winning one, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Sunrise". For "Here We Go Again", a duet with Ray Charles, she won Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[27]Time magazine named Jones one of the most influential people of 2004.[28]
Jones released her third album,Not Too Late, on January 30, 2007. The album was the first for which she wrote or co-wrote every song. She has said some of these songs are much darker than those on her previous albums.[29]Not Too Late was mostly recorded at Jones's home studio. It is her first album without producer Arif Mardin, who died in the summer of 2006. Jones described the sessions as "fun, relaxed and easy" and without a deadline; Blue Note executives reportedly did not know she was recording an album. The song "My Dear Country" is political commentary; she wrote it before the United States Presidential election day in 2004.Not Too Late reached the No. 1 position in twenty countries.Not Too Late had the third-best first week of sales in 2007, behindAvril Lavigne'sThe Best Damn Thing andLinkin Park'sMinutes to Midnight. It reached No. 1 in the U.S., selling 405,000 copies. EMI announced thatNot Too Late reachedgold,platinum or multi-platinum in 21 countries as of February 2007.[30] The album has sold 4 million copies worldwide. That same year, she sang "American Anthem" for theKen Burns documentaryThe War.[31][32]
Jones's fourth studio album,The Fall, debuted at No. 3 on theBillboard 200 in November 2009, selling 180,000 copies in its first week. Although it was her first album that did not reach No. 1 in the United States, it did receive critical acclaim.[33] As part of the promotional drive for the album, Jones performed onDancing with the Stars,Late Show with David Letterman,Good Morning America and other television programs.The Fall featured aSt. Bernard on the cover; his name is Ben.[34] The album'slead single, "Chasing Pirates", peaked at No. 13 onHot Adult Contemporary Tracks and No. 7 on Jazz Songs.Billboard's 2000–2009 decade awards ranked Jones as the top jazz recording artist, at No. 60 best Artist.Come Away With Me was elected the No. 4 album and No. 1 jazz album.
Jones earned a platinum certification by theRIAA for sales of 1 million copies ofThe Fall. The album sold 1.5 million copies worldwide and was certified gold or platinum in 14 countries as of 2010. "Baby, It's Cold Outside", a duet withWillie Nelson, was nominated in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. In 2009, Jones performed "Come Away With Me" and "Young Blood" at the end of theApple Inc.'s It's Only Rock and Roll press conference on September 9 in San Francisco, for the release of iTunes 9 and video camera-equippediPods, among other items[35] She also made a guest appearance and performed with other artists on the season three finale of theNBC series30 Rock.[36] Jones started her fourth world tour on March 5, 2010.
2012–2019:Little Broken Hearts,Day Breaks andBegin Again
After working withDanger Mouse andDaniele Luppi on some of the tracks for their albumRome, Jones worked with Danger Mouse again on her fifth studio album,Little Broken Hearts, which was released on May 1, 2012. She played the album in its entirety atSXSW 2012.[37]American Songwriter calledLittle Broken Hearts the "most dramatic and rewarding departure she's made in her career."[38] On May 25, 2012, she began her fifth world tour in Paris, with performances in Europe, North America, Asia, South America, and Australia. She performed in London at theRoundhouse on September 10, 2012, as part of theiTunes Festival which was broadcast on the internet. She toured three cities in India for the first time because her father wanted her to do so. She also performed a headlining performance at Summer's Day, music festival produced by Only Much Louder. The tour started at Summer's Day in Mumbai on March 3 and included stops in New Delhi on March 5 and Bangalore on March 8.
Her sixth studio album,Day Breaks, which included nine new songs and threecover versions, was released on October 7, 2016. "Carry On", the album's lead single, was released to digital outlets on the same day.[39] The album marked a return to her piano after dabbling in folk and pop on the last two records. Jones said the goal of this record was to do everything live. She said in an interview withBillboard: "When you have great musicians, there's no reason to overdub. That strips the soul out of the music."[40] In 2019, Jones released a compilation album of singles she recorded from 2018 to 2019, entitledBegin Again, and the set includes collaborations withJeff Tweedy andThomas Bartlett.[41][42][43][44]
2020–present:Pick Me Up Off the Floor,I Dream of Christmas, andVisions
Her seventh studio album,Pick Me Up Off the Floor, was released on June 12, 2020. It debuted at number 87 on the USBillboard 200, making it Jones's first album not to debut in the top three. Her eighth studio album,I Dream of Christmas, was released in 2021,[45] with an expanded version released in 2022.[citation needed] In 2023, Jones was featured on rapperLogic's song "Paradise II" from his first independent studio album,College Park.[46]
Jones made a cameo appearance as herself in the 2002 movieTwo Weeks Notice, which starredHugh Grant andSandra Bullock. The film shows her briefly at the piano, singing for a charity benefit.[47]
Jones appeared in the 2004 special,Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On.[51] Jones appeared in the concert and DVD "Return to Sin City – A Tribute to Gram Parsons". Jones performed the song "She" and then, together withKeith Richards ofThe Rolling Stones, sang "Love Hurts".
Jones worked withMike Patton in 2006, providing vocals on the track "Sucker" on thePeeping Tom project. The song attracted attention as it was the first time Jones used profanity in a recording.[54]
In 2007, Jones made her acting debut as the protagonist in a film directed byWong Kar-wai. The film,My Blueberry Nights, opened for the2007 Cannes Film Festival as one of the 22 films in competition.[55] She wrote and performed a song, "The Story", for the movie.[56]
In a change of direction predatingThe Fall, Jones (referring to herself as "Maddie" and virtually anonymous in a blond wig) sang and played guitar with rock band El Madmo. The band consists of Jones,Daru Oda andRichard Julian and released an eponymous album on May 20, 2007.[57]
In 2008, she recorded a duet withA Tribe Called Quest front man Q-Tip, titled "Life Is Better" from his "Renaissance" LP.
Jones is one of the participants in the so-called "Hank Williams Project" overseen byBob Dylan, and reportedly including contributions from Willie Nelson,Jack White,Lucinda Williams, andAlan Jackson.[59][60][61] On March 31, 2008, Jones commemorated the 20th anniversary ofThe Living Room with a midnight performance at the intimateManhattan music venue where the singer got her start. She played a new song entitled "How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart" and explained that it originated from newly found Hank Williams lyrics she was asked to put to music.[60] Jones also performed the song in late 2008 onElvis Costello's talk/music television series,Spectacle: Elvis Costello with....[62][63][64]
Jones was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards, supporting independent artists' careers.[65]
In 2010, Jones contributed "World of Trouble" to theEnough Project andDowntown Records'Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voices for peace in Congo.[66]
Jones released...Featuring, a compilation album of collaborations she has done with well-known musicians, including theFoo Fighters, Willie Nelson,Dirty Dozen Brass Band,Outkast,Q-Tip,Talib Kweli,Belle and Sebastian,Ray Charles,Ryan Adams, Dolly Parton,Herbie Hancock,M. Ward, and others. Jones said, "It's so exciting and flattering and fun when I get asked to sing with somebody that I admire.... It takes you a little bit out of your comfort zone when you're doing something with another artist. You don't know what to expect—it's kind of like being a little kid and having a playdate." The 18-track Blue Note disc was released on November 16, 2010.[67]
As a tribute toSteve Jobs, Jones performed a live three-song set at the Apple Campus in October 2011. It included "Nearness of You", "Painter Song", and Bob Dylan's "Forever Young". Forever Young was performed in honor of Jobs, because "he liked Bob Dylan".[68][69]
Jones sang "It Came Upon Midnight Clear", "Silent Night" and "Pooping Log (Caga Tió)" on the Holiday Special 2011 ofAnthony Bourdain: No Reservations.[70]
Jones collaborated with her half-sister,Anoushka Shankar, on Shankar's albumTraces of You, released on October 22, 2013. She contributed vocals to three songs on the album.
Jones recorded an album with her country music project, an all-female trio calledPuss n Boots, which consists of Jones,Sasha Dobson andCatherine Popper. The album, titledNo Fools, No Fun, was released on July 15, 2014, through Blue Note Records.[73]
Jones is featured onHarold Mabern's 2014 albumAfro Blue, singing "Fools Rush In" and "Don't Misunderstand". On September 28, 2014, she appeared at theGeorge Fest tribute concert toGeorge Harrison in Los Angeles, where she sang "Something" and "Behind That Locked Door".[77] Three days beforehand, Jones performed "Behind That Locked Door" live on theTBS television showConan.[78] Her performance at George Fest was included on the 2016 album and film release of the event.[77][79]
Jones duets with The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards on the song "Illusions", from his 2015 albumCrosseyed Heart.[80]
On May 6, 2015, Jones sang "Don't Know Why" onThe Late Show with David Letterman, as she had thirteen years before for her first appearance on the Letterman show. The episode was broadcast within two weeks of Letterman's retirement as host. During the same year, she sang "Little Bird" and "God Only Knows" at Brian Fest.[81]
Begin Again was released throughBlue Note Records on April 12, 2019. The collection is a compilation of singles Jones recorded from 2018 to 2019, and includes collaborations withJeff Tweedy andThomas Bartlett. Jones planned to tour Australia and the US in support of the album, before cancelling shows due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Jones duetted with US jazz starKandace Springs on the song "Angel Eyes" from her covers albumThe Women Who Raised Me.
From September 2022, Jones started a podcast called "Norah Jones Is Playing Along", where they played impromptu and improvised songs with a selection of guest artists including her half-sisterAnoushka Shankar, as well asDave Grohl,Marc Rebillet and more.[84]
In 2023, Jones was featured on the single "Paradise II" from rapperLogic's eighth studio album,College Park.
In 2023, Jones collaborated with Icelandic musicianLaufey on two Christmas tracks, recording a cover of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and releasing an original song titled "Better Than Snow".[85]
Jones was in a relationship with bassistLee Alexander from 2000 to 2007.[87] After a period of estrangement from her father,Ravi Shankar, Jones traveled toNew Delhi to spend time with him and wrote some material that was later recorded for the albumThe Fall.[88] Jones has two children with her husband, keyboardist Pete Remm, whom she has been married to since 2014.[45][89][90][91][92]
^abcDilworth, Thomas J. (July 6, 2007)."What's Next for Norah Jones?".ABC News. Archived fromthe original on June 28, 2011. RetrievedNovember 19, 2009.Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., is Norah Geethali Shankar, born on March 30, 1979. Shankar officially changed her name to Norah Jones when she was 16, and has been using it ever since.
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