Kandace Springs

Jazz pianist and singer-songwriter Kandace Springs – born January 17, 1989, in Nashville, Tennessee - has won acclaim for her musical style which combines established jazz themes with elements of soul and hip-hop. Daughter of Nashville artist Scat Springs, she learned to play music as a child and grew up influenced by great jazz stylists Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. She released a self-titled EP in 2014 that had a heavy R&B and hip-hop tone and led to appearances at festivals including Afropunk and Bonnaroo. She also appeared on television programs including The Late Show and The Tonight Show. Her recording of Sam Smith's “Stay with Me” attracted the attention of the iconic soul artist Prince who invited her to perform at a 30th anniversary celebration of his 1984 album Purple Rain at Paisley Park. Signed to Blue Note Records, she released the album Soul Eyes (2016), produced by Grammy Award-winner Larry Klein, with more emphasis on jazz and soul. The album featured guest artists Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Dean Parks and Jesse Harris on guitar, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Pete Kuzma on organ, Dan Lutz on bass, and Pete Korpela on percussion. The album peaked at number 32 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and went to number five on the Jazz Albums Chart in July 2016. In 2018, Kandace Springs released the album Indigo, which was followed two years later by the covers album The Women Who Raised Me. After leaving Blue Note Records, she issued the album My Name is Sheba in 2022. Two years later, Kandace Springs released the album Run Your Race, which was preceded by the title track as the first single.