Melody Gardot

American jazz singer Melody Gardot was born in New Jersey on February 2, 1985, and has been a popular figure since her debut album Worrisom Heart (2008). In November 2003, she was a fashion arts student in Philadelphia when she was seriously injured in an accident in which her bicycle was hit by a car. Hospitalized for a year, she developed sensory disorders of sight and hearing, which she tried to alleviate by listening to music with a therapist. Trained as a pianist at the age of nine and a club singer in her spare time, Melody Gardot learned to play guitar and compose during her convalescence. Still in fragile health, she had to wear dark glasses to protect herself from the light, and was accompanied by carers when she toured. A self-produced EP, Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005), led to a series of concerts and the attention of radio station WXPN. Signed to Verve Records, she recorded an instantly successful debut album, Worrisome Heart (2008), ranked #2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and #80 on the Billboard 200 overall. Thanks to her smooth, suave voice and elegant repertoire of covers, her reputation continues to grow with each new release, which sees Melody Gardot travel the world and headline festivals. The gold- and platinum-selling My One and Only Thrill (2009, No. 42), produced by Larry Klein and arranged by Vince Mendoza, is followed by The Absence (2012), a first recording for Decca Records with bossa nova and Caribbean influences, produced by Heitor Pereira. On the same label, Currency of Man (No.1 jazz sales in 2015), Live in Europe (2018) and Sunset in the Blue (2020) are released. In 2022, Melody Gardot teamed up with Franco-Brazilian pianist Philippe Baden-Powell for the album Entre Eux Deux, sung in three languages.