A number 1 Billboard charting flutist, a composer, recording and touring artist, educator, and radio show host who just released a new single early last month. She was named BEATS Magazine’s “Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year” for 2024 and has performed at notable venues and events from here in the U.S. to Portugal to London and even on the Dave Koz Cruise. She is also a member of the all-female jazz supergroup Jazz in Pink. She is the radio host of a nationally syndicated, two-hour jazz program. She has more than 69 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined total of nine-and-a-half million streams, plus, her official YouTube channel has had over 1.8 million combined video views. This interview was recorded on location in Anaheim, California, where she was performing at the NAMM Show.
“A lot of my recording I do… with a very talented studio engineering composer, Kelvin Wooten. He's a GRAMMY award-winning producer.”
“My classical background is heavily embedded in my music. So, while it is a jazz genre, the classical
training that I have, the tone quality, the expression, all of that, the classical technique, all of that I really put into the jazz style as well. So, it's kind of a fusion of sorts.”
“When I started out, I was solely a classical flutist… I was not as confident in what I had to say as a jazz flutist. So now I have no inhibitions.”
“I knew that I couldn't go into anything with fear. I knew I wanted to not compare myself because I've always thought that you're only going to be the best you can be if you are true and authentic to what you're doing.”
“In staying authentic and true, I'm not jumping on the AI bandwagon.”
“I encourage all artists, not just musicians, because it's this way in every field, the changing times,
as artists, we have to stay on top of the shift.”
“I encourage artists to find a label that supports them, that will stretch them and find out if that label has enough experience to know what they're doing and can steer you in the right direction or give you good guidance, but that also listens to you as an artist.”
“Professionalism. For me that is key. I like to work with people who are on time with deadlines. I like to work with people who are kind because I believe that your spirit influences the energy of the room.”
“Celebrate all the wins and celebrate the losses too because I think in the losses there are lessons to help you make it to that step next time and be more successful.”
“When you do hit a milestone, celebrate it, but don't sit in it because when you sit in it is when you stop growing, is when you stop dreaming as much because you feel like you have arrived and there is always somebody else waiting to pass you on that track.”
“I've seen a lot of musicians that win that GRAMMY and they don't win anymore because they felt like they arrived and they let their guard down and they lost that humility. They got that chip on their shoulders.”
“Every time I hit the stage it's a moment for me and it's special for me because I take it as every opportunity is a gift to connect with the audience, to share my music with the audience, to inspire someone.”
“SHINE!” (featuring Blake Aaron)
“Hide & Seek”