Jennifer Grayson

In the footsteps of a select group of popular artists, Jennifer Grayson is a classically trained musician with a rebel soul. Her love of classical music began early: As a child, her mother would turn on the classical radio station on car rides to stop Jennifer and her younger brother from fighting. Her brother would fall asleep; she would listen, enchanted. At the age of four, she asked her parents for a piano, and studied classical piano for years before realizing that her true musical love was singing. Not convinced she wanted to pursue music as her career, she attended the University of Pennsylvania with the intention of continuing on to medical school; but after touring as a lead singer with UPenn’s acclaimed rock a cappella group Off the Beat and studying classical voice with a teacher at Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, she realized she wanted to pursue her musical ambitions full time. Transferring to the renowned New England Conservatory of Music, she studied opera, making her concert debut at Boston’s venerable Jordan Hall as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana, to rave Boston Globe reviews.
But after graduating and making her way in the classical music world, living in NYC and Los Angeles and performing in full-scale operatic and musical productions — and building her reputation as a classical soloist — Jennifer realized she wanted something more. Says Jennifer, “While I’ve always loved the pure beauty of classical music — I’ve always related to the melodies on a visceral level — I felt stifled in that world. Here I was, performing the same exact repertoire of songs and operatic roles that every soprano has for the past hundred years or more. I thought about all of the popular music I also loved — the Beatles, Fiona Apple, Radiohead — and realized that I wanted to have my own unique sound.”
Wanting to move beyond typical “classical crossover,” Jennifer turned to her musician friends in the pop world for help (who had played with artists such as Paul Simon, Norah Jones, and Rachel Yamagata). What began as a modern take on existing classical repertoire — intimate, Beatles-esque interpretations of arias and art song — has now evolved into her own eclectic style: Her recent performances and recordings have included lush and innovative interpretations of classical music, other artists’ songs, and original material. And while she can name modern artists like Rufus Wainwright and Bjork among her influences, her clear and soulful soprano voice is unique in the pop realm. Los Angeles club audiences have termed her distinctive sound “hauntingly beautiful” and “mesmerizing.” Having just released her first single on iTunes, and recently been featured on LA.com and KCLA 99.3 FM, Jennifer is excited to share her music with the world. Says Matthew Libman, who produced her recent single: “I think that with the current state of the world and all its uncertainty, people need beauty in their lives … beautiful music that people can really connect with … Jennifer has the whole package.”

View Jennifer Grayson's EPK