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Norah Jones Profile |
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Birth Date: March 30, 1979
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Birth Place: New York, New York, USA
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Birth Name: Geetali Norah Jones Shankar
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Height: 5'1"
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Biography |
Born March 30, 1979, in New York City, but raised in a
suburb of Dallas, Texas after relocating south with her
mother Sue, Norah Jones showed a strong aptitude for music
since childhood. She enrolled in Booker T. Washington High
School for the Performing and Visual Arts to hone her
musical talents but after exposure to several instruments,
she realized she wanted to play the piano. Already
career-minded, she knew that a solid foundation of jazz
piano could pave the way for better things...
For two years following her graduation from high school, she
studied at the University of North Texas, majoring in jazz
piano. Before her third year, she decided to take a trip to
New York City. The trip started out as simply a summer stay,
but Jones soon knew that she would not be returning home for
quite some time.
Engrossed in the music scene, Jones gravitated toward local
musicians and songwriters who urged her, after seeing her
sing, to jump-start her own career. Between waitressing
jobs, Jones soon started a band in which she sung lead
vocals and, of course, played piano. In October 2000, the
band ambitiously brought a demo to EMI Blue Note Records,
whose roster boasts a host of blues, jazz, folk, and country
musicians.
At a meeting with Blue Note president Bruce Lundvall in
January 2001, Jones played her three-song tape, hoping to
earn a break. Lundvall was so impressed with this young
girl's talents that he signed her on the spot. After little
more than a year of work, Norah Jones released her debut
album, Come Away With Me. Norah Jones has already sold 2.6
million copies of the album (a rare feat for a Blue Note
recording artist), despite close to zero airplay. Despite
the lack of publicity, her album is inching its way up the
music charts while the debut single "Don't Know Why" is
climbing up the Adult Top 40 chart.
To follow up the release of her impressive album, Norah
Jones performed at a Willie Nelson tribute show, toured with
John Mayer and Charlie Hunter in the U.S., and recently
traveled to Japan and Europe to perform.
Merely in her early 20s, Norah Jones has an unbelievable
amount of skill that should take her very far. She leads an
enviable life with her number one passion as a career, a
solid family (recently reconciling with her father, Ravi
Shankar, world-renowned sitar player) and nothing but great
publicity.
The sultry-voiced neo-jazz singer already enjoyed a stunning
sweep at the Grammy Awards in 2003, where she picked up five
trophies in the major categories (Album of the Year, Record
of the Year for "Don't Know Why", Best New Artist, Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Don't Know Why," and Best
Pop Vocal Album. It's clear that this is only the beginning
for Miss Jones. |
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Other
Information |
Daughter of legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar.
Studied at the University of North Texas where she majored
in jazz piano but left before her 3rd year.
Her debut album, "Come Away with Me," has sold over 8
million copies, making it the highest-selling album in the
history of Blue Note Records.
Daughter of Sue Jones
Her boyfriend is her bassist Lee Alexander.
Won 8 Grammys at the 2002 Grammy Awards - the most ever
awarded to an artist in a single year.
Half-sister of Anoushka Shankar.
In the latter part of 2003, rumours emerged that veteran
Indian filmmaker Dev Anand was planning to make the film
"Song of Life," inspired by Norah Jones's troubled
relationship with her father, Ravi Shankar. Both Jones and
Shankar were enraged by the rumors and Jones's comments
were, "He [Anand] has no idea of our story, and he's not
going to represent it in a truthful way, I'm sure. It's sad
because it's personal stuff and nobody's business but ours." |
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