“With someone like Cole Porter, Perry Como, Louis Armstrong, or Bessie Smith, you had people who understood emotion, could translate it into a melodic sensibility, and could express it in a way that unified humanity.”

American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer

Melody Joy Gardot is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer, born in 1985. She came to attention in the mid-2000s and is known for her jazz-inflected songs and smoky contralto voice. Her music blends jazz with blues, bossa nova, folk, and pop. She reached international recognition with albums including Worrisome Heart, My One and Only Thrill, The Absence, Currency of Man, and Sunset in the Blue.