Cécile McLorin Salvant is a jazz vocalist. Born on August 28, 1989 in Miami, Florida, she was the winner of the first prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010, releasing her first album, “Cecile,” shortly thereafter. Her second album, “WomanChild,” was released in 2013 on Mack Avenue Records. In 2014 Salvant was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Salvant began studying voice at the age of eight with an interest in classical music. She began her transition into jazz while studying at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in 2007. Salvant says that her main jazz influences are Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and Betty Carter. Salvant won four categories in the 2014 Down Beat Critics Poll: Jazz Album of the Year, Female Vocalist, Rising Star–Jazz Artist and Rising Star–Female Vocalist.
Her third album, For One to Love, was released in September, 2015.