Nnenna Freelon

Nnenna Freelon is a seven-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist, an arts education advocate, producer, arranger, and award-winning podcaster (entitled Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon) who has achieved great heights in recording and live performance.

Nnenna has felt the need to find her “voice” once more. through the lens of grief and loss. Her new recording Beneath The Skin is a reflection of this new territory. It’s an intimate expression of her love for her family, her late husband Phil, and a universal love letter to all who’ve lost someone dear. Storytelling, she believes, helps strengthen community – and music can speak eloquently to our hearts.

Through her albums and  podcast, Nnenna is sharing her voice in new ways that are both personal and universal. On her most recent recording, Beneath the Skin on Origin Records (2025), she goes the extra step, reaching in to create heart-spoken songs, born from curiosity to more closely visit stories inhabiting her own life. With co-arranger and pianist Alan Pasqua, Nnenna’s created her most personal musical statement to date. “Beneath the Skin is a very accomplished demonstration of veteran singer Nnenna Freelon’s numerous, remarkable talents,” wrote New York City Jazz Record.